||| FROM SUSAN SLAPIN |||
Fourth of July and New Years seem to be the times… There are other ways to commemorate holidays, and create something that benefits humans and animals in a kind, fun, entertaining and positive way.
Fireworks
Animals are absolutely shaking, trembling, and terrified…I’ve seen it again recently – first hand. Dogs panic, shake and tremble. Some run if given the open field.Horses often run and flee, with severe injury resulting – often irreversible and life threatening.Birds fright, fly long distances disoriented. and leave near hatched eggs to die. Deer run in terror, where will they go, or be hurt on the run? Farm animals are stunned and traumatized.
The heavy metals from the color “dyes” proceed into the environment/atmosphere and pollute ground and water; These chemicals do not just disappear or evaporate, people then oblivious to the consequences – consume the toxins.
The possibility of fires, especially during “fire season” – someone of any age, possibly getting hurt or burned, by “accident.” Cars have caught fire from storing fireworks. Irresponsible people set the colored bombs off in our neighborhoods (just happened)…isn’t that illegal?
All of this for adolescent temporary amusement -glee, to witness colorful exploding aggressive bombardments in the sky. What kind of “glory”? is that? With all of the wars going on in the world, we need less to remind us of military atrocities – never. goes. well.
I get that the fireworks are beautiful. I certainly understand the love of color…but the mini-bombs are not worth the moments of narrow sighted “entertainment” and irreversible destruction they actually cause in midst and aftermath. And any money that may have been spent on the colored booming flares, could go instead to help those in need, feed low income families on the island, support single Moms and their children, help some with rent or medical conditions in an emergency fund, help with needed ferry tickets, provide funds to the Community Resource Center, Food Bank, etc. – doing the island long term good rather than short term “amusement” with sadly, often irreversible and actual damage.
Thank you for absorbing this email and next year, how about a light show? No-one gets hurt. If there is a Committee forming to support the contents of this email and perhaps suggest or provide alternative options, I ‘d like to sign- up.
I realize not all will resonate with the above content, but I’m here, with many many others, to speak for our animal – winged, and human populations, and the immediate environment.
JUST – CARE. It’s not that difficult. Light Show…Lots of colored lights!!!
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Petition to End Public Fireworks
We, the undersigned, respectfully call upon our local leaders and event organizers to end public fireworks displays.
While fireworks have long been associated with festivities, the significant harm they cause to
animals, the environment, and public resources can no longer be ignored.
The explosive noise and bright flashes from fireworks cause extreme distress to countless domestic animals and wildlife. Dogs, cats, horses, and other companion animals frequently experience intense fear, panic, and anxiety during fireworks displays. Many attempt to escape, resulting in injuries, disappearances, and, in some cases, death.
Wildlife is equally affected.
Birds are startled from their nests, often flying blindly into buildings, power lines, or other hazards. Nocturnal animals abandon feeding
Fireworks release large amounts of fine particulate matter, heavy metals, and other pollutants into the air.
These emissions contribute to poor air quality and can aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma, particularly among children, older adults, and individuals with existing heart or lung disease.
By signing this petition, we affirm that celebrations should reflect our shared values of compassion, environmental responsibility, fiscal accountability, and respect for all living beings.
I agree! Light shows are a better alternative. I saw a show done with drones but a couple of them crashed, so not recommended.
I wish to sign this petition., and vote for a light show as Susan suggests. Celebrating the end of war and victory with loud, warlike explosions and toxic chemicals falling from the sky seems totally insane to me. It is past time to move on to more thoughtful and certainly kinder ways to celebrate.
Thanks for launching this petition, Susan. I am totally with you on this!
Count me in for this. Let’s get a ballot initiative going and ban these public fireworks displays, just as private use of fireworks is already banned.
Most islanders I know would vote for this. Two consecutive nights that sounded like artillery battles in the near distance, going until nearly 11 pm. Replace the fireworks with lasers, drones, or maybe nothing. One less public spectacle to draw tourists!
Tradition isn’t enough of a justification for the noise and pollution, not to mention the fire risk. Dozens of fireworks-related structure and wildland fires were reported throughout western Washington this past weekend, despite the recent rain. It’s a public safety risk and a public nuisance as well.
This year we had a fine, dousing rain and got a soak prior to July 4th. Some years we go quite a stretch without rain, and the island gets very dry. There is no emergency egress plan in place if the island is faced with high winds during a dry period, and a fire incident erupts. It takes one drone up to shut down air support or evacuation, and the water is not a refuge, it’s too cold. Traffic will instantly gridlock heading for the ferry. Fireworks, at the driest, most populated time of the year, provide an enormous risk, and each year a fire catastrophe becomes more likely. To protect people, animals, the wildlife, fireworks of any kind should be banned, especially in these islands.
Petition to End Public Fireworks on Orcas Island
Go to change.org
Independence day fireworks shows are pretty much a time-worn remembrance of the proud militarism of America. We have other holidays and calendar dates properly marked to remember the people who stood for freedom or whatever socio-political reasons the administration at the time deems worthy of blood and resources. I don ‘t contribute to the Friday Harbor fireworks and don’t watch them. Wouldn’t miss them for a moment.
But it is part of the “come one, come all ” tourism invasion that our mislead powers that be insist upon. Note that there were purportedly 1,000 walk-ons on one ferry this past weekend disgorging visitors in Friday Harbor.
However much public run fireworks displays are an anachronism and pollute and disrupt they are not a fire danger. Private fireworks are entirely banned and scoff-laws should be severely punished but fireworks from a barge in the bay are a non-issue with regard to hyperbolic fictionalized fears as stated above. Banning the bombastic displays on these islands is a reasonable thing to propose simply because it is kind of absurd. I propose for San Juan Island that we instead slaughter some pigs for the picnic and silence the aerial bombs in celebration of a rare peaceful solution of the so called “Pig War” for which we have two National Historic Park units.
Direct link to the Change.org petition mentioned above:
https://c.org/h5JHvYhBtr
Count me in on this; fireworks are wrong; I totally agree….thanks Susan for this continuing conversation. Orcas Island is better than fireworks….
I agree, let’s ban fireworks on Orcas Island island, and specifically do these several things to keep our Island community safe:
1) end all publicly funded fireworks displays.
2) prohibit all public and private fireworks usage.
3) put in place and enforce significant fines for any individual or entity that uses fireworks on this island.
We were fortunate this year that we had a good soaking rain prior to July 4, but in many years Orcas is tinder-dry the entire summer, and using fireworks during the burn ban season, which is generally June through the end of September each year, is not using common sense, but is just tempting fate.
Let’s use common sense, and keep each other safe…. ban fireworks on Orcas Island!