Plan will protect county’s real assets

Published 9:00 pm Monday, July 9, 2001

We were overjoyed to read on the front page of The Herald of July 3 about a proposal to permanently protect a wilderness area right here in Snohomish County (“Voices in the proposed wilderness”). While hiking in the area on July 4, we noticed the erosion taking place from water rushing down the footpath we were hiking. The damage caused by logging roads and motor use is much more severe. Erosion from old logging roads continues to destroy the land and pollute our water supply long after timber companies have abandoned the area. Only 4 percent of logging is on public land, but they take the biggest and best trees, and then tax the public to pay for the roads they use and clean up the mess they leave. They provide only a handful of logging jobs, which disappear after the trees are gone and they move on.

The tremendous growth in Snohomish County is not the result of people seeking jobs in the timber industry. Part of the enjoyment of living in Snohomish County is being able to drive a short distance to enjoy hiking, horseback riding, rafting, hunting and fishing in our wilderness areas. We thank local and federal representatives for trying to protect these areas for us.

Lynnwood