Lands commissioner delays Port Ludlow land swap

Published 11:53 am Wednesday, June 10, 2009

PORT TOWNSEND — A proposed land swap near Port Ludlow has been delayed by state Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark.

Goldmark said he wants to hear more public comment about the proposed exchange between the Department of Natural Resources and Pope Resources.

“The Jefferson County commissioners are sensitive to it. We want to hear from the community and have a dialogue with the local community,” Goldmark said Tuesday.

A public forum will be held in late summer or early fall on the proposed trade of 4,420 acres of timber company land for 2,970 acres of state property.

The exchange would consolidate DNR land near the Olympic National Forest with Pope Resources land near Dabob Bay and Port Ludlow.

Of 43 public comments submitted so far about the deal, 32 opposed it, five favored it and six expressed concerns, the Peninsula Daily News reported.

Three Jefferson County commissioners have said they want a 50-year delay on any land conversion to residential or mining uses. They also want Pope to promise it will engage in the same forest practices as DNR, allowing public access and hunting as well as water protection.

Pope has said it won’t convert the land until 2025. It also has offered to add another piece of land in exchange for Jefferson County’s support.

Before defeating Doug Sutherland in the November election, Goldmark said he wanted to make sure communities were as informed and supportive of land swap proposals as possible.

“We want to be responsive, but not entirely dominated by the local community,” Goldmark said. “We must maintain landscapes that are not just good for habitat but so they can be working forests.”

On the other hand, he said, “The local community needs to be respected and their attitudes need to be respected.”

Goldmark said he recently went through a similar process in Klickitat County, ending with the support of many residents and the county board of commissioners there.

Information from: Peninsula Daily News, www.peninsuladailynews.com