By Jessica Salazar / For The Herald

I stood there, tears streaming down my face, clutching the small hands of my children as we watch the bulldozers tear into the earth where trees once stood tall and proud.

The air is filled with the harsh noise of machinery and the heart-wrenching cries of children who cannot comprehend the destruction before them. My 4-year-old tugs at my sleeve, asking why the trees are falling, why the birds are flying away in panic, why the world seems so cruel today. What can I say to her? How do I explain the inexplicable?

We are here, my neighbors and I, standing in solemn solidarity, powerless yet resolute. The sight before us is devastating, a beloved green space transformed into a barren wasteland. The Ambleside project, long fought against, has begun its ruthless march, and with it, a piece of our community’s soul is being irrevocably lost. The clear-cutting is more than just the removal of trees; it’s an assault on our home, our environment and our sense of justice.

This isn’t just a local issue; it’s a symptom of a much larger disease plaguing Snohomish County. Our local government has shown time and time again that it prioritizes developers’ profits over the well-being of residents and the natural world we cherish. Despite gathering more than 10,000 signatures on a petition, despite impassioned pleas and reasoned arguments, the chainsaws roar on, sanctioned by those who are supposed to protect us.

My children, aged 8 and 11, stand beside me, their innocent faces etched with confusion and sadness. They loved the eagles that nested in these trees, the deer that wandered close, the raccoons and owls that made our neighborhood feel like a sanctuary. Now, they see only destruction. How do I tell them that our voices, their voices, were not loud enough to save these creatures? How do I teach them to have faith in a system that has so blatantly failed us?

The devastation from the Ambleside project is a cruel reminder of the environmental degradation that happens when profit is placed above all else. The fish-bearing stream that runs alongside this property is now at risk, its delicate ecosystem threatened by the onslaught of pollution and sediment. Our efforts to protect it, to shield it from this fate, have been ignored.

We fought hard, we really did. We believed in the power of community action, in the possibility of a government that listens to its people. But today, as we stand on the edge of this destruction, that belief feels like a cruel joke. The local government’s lack of transparency, the expedited approvals for developers, the disregard for environmental safeguards; it’s all too much to bear.

We are not opposed to development; we understand the need for housing and growth. But what is happening here is not about providing homes; it’s about maximizing profit at any cost. Forty homes crammed into a space meant for far fewer, disrupting the existing ecosystem, overwhelming our infrastructure, and endangering our safety. This is not progress; it is a step backward, a betrayal of everything we hold dear.

As the trees fall and the ground is torn apart, I feel a deep anger rising within me. This should not be happening. Our local government should be protecting us, not selling us out. We need stronger environmental protections, greater transparency and a commitment to sustainable development that respects both people and nature.

The Ambleside project may be unstoppable now, but we must channel our grief and frustration into action. We must hold our officials accountable, demand stricter regulations, and ensure that no other community has to endure this heartbreak. We owe it to our children, to the wildlife that cannot speak for itself, and to the future of our planet.

As I stand here, surrounded by the echoes of a forest that once was, I make a promise to my children: We will not give up. We will fight for a better future, where our voices are heard, and our environment is cherished. This is not the end; it is the beginning of a New Path, one that we must forge together.

Jessica Salazar lives in Silver Lake.