This letter is in response to the March 9 article, “In deep water: plight hints at wider ecological issues.” The article suggests that pollution is the cause of the decline of fresh water mussels, and they should be added to the Endangered Species List. This would adversely affect farmers and landowners who want to develop their land.
Answers to the mussel problem could easily have been found at the Snohomish County Growth Management Act hearing in Arlington, but The Herald did not report on that hearing.
Those who attended found that nearly all development would be within the growth boundaries around our cities and towns. This high-density development will all be on the city sewer and have retention ponds to keep water from leaving the development. Since the city sewer is the No. 1 polluter in the nation, one can easily understand why adding more sewage and chlorine to our landfills, lakes and rivers could easily affect wildlife inhabiting those bodies of water. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that more pollution and less water might cause a problem.
Using the Tulalip Tribes’ expert opinion on how we should protect wildlife, by giving up more land and the rights to it, is absurd. They are not required to follow any of the rules they expect us to follow. The gravel pit on Fire Trail Road has destroyed streams and wetlands and is not required to follow any current environmental regulations. However, they expect those not living on the reservation to adhere to stricter controls.
Here again The Herald’s one-sided opinion infers that we should continue to punish landowners to protect an environment that is being destroyed by a continuing major governmental mistake that has nothing to do with them.
Stanwood
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