The first day of spring is rapidly approaching and so is the one-year anniversary of the devastating landslide that so affected the people of the Stillaguamish Valley. Last March, while I was enjoying an almost perfect spring day on the Stillaguamish River, just three miles downstream, a waterlogged mountain of mud, sand and timber was collapsing across our very river, taking with it an entire neighborhood and 43 lives in a matter of seconds.
History is filled with the stories of communities who came together heroically in times of crises, and Darrington and Oso are no exceptions. Both towns are logging communities whose livelihoods have been decimated by mill closures and cutbacks that have occurred as a result of the dwindling economy over the last several years. Unemployment is rampant here and the landscape bears many vacant homes and farms that have been foreclosed upon. Life has been tough on valley residents, some whose families have lived here for several generations. Many are on government food assistance, and also rely on the food bank run by tireless volunteers and generous donations from outside the valley. Methamphetamine use and its subsequent criminal activities has taken its toll on the community.
In spite of all this, when the mountain fell, everyone who could, worked together to rescue the living, recover the deceased and assist in the healing that is taking place to this day and will for some time to come. Many are coming to the realization that logging may not come back, certainly not the way it was, and are considering the benefits of a more local and sustainable economy. Plans are in the works in Darrington for a community garden and farmer’s market. Small permaculture farms and green energy systems are being developed, adding to the valley’s resilience. Efforts are underway to pave the last 14 miles of roadway on the Mountain Loop Highway, a connection that will provide access and “world class” scenic vistas to day-trippers from metropolitan areas, bringing much needed tourist dollars to the region.
On my frequent drives past the slide, I notice that the winter rains have deepened the drainage lines etched into the escarpment wall, and as the days lengthen and the soil warms, a carpet of green is beginning to conceal the gray clay, sand and mud deposited by the slide. Trees and shrubs that workers tirelessly planted during a very wet winter are beginning to leaf out, bringing life’s renewal to the devastated landscape. In a few short years, balance will be restored and the river will run clear once again as nature heals herself.
Our healing can only be accomplished by working together. With the help of public and private institutions, we who are fortunate enough to live in this most-beautiful-of-places can honor the lives of those lost by creating a thriving, more sustainable community for everyone.
Rick Knight is a resident of Arlington.
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