The state just bought the seven-acre blueberry farm across the road from us for $250,000 for wastelands, excuse me, wetlands to replace .44 acres of land to build a left turn lane at 42nd Street and Highway 9. They are going to take out the blueberries, the house and gravel. They counted only six-tenths acre as restoring wetlands because the rest was already wetlands so they need more. Although the money has vanished for fixing roads, a big crew of biologists, soil testers, etc., showed up at our house one morning to test the soil to see if they should buy our property. Our property may be too wet for them as they are to create new wetlands according to federal and state law.
One-third of state funds are required to be spent on the environment but they admitted they are spending far more than that. After paying for the property they pay high wages to the environmentalists to come and remove buildings, berries and fix the property just the way they want. All I see is ducks eating everything they can find. But Lord help anyone who tries to take a berry plant, even though they are replacing them with “water plants.” There is already an astonishing number of acres of these wetlands. The Washington State Salmon Recovery is funding 11 projects, $4.7 million worth, to help salmon. A good portion of that is to purchase land. The Cascade Land Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy, the Tulalip Tribes, our county planners and numerous other organizations, not to mention our state environmental department with their vast budget, are all buying land to make into wasteland. Our Department of Transportation should at least be restricted to spending only the one-third required by law on creating wetlands.
We need Tim Eyman to help us pass an initiative that would put an end to the Department of Transportation having to replace wetlands for road construction projects; but would President Bush help at the federal level?
Please contact your federal and state lawmakers and let them know this is what we want. President Bush is going to try to cut out some of the environmentalists’ bizarre behavior, but it will be a real fight and a big issue at the next election.
Everett
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