Too much at stake to allow park

In response to the “Off-road riders” letter last Sunday, I fail to understand how “folks who ride dirt bikes and quads are some of the most environmentally conscious people that set foot in the woods.” How does an environmentally conscious person choose to rid the landscape of a beneficial, renewable resource (trees), so the landscape can be used for an activity which is powered by a harmful, non-renewable resource — gasoline?

The ecological benefits a forested landscape provides for all the folks “downstream” is at stake here. These valuable, highly important ecosystem services will be severely tested as Snohomish County residents increase in number. Add to the mix global warming, and the choices we make today (just like those made in the past) require our utmost care and consideration in terms of their impact on current and future generations. In defense of the environment, and therefore against a motocross park near Granite Falls, this is a clear case of “the needs of the many outweighing the desires of the few.” I see it as the basic needs of all living things (in Snohomish County) versus the desires of the few to have fun.

As a rural resident, I take very seriously my role as caretaker of my property. I’m aware that what I do or do not put onto the plants and soil in my yard has an effect on not only me, but all the folks in my watershed (from Granite Falls to the Everett waterfront). I consider myself a conservationist; in my everyday actions, I make it a priority to conserve natural resources wherever possible. I couldn’t live any other way and be able to look into my children’s and grandson’s faces without a clear conscience, without knowing that I did my part to make their world a cleaner, healthier place.

Kathryn Piland

Granite Falls