Letter to the Editor: Island Life is Changing
To the Editor:
Decisions based on fear, emotion or irrational caution and few facts are seldom successful, yet that is where we are in the rules being written by County officials and planning staff to regulate property owners in San Juan County.
The County rule-makers have bought into the notion that calamity is stalking the island’s natural environment. On their short list, they fear our streams, lakes and salt waters are polluted by toxic storm water, population growth will explode, homes are a blight on the pristine landscapes, “wetlands” are being farmed, homes are to big, yards with non-native landscaping, gardens, and lawns are destroying the ecosystem. The shoreline homes are detrimental to the eel grass, salmon and Orca. People washing a car and or fertilizing their plants are major concerns.
The Council has just approved the General Section of the Critical Areas Ordinance. Technically, the Ordinance requires County permission for a vegetable garden or to fire up a chain saw to cut wood. On January 24th, responding to a question from Council Chair Patty Miller, the senior planner, Shireene Hale, told the Council the new regulations are no big deal. It only requires a County analysis and an “over the counter permit” approval before a property owner is allowed to disturb the environment. The Council and the CD&P staff want to be sure no one alters anything near the County’s designated Critical Areas or buffers.
The Council didn’t blink an eye when it was noted citizens from Shaw, Lopez and Orcas will be expected to go to Friday Harbor for their “over the counter permit.” (Before you spend a day getting there and back asking for the County’s permission, be aware CD&P may or may not have the staff available to approve a permit while you wait.)
There was no further questioning by the Council. Council Chair Miller was apparently satisfied. The Council voted five to one to approve the General Section of the CAO. Councilman Peterson voted no.
It is remarkable that so few islanders are paying attention to how radically our islands are being changed.
Dave Durand, Olga
As for the wisdom of COuncil placing decisions about so many areas of your life into the hands of CDPD personnel, well, that certainly hasn’t worked out too well in the past. This should be really interesting.
To Dave Durand,
Angry rebuttals based on fear and emotion aren’t very successful either.
Environmental degradation from human activity is an ever escalating fact globally, not just on our lovely island. We need to take this personally and seriously. Every one of us needs to be actively responsible, and that isn’t always convenient.
Which problems in particular are being solved by these imposiitons on our freedoms? Not “The sky is falling,” but rather “There is a documented abuse of x at place y that needs to be removed.”
With all due respect Peg if you would like I will give you tour of the disregard for natural habitat and devastation it is causing where I reside. The clear-cutting for a view and the uninformed mismanagement of wetlands causing a variety of erosion factors and devastation.
All of this for people whom are not looking to become citizens of Orcas but summer folks that for some reason (tax write-off, perhaps?) do not build a charming little cabin but a fortress to house their egos.
The question I would ask is thus, who is minding the store? When the people up the road clear-cut over 2 acres and the debris streamed into the road and blocked access. The county told me we had no inspectors here.
So on the one hand I agree with you. I believe myself to be a responsible steward, and these permits do seem petty and invasive. So my question is, who will take action when it is truly warranted?
Tracey–thank you for your kind offer–I would like to tour the areas of concern and determine what can be done, short of eliminating use of people’s land, to stop abuses. In particular, I am interested in how CDPD ignores or misinterprets the laws in place to allow abuses to continue, but on the other hand demands far more complicated and expensive laws and unlimited power over homeowners. There are several Orcas people worried about this. Let’s talk. My number is 4465.
Lesley–I too would like to talk about what needs to be done here on our island and what issues are really those that must be addressed by larger bodies. The “other side” of overly-aggressive land use regulation (regulation with no problem to solve, no cause, no effect) is that it harms regular people for no purpose. I think if we understand the middle ground, much of the light and noise around this issue disappears. I’d like to get together to discuss some of these issues. My number is 4465.
Thanks Peg, I will call asap! I would like very much to get together. Absolutely agree there seems to be a lack of middle ground and creative thinking surrounding these issues.
Dave; I notice you live in Olga. We in Eastsound UGA also feel like the island is radically changing, but in much different ways than you see it. We see the harms to our surroundings and it breaks our hearts and affects our health. Try living in Eastsound; perhaps your views would change! I would argue that there are so few islanders who realize how much irreversible harm has already been done to our anything BUT pristine environment.