Wild Olympics News

November’s National Geographic magazine has a fascinating article heralding America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers, from the roiling, broiling Rogue River in Oregon and Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho to the moose-haunted Allagash River in Maine (which I paddled years ago). The article includes gorgeous photos that make you want to hop in your car and go there to experience these pieces of America.

As a local supporter of the Wild Olympics Campaign, I was surprised to see the letter from a fellow reader commenting on how Olympic national park was a “tax sinkhole.”

So I decided to do a bit of research

ONP is consistently one of our most visited and popular national parks.

In 2009 alone, more than 3 million visitors enjoyed its ancient forests, wild rivers and waterfalls.

Congressman Dicks and Senator Murray recently held a public workshop in Port Townsend that was centered on a proposal they have drafted for protection of rivers and forests on the Olympic Peninsula.  I was one of nearly 200 Port Townsend residents that attended this workshop and I was very impressed to see such excitement and enthusiasm for preserving what we hold so dear.  
 
This was truly a community gathering including local elected officials, business owners, students and rank and file citizens.
 

I attended the Olympic Watershed Protection Workshop put on by the 
offices of Sen. Patty Murray and Congressman Norm Dicks with great 
interest. As a local supporter of the Wild Olympics Campaign, I wanted 
to learn what compromises the congressional offices had made when 
putting together their plan. I was also curious to see where the 
opinions of most participants were and was thrilled to see an 
overwhelming majority of people at the Hoquiam workshop in support of 
the effort.

I attended the workshop on Sen. Murray’s and Congressman Dicks’ watershed proposal in Hoquiam recently and it was interesting to see so many fellow supporters of this proposal.

Protecting our Wild Olympics is good for business and good for the Harbor.

Blair Jr.’s recent article in the Kitsap Sun on the Wild Olympics campaign was an amazing read to me, when I reached the conclusion about expanding the National Park, and forest in our West Sound backyard!

It made me think that during this Christmas season of giving and appreciation we have a wonderful opportunity to think beyond our individual goals. We have the chance to pass a collective goal of preserving the last remaining wild land in its natural state for all future generations that will come after us.

I applaud the efforts of Congressman Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray, who are moving forward to protect areas of Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest.

The protection of river watersheds especially in the national forest makes sense.

I’m a hotel developer who built the Holiday Inn Express and Conference Center and Quality Inn and Suites in Sequim because of all the natural beauty the Olympic Peninsula has to offer.

Wild rivers are an important asset and a key and growing part of the tourism industry.

As someone who regularly hikes in Olympic National Park and the surrounding forest, I recently attended the workshop put on by the offices of Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray regarding watershed protection on the Olympic Peninsula.

As a supporter of the Wild Olympics Campaign, I was concerned that the compromises they were putting forward in response to opponents of our campaign had gone too far.

However, after having a conversation with one of the staff and scanning the draft maps and other information that was presented, I came away satisfied.

At least one of my three readers made a huge mistake by asking me what I thought about the Wild Olympics campaign that is causing a mighty brouhaha across most of the state we see when we watch a sunset.

I first encountered the proposal to designate 130,000 acres as Wilderness in Olympic National Forest last spring, while touring and hiking around the North Fork of the Quinault River and camping along Lake Quinault. Just about every other home on the lake displayed signs in their yards that declared: Stop Olympic Land Grab.

I live on the West End. I hunt and I fish. Indeed, I make my living writing about hunting and fishing and by guiding fly fisherman. And I am an enthusiastic supporter of the Wild Olympics Campaign.

This is what the campaign wants to do: expand the wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest, designate the portions of the region's major rivers that flow through federal and state land as wild and scenic, and create modest national preserves around Olympic National Park at Lake Ozette, Lake Crescent and the Queets.

Why do I want this campaign to succeed?