Seventy-nine years on Earth gives one a good perspective on many things. I was born and raised on Grays Harbor and have seen more changes than I can count. Big and small, good and bad, the list is long. I spent 50 years as a logger, most of it right here on the Olympic Peninsula. Like my father before me, I made a living working in the timber industry. As a young man, one of my first jobs was falling timber (with a "misery whip") from a perch on a springboard. My next job was working at Simpson Door plant in McCleary. After returning from the U.S. Army during the Korean War because I found mill work too confining and repetitive, I returned to the woods at Simpson Timber Co. at Camp Grisdale, the last logging camp in the Pacific Northwest. Later I left and went to work for gypo logging outfits (contract logging companies) located in Grays Harbor.
When the contract logging company I was employed with went out of business, I joined with a member of our crew and began the work of gathering equipment and securing a logging contract. Six months later we began logging with a small crew under our newly formed company, C & R Logging Co. out of Satsop.
Early on, I learned that it was not wise to depend solely on one type of work. So along the way I learned and worked in other trades – electrical, construction, mechanical and appliance repair.
My career in the woods allowed me to raise a family and instill in my kids a good work ethic by providing them with work in which to earn a way to college and other endeavors. But living and working out on the land also made me appreciate the wild country, the land where chain saws have yet to leave their mark. Even when I was fully engaged in the logging business, I realized that some places and stands of timber should never be logged.
Just as the timber industry is important to the economy of the Pacific Northwest, "listening to the land's heart" is of equal importance. Having kayaked and fished many of our beautiful streams, and hiked the surrounding lands, I long ago realized the importance of solitude in nourishing the human spirit and the inner peace associated with being in the midst of our natural environment. Although I have journeyed half way around the world, in all my travels, nothing has impressed me more than the natural beauty of the Olympic Mountain Range, and the clear running waters that begin their journey flowing toward the lands below.
I have had many great experiences kayaking (my favorite mode of travel) in wild country taking videos of wildlife as I anticipate what might lie beyond the next bend in the river. From the upper reaches of the Satsop where the water is often too shallow for motorized travel, and on down to where the Satsop meets the Chehalis, affords a delightful paddle.
To me, these rivers of the Olympic Peninsula are a sacred trust, worthy of protection, so that generations to come can benefit from unspoiled beauty and sparkling streams as I have.
Change comes more quickly these days, and we have seen some of the negatives, – fewer salmon returning to spawn, fewer fishing and timber jobs and more pressure for development. Fortunately, some parts of the Olympic National Forest have withstood that pressure, and they have remained exactly as they were decades, even centuries, ago. But there is no guarantee they will remain this way for future generations, unless we act.
Watching the discussion unfold over the Wild Olympics proposal by Congressman Dicks and Senator Murray over the best way to manage this land, I was struck by their efforts to engage as many folks in this community as possible. They truly wanted to hear what people thought and they took those comments and concerns to heart as they developed a plan. As far as I can tell, no one got everything they wanted. Some people wanted more wilderness (including me). Some wanted less. But in the end, a balanced plan was introduced and one that would give our children and grandchildren that guarantee that what makes this beautiful place so special – the towering trees, the free-flowing rivers, the healthy salmon , the unrivalled recreations – will remain.
Thank you Congressman Dicks and Senator Murray, for your hard work in achieving this balance, and for helping us all leave a wild and natural legacy for future generations. We are grateful for your leadership.
Fred Rakevich is a resident of Elma.
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