July 21, 2004

The Honorable Rick Larsen

2930 Wetmore Ave, Ste. 9E

Everett, WA 98201

Dear Congressman Larsen:

As owners and operators of the 32 Skykomish Valley businesses listed below, we are writing to express our support for the Wild Sky Wilderness Act (H.R. 822) which is currently being considered in Congress.

The Skykomish River Valley, from the city of Monroe to the town of Skykomish, is a special place to live, in large part because of its natural heritage. Our communities are minutes away from old growth forests, snow-capped peaks, secluded waterfalls and scenic vistas. The area proposed for the Wild Sky Wilderness is a key part of that heritage, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to our region of Snohomish County each year.

The recreational opportunities afforded by this remarkable area are the cornerstone of many of our businesses. Visitors from throughout western Washington and beyond travel up the Highway 2 corridor to hunt, fish, hike, camp, cross country ski, horseback ride, birdwatch, raft, kayak and get away from the city’s hustle and bustle in the Wild Sky area. Along the way they eat meals, buy groceries, purchase gear, sign up for a rafting, kayaking or other recreational trip, and stay overnight at our establishments.

Many of our businesses sponsored the Wild Sky Wilderness festival in June of 2003 by providing food, supplies and raffle items for that event, which attracted nearly 400 individual Wild Sky supporters from as far away as Bellingham and Spokane to see the Wild Sky first hand. That event underscored the popularity of this area, not to mention the important economic potential it holds for the local economy.

We commend your efforts to work with local stakeholders to address concerns about the proposal early on and reach good faith compromises where appropriate. As business owners we too have a stake in protecting the recreational opportunities and the great quality of life in this area for the customers that we so proudly serve.

Sincerely,

Alan Kearney

Alpine Adventures, Inc.

Gold Bar, WA

David Meier

A Cabin in the Sky & A Stone’s Throw B&B

Index, WA

Shane Turnbull

Chinook Expeditions

Index, WA

Janet Triplett

Whispering Waters Cabin & Cascade Cottage

Baring/Skykomish, WA

Kelly Stone

Werner Paddles

Sultan, WA

Bill & Joni Miller

Le Sports Junkies

Startup, WA

Rich and Nancy Yarges

Skykomish Deli

Skykomish, WA

Scott Peterson

Washington Serpentarium

Monroe, WA

Phil Freeman and Catherine Gallagher

A River Runs Through It & Grey Fox vacation rentals

Baring/Index, WA

Lisa Olson

Hillbillies

Gold Bar, WA

Randy Batten

1896 Food & Spirits

Startup, WA

Sung H. Kim

Fairground Inn

Monroe, WA

Nicole Freidt

Simon's & Son Fine Dry Cleaning

Monroe, WA

Noel Cortez

La Michoacana Inc.

Monroe, WA

Chris Jonason

Wave Trek, Inc.

Index, WA

Dave Faigin

Sunset Falls Cabin & Mysty Mountain Cabin

Index/Skykomish, WA

Mike Donow

Beige Universe Computer, LLC & Cottage Book Exchange

Monroe, WA

Casey and Karen Garland

Downstream River Runners

Monroe, WA

Henry Sladek

Cascadia Inn

Monroe. WA

Geoff Miller

White Knight Plumbers

Monroe, WA

Lisa F. Miller

Steel Magnolias

Monroe, WA

Rick & Susan Goranson

SkyRiver Inn

Skykomish, WA

Steve Higgins

Frontier Services

Gold Bar, WA

Martin and Moon Mullins

Rose Hill Cabin at Mt. Index

Index, WA

Pam Paag

Trailhead Cafe

Gold Bar, WA

Fiza Sadat

Good Life Health Food

Monroe, WA

MaraLee Gibson

The Country Cupboard

Monroe, WA