Public Support: More than
10,000 Washington citizens including more
than 1,000 from the Sky Valley towns of Monroe, Gold Bar, Sultan, Startup,
Index, Baring and Skykomish, have signed a petition supporting designating the
Wild Sky as wilderness. On June 28, 2003, nearly 400 Wilderness enthusiasts
attended the Wild Sky Wilderness festival in Index, WA. Senator Murray and
Congressman Larsen have received thousands of letters and e-mails on the Wild
Sky Wilderness over the last two years. In 2001, roughly 100
individuals participated in one of two public meetings focused on the Wild Sky
proposal.
Editorial Support & Education Through Media Outlets: There has been extensive press coverage in local and regional media outlets informing the Snohomish County public about the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal. The Everett Herald, Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer have all editorialized on a number of occasions in support of the legislation. There have been more than 200 newspaper articles, editorials, OpEds or letters to the editor on the Wild Sky Wilderness issue over the last two years.
Public Meetings and Congressional Hearings: Public meetings have been held in local areas to allow opinion leaders and the general public to learn more about Wild Sky and comment on the proposal. Of particular note was the town hall meeting held in Index, WA, which is just outside the proposed wilderness area. A larger public meeting was also held in the City of Monroe, the largest city in the Skykomish Valley. Congressional hearings have been held on the legislation in both the 107th and 108th Congress.
7/16/01 Index Town Hall Meeting on Wild Sky Wilderness
9/6/01 Public Meeting on Wild Sky organized by Larsen and Murray (Monroe)
9/10/01 Public Meeting on Wild Sky organized by Larsen and Murray (Seattle)
7/30/02 U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee Hearing on Wild Sky Wilderness bill (S. 2565)
9/12/02 U.S House Resources Committee Mark-up on Wild Sky Wilderness bill (H.R. 4844)
10/8/02 U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Mark-up on Wild Sky Wilderness bill (S. 2565)
3/05/03 Monroe City Council Public Meeting on Wild Sky (resulted in passage of supportive resolution)
6/4/03 U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee Hearing on Wild Sky Wilderness bill (S. 391)
7/23/03 U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Mark-up on Wild Sky Wilderness bill (S. 391)
9/2/03 Snohomish City Council Public Meeting on Wild Sky (resulted in passage of supportive resolution)
7/22/04 U.S. House Resources Subcommittee Hearing on Wild Sky Wilderness bill (H.R. 811)
Congressional Outreach: A variety of efforts have been made by Senator Murray’s and Congressman Larsen’s offices to reach out and meet with local stakeholders on the Wild Sky proposal. Both have been praised for their remarkable and tireless efforts to make the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal an inclusive one. Their staffs have had stakeholder meetings with the Washington State Snowmobile Association, the Seaplane Pilots Association, Longview Fiber, the Backcountry Horsemen Association of Washington, the Snohomish County Farm Bureau, Snohomish County Emergency Radio and Snohomish County Public Works.
07/02/01 Senator Murray and Congressman Larsen set up a tour of the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness to show local officials various aspects of the proposal. They were joined by Snohomish Council Member Dave Somers, mayors of the towns of Index and Skykomish, and members of the Index City Council.
12/05/01 Senator Murray’s and Congressman Larsen’s offices held a series of one-hour meetings in Everett with all constituents/interest groups and local stakeholders who had contacted Murray and Larsen’s office. Stakeholders were identified by the Forest Service or contacted congressional offices directly.
05/21/02 Both legislators’ offices briefed Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel and the Tulalip Tribes on the proposal.
05/29/02 Senator Murray and Congressman Larsen held a press conference in Everett on the introduction of the Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2002.
10/22/02 Congressman Larsen’s office was scheduled to brief the Snohomish Country Council on the Wild Sky Wilderness bill. The County Council canceled the meeting that morning and has yet to reschedule.
02/25/03 Both legislators’ offices conducted a 1 ˝ hour meeting on the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal with the Snohomish County Farm Bureau.
05/27/03 Congressman Larsen’s office met with both the WA State Farm Bureau and Snohomish County Farm Bureau.
Repeated Meetings with the WA State Snowmobile Association, the Seaplane Pilots Association, Longview Fiber, the Cascade Chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen, Snohomish County Emergency Radio and Public Works.
Ongoing: Meetings and communication with constituents continue.
“The bill has always had bi-partisan support and a great amount of work has been done to consider group and citizen input. Nothing should stop our elected officials from moving forward and making it official once and for all.”
-- from an Everett Herald editorial on the Wild Sky Wilderness Act, June 9 2003.