WILD SKY WILDERNESS

(Updated Nov. 12, 2006)

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WHY HAS WILD SKY TURNED INTO SUCH A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE?

CONTACT your U. S. Representatives and register your opinion and voice on this issue:

U. S. Rep. Rick Larsen (Prime Sponsor of the bill)
email
Phones: local, 425-252-3188; Washington DC: 202-225-2605

U. S. Senator Patty Murray (Co-sponsor)
email
Phone (WDC Office; speak with Nathan, 202-224-2621)
Her Senate Website and all office locations ALSO: Murray's Wild Sky Page

U. S. Senator Maria Cantwell (Co-sponsor):
Phone (Speak with "Ameet") 202-224-3441
Website and all office location Info

CONTACT: U.S. House members.... U.S. Senate members

WILD SKY's PROPOSED LEGISLATION: House version of the bill...Senate version of the bill

November, 2006 Posted on the front page of our website on 11/09/06 - Good news for Wild Sky fans: an "Environmentally-friendly" 2006 ElectionCalifornia Congressman Richard Pombo, a militant anti-Wild Sky opponent who held that wilderness area issue hostage in his House committee for the last few years, went down to defeat 53%to 47% during the peak of his power while serving as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. (Here's the Everett Herald story; Sacramento Bee's story re election; and a scathing anti-Pombo editorial) Sultan residents may recall the visit Pombo made to Wild Sky, at the behest of long-time militant pro-property rights proponents (among them, Sultan's Ed Husmann and Snohomish County's John Postema, backers of the Right to Plow initiative and the now-defeated I-933). A pro-Pombo, anti-Wild Sky rally and fundraising event was hosted by Sultan's Ed Husmann at his Ed's Apples property on Rice Road. Many previous and current Sultan and Snohomish County elected officials attended that event, including Mayor Ben Tolson, Jim Flower, John Seehuus, Dusty Boucher, Bart Dalmasso, Snohomish County Councilmembers Jeff Sax and John Koster, Sheriff Rick Bart, and others. (News articles on that event: Monroe Monitor article on that event; The Snohomish Tribune) Addicts of our website will recall that the City passed a Resolution opposing Wild Sky's designation as a wilderness area. (Check out our Wild Sky webpage)

Other good new from the Nov. '06 election is the Democrat-controlled House, which should bode well for Wild Sky.

GENERAL INFORMATION re WILD SKY:

INTRODUCTION:

If people are confused on this issue, perhaps they need to look behind the scenes to the motivations of why such aggressively pro-development, well-funded pro-property rights advocates and county council members are so upset at the thought that 106,000 old growth and mature second-growth forest is slated for wilderness status. Check out who gave to Koster's and Sax's campaigns, heavy timber contributions, for one. (Enter the following link, then select "detailed contributions for 2001" to receive a complete report of contributions made to Sax and Koster, on the PDC website: http://www.pdc.wa.gov/datarequests/.) Then look at the special interest groups and people of note who also oppose turning this into a wilderness area, a plan that would bring increased visitors and tourists to Index and the Skykomish Valley and help the area's economy.

Although this is a bit off the Wild Sky track, while we're on the subject of contributions, who is the biggest political contributor from Sultan? Wendall Smith of the Sultan Bakery. He gave John Koster $1,500 in the last election. Jimmy Porter gave Koster $300. Some local contributors to the Sax campaign were: $1,000 from Wendall Smith (Sultan Bakery), $150 from Ed Boucher and $100 each from both Porter and Rowe. Wendall's contributions to Rowe's campaign was $1,000. And last, according to information we received a couple of years ago, Mr. Smith and his family's combined financial support for State Senator Val Stevens' most recent election, totaled $4,000.

Sultan's Ed Hussman's Herald guest commentary, "Wild Sky, a Hoax is being perpetrated." If there truly has not been enough public input [despite the many newspaper articles over the last 18 months or so], then by all means, let's have another hearing/airing. I note, however, that Mr. Husmann selectively omitted a key point in his commentary: The fact that a petition supporting Wild Sky be granted wilderness status collected 700 signatures; as of July, 2004, the Wild Sky proponent site has gathered over 5,000) Additionally, Mr. Husmann is a seaplane pilot (although he stated in 2003 that he no longer flies into Wild Sky's pristine lake.) See links below that explain the reasons pilots oppose the creation of a wilderness.

LEGISLATION AND PUBLIC PROCESS INFO:

NOTE (7/23/04): The 3rd sentence of Jeff Sax's statement reads: "I am here today on behalf of the Snohomish County Council to enter our concerns about the H.R. 822, the proposed Wild Sky bill." The county council, however, issued no resolution or position on Wild Sky; how, then, can Sax represent "the county? (Sax uses Hwy. 2's over-congestion as a political foodball, stating average daily traffic volumes of 44,000 in Monroe, 24,000 in Sultan, 12, 000 in Gold Bar, and in Sultan during holiday weekends, 104,000. Why, then, would he be so anxious to opt for the HIGH GROWTH alternative for the county's comp plan, despite the fact that the process has really only begun and still has another year's worth of review, comment and testimony to gather? Has Councilman Sax already made up his mind? Is he then guilty of the same actions of which he's been criticizing Rep. Rick Larsen and Senator Patty Murray?

We do agree with the Wild Sky dissenters on one point: Their desire to see that a local congressional hearing is held. But ONLY under the condition that the news of such a hearing be as loudly-touted and well-publicized by its detractors (Sax, Nelson, Koster and others) TO ALL SNOHOMISH COUNTY RESIDENTS, as has been their criticism of the Wild Sky Wilderness. Our rationale? If an issue cannot withstand the "open airing" test, it deserves to fail.

LETTERS From Legislators:

July 20, 2004 letter from House Natural Resources Committee Richard Pombo to Washington State's Congressman George Nethercutt, thanking him for "bridging the two sides" of the Wild Sky issue.

June 2, 2003 letter signed by Council Councilmen Sax, Nelson and Koster, stating reasons why they object to the Wild Sky Wildnerness, which materially contradicts our conversation of 7/20/04 with Sax's aide (Jennifer), as well as Sax's quote in the Herald's 7/19/04 article about his "concerns" for the safety of Hwy. 2 with the "millions" of tourists that will be generated by Wild Sky.

July, 2004 Letters from 39th State Senator Val Stevens and Rep. Dan Kristiansen, opposing Wild Sky

  

REASONS WHY WILD SKY IS CONTROVERSIAL: WHO WANTS TO USE -- OR OVERUSE -- IT?
It's basically the Enviro-wackos (as Derek Boyd would say), who never met a tree they didn't want to save, versus the developer-timber-influential (rich) forces, folks who never saw a piece of land they couldn't corrupt or a deal they couldn't make or break. Below are some links to some of the non-enviro-wackos, which may give you a perspective on why they want to keep it like it is. A Walk on the Wild Side of Wild Sky - What its critics are saying about this issue (which does not bear close scrutiny):

  

LINKS TO NEWS STORIES DURING JUNE, 2003 SENATE HEARING EVENT:

Note: we have used the specific link addresses, rather than including an active link, because of the Everett Herald's policy of requiring "manual" access to any story over 30 days' old, which will make it easier to perform a search.

  • "THE COUNTY COWBOYS" (Nelson, Koster & Sax) complain about the lack of public process (June, 2003)
    Here's the link to the Herald story (http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/6/11/17062822.cfm) on their scream of "FOWL"...er...."FOUL!" that this issue has not had proper public process; Here's the Seattle Times' version of that story (link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/134908201_wildsky05m.html)
  • Wild Sky's June 29th festivities fraught with fighting (Herald, 6/30/03: http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/6/29/17146399.cfm
  • Congressman Rick Larsen's Guest Commentary (Everett Herald, 6/29/03): http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/6/28/17133766.cfm
  • Ed Hussman's, A Hoax Being Perpetrated: Wild Sky" (Everett Herald, 6/23/03 link: http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/6/23/17093390.cfm
  • Nelson, Koster and Sax's crying "FOUL" on Wild Sky Public Process (Herald article: http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/6/11/17062822.cfm AND the Seattle Times' version of that story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/134908201_wildsky05m.html
  • The Olympian, November 30, 2002, "Timber companies eye trees in North Cascade range"
    Link: http://www.theolympian.com/home/specialsections/Outdoors/20021130/18031.shtml
  • Seattle PI, "Plan for Wild Sky Wilderness area advances"; Index Mayor Kem Hunter says of Wild SKy, "It would be the best thing that ever happened in this valley."
  

July, 2004- NEWS STORIES DURING July 22, 2004 HOUSE HEARING

(Note: The Herald news links below are not active, but we've included them so you can get a "feel" for the stories elicited by this issue, and also for easier searching in the Herald's story archives.)

 

  

CITY OF SULTAN ANTI-WILD SKY ACTIONS

Resolution 05-06 , opposing Wild Sky, passed 3/23/05 (Resolution text in Word, Acrobat)

Transcription of the Sultan Council's Wild Sky discussion and vote on Resolution 05-06, during the Mar. 23, 2005 council meeting (in Word, Acrobat).