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SEPA Comments Regarding Proposed "Mini-Storage" Development
(Publisher's Note: The above SEPA (State Environmental Protection Act) comment is just the cover letter from Pat Van Eaton's "Draft Report on Critical Recharge Area - Town of Eatonville." ) October
7, 2003 To:
Mayor Pro-tem Chelan Jarrett
Eatonville Town Council
SUBJECT:
SEPA Checklist – Carriage House 100 Unit Warehouses From:
Dixie A. Walter – Citizen
Last
year I read the SEPA checklist filed in the town by Carriage House, Inc.
This year I am reading the same SEPA checklist filed in
the town by Carriage House, Inc.It’s interesting to me that Carriage
House, Inc used the exact same checklist in both applications. Under
the sub heading “Animals” Section A states: Underline any birds and
animals which have been observed on or near the site or are known to be
on or near the site: birds: hawk, heron, eagle, songbird, other: Carriage
House states “Robin.” Mammals: deer, bear, elk, beaver, other. Carriage
House has circled “deer” and “elk.” Fish: bass, salmon, trout,
herring, shellfish, other: Carriage House states “None.” Section
b states: List any threatened or endangered species known to be on or near
the site: Carriage House states, “ None Known.” Section
c states: Is the site part of a migration route? Is so, explain. Carriage
House states, “No.” This
development is near the Mashell River. I understand the word “near” is
subjective. And the argument says the project is so many feet from the
river. However, I think Carriage House makes a big mistake when stating
there is are no fish in the river. The terms “endangered species salmon”
has been used over and over again by absent Public Works Director Jamieson
Van Eaton. There are still some fish left in the Mashell. Along with
different species of fish are smaller animals which depend on the river to
survive. We hate mosquitoes. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes. Dragonflies spend
their larval stage in the river, as do many beneficial insects. Other
animals which are apt to be found along or in that river are: Wood ducks,
Mergansers, both tree nesting ducks which need the river to raise their
young. These birds are getting scarcer and scarcer and should be encouraged
to nest, not ignored. A
short list of birds should also include dippers, birds that walk under the
water to forage for food. Eagles, different kinds of hawks, and other
predatory fish eating birds are also dependent upon the river for survival.
Herons, swallows and kingfishers are dependent on our river. The
Mashell River supplies about half of this community’s water source. The
same can be said for mammals and birds which live in the area, only in
their case water supply is probably more than half at certain times of the
year. Raccoons are dependent on running water. Bear,
cougar, possum, and smaller mammals also depend on the river, not just for
water but, in the case of predators, for food. The river is also on the
migration path of many bird species. We
are fortunate in this area to have a near pristine water supply. I’m
deeply concerned that this water supply may be harmed, perhaps
permanently, by toxins which can pour into the water from development such
as the warehouses. Just as an example consider a meth lab in one of the
units. Under
the wrong conditions poisons from such a place could get into the water and
kill whatever it comes in contact with. It is my understanding that meth
labs are not uncommon in such storage units. I
hope the council will give this project very careful consideration. The life
of our river could be at stake. This project is to be built on a
critical aquifer recharge area, CARA, I think critical is the operative word
here. I
believe this SEPA checklist should be redone to portray a true and valid
picture of the non-human life supported by the Mashell River. To say the
river contains no fish nor serves other life forms is simply false. Thank you, Dixie A. Walter |
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We Care!