Wild Olympics News

Repeat afer me: Natural systems are priceless in value, nearly impossible to replace, and cheap to maintain. All you have to do is protect them.

So intoned Stuart Brand, publisher of The Whole Earth Catalog, decades ago.

Now listen to [U.S. Rep.] Derek Kilmer.

He says he'll revisit a Senate-approved plan [Wild Olympics] that aims to save our Peninsula forests from further plunder.

Both [Sens.] Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell support the plan.

Mr. Driscoll knows better. Before being introduced in Congress, these new wilderness protections were subject to three years of unprecedented community involvement, resulting in significant changes to ensure that the proposal would foster economic growth [“The problem with the ‘wild’ plan for Olympic National Forest,” Opinion, April 12]. As a result, the proposal earned the backing of dozens of Olympic Peninsula and southern Puget Sound mayors, city council members, county commissioners, state legislators, businesses, and sportsmen groups.

I was encouraged to see the news report that Sen. Patty Murray plans to reintroduce her Wild Olympics legislation once again  [“Murray seeks to expand wild lands,” NWWednesday, Feb. 13].

As a photographer, I have spent countless hours capturing images of old-growth forests and cascading rivers on the Olympic National Forest like those this legislation would permanently protect.

I was pleased to read in the PDN that Sen. Patty Murray will re-introduce her Wild Olympics bill in Congress [“Murray to Resurrect Wild Olympics Bill,” Feb. 12].

In the more than 20 years that our family has lived in Port Angeles, we have spent many days (and nights) in our “wild” backyard, hiking, fishing, skiing, etc.

PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) — Sen. Patty Murray plans to reintroduce Wild Olympics legislation that died in the last session of Congress.

Spokesman Sean Coit told the Peninsula Daily News (http://bit.ly/VdElCU ) Murray has worked to balance conservation and jobs.

The legislation would expand the wilderness area in the Olympic National Forest by about 200 square miles, creating a buffer around Olympic National Park. The legislation also would put 19 rivers under Wild and Scenic River protections.

WASHINGTON —
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray plans to reintroduce “Wild Olympics” legislation that would expand wilderness in Olympic National Forest by more than 126,000 acres and which would create a protective buffer around Olympic National Park.

“Sen. Murray has worked with local businesses and community organizations to craft legislation that preserves Washington state’s wild areas and rivers while protecting local jobs and recreation,” Murray spokesman Sean Coit said Monday in a statement.

When the 113th Congress was sworn in last week, it was the first time in more than three decades that Norm Dicks was not among the members.
 
The Bremerton Democrat’s retirement capped a 36-year service to the 6th Congressional District and leaves Washington with a political legacy benefiting our state, particularly in aerospace and the environment.

HAPPILY, the 2012 election is over, as it seemed especially polarizing, focusing far more on our disagreements than what we have in common. Now we need to put differences aside and find a way to collectively move forward.

"Seeing this study, we are now even more confident in our assessment that the final Wild Olympics legislation will not result in any impact to timber jobs. The Port used false assumptions in an attempt to generate a job impact and even so, it's clear that they had a tough time justifying any impact."

"Seemingly designed to generate fear and uncertainty, they throw in a mill closure scenario in their study, but provide no justification for how the Wild Olympics proposal would result in such a scenario."

PORT ANGELES - A new analysis commissioned by the Wild Olympics Campaign has concluded that proposed legislation to declare as wilderness 198 square miles of Olympic National Forest would have a negligible effect on logging and would not cause job losses.

But the North Olympic Peninsula Timber Action Committee remains opposed to the plan, Executive Director Carol Johnson said Thursday, offering the organization's own plans for allowing more aggressive logging in the national forest.