Dear Sky Valley Residents,
SVENA stands for Skykomish Valley Environmental & Economic Alliance. Our mission is to protect an environmentally and economically sustainable future of the Skykomish 
River Valley. We are working towards a safer, cleaner, healthier, more beautiful and economically sustainable place to live, work and visit. You can find more information at our website svena.org.
Contents:
- KING 5 News report “Environmental groups sue to prevent logging near Wallace Falls State Park”;
- Singletary Timber Sale was sold for $1.7 million;
- DNR misleads Everett Herald and its readers, does not disclose full information for Singletary $$$;
- SVENA opposes massive toxic aerial spraying on tree farms in the Valley (more info), we do not recommend the use of exterminating chemicals for body, home, yard and garden care, Eco-friendly products and practices;
- Latest FPAs (Forest Practice Applications) for Sky Valley.
- Environmental groups sue to prevent logging near Wallace Falls State Park, KING 5 News 5-23-2017
- Singletary TImber Sale was sold on May 24 at the DNR (Department of Natural
Wallace Falls State Park, WA
Resources) auction to Sierra Pacific Industries (Skagit County) for $1,731,121.20.
This timber sale is on public lands and borders famous and over-popular Wallace Falls State Park with 175,000 annual visitors. It is not a tree farm but old forest with high-quality hiking trails. It is also the gate to more massive clearcut logging on the adjacent 2000 public acres in the near future. Money from Singletary will go towards building logging roads and bridges to the rest of timber sales in this area.
MASSIVE CLEARCUT LOGGING IN SKYKOMISH RIVER VALLEY IS DESTROYING TOURISM AND RECREATION INDUSTRY, LOCAL JOBS AND INCOME FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS. IT IS LEAVING THE VALLEY UGLY, TOXIC AND DIRT POOR. THIS TIMBER SALE WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE RIPPLE EFFECT ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMY, HEALTH OF PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT IN A RANGE OF MANY MILLIONS of $$$ ANNUALLY FOR MANY DECADES.
SINGLETARY TIMBER SALE IS NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STATE.
Skykomish River Valley, WA
“The DNR (Department of Natural Resources) is dead-wrong when it says that “the State Constitution” requires logging of special places like the park expansion forest to the east of the Wallace Falls State Park. DNR’s management of the COUNTY forest lands are NOT constitutionally-based. They are statutorily based and DNR is permitted to do what’s in THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STATE. DNR should stop justifying its aggressive timber program behind feigned trust responsibilities. The constitutionally-based K-12 school lands are admittedly different because they are constitutionally-based but, with respect to them, DNR is also wrong that these are private trusts that require DNR to maximize its income from these lands. These trusts are public trusts, not private trusts. DNR under Hilary Franz’s leadership needs to grapple with the century-old misplaced policy of logging our public lands hard based on fabricated legal justification.” Peter Goldman, Washington Forest Law Center.
Sales and leases of timber, timberland, or products thereon.
Except as provided in RCW 79.22.060, all land, acquired or designated by the department as state forestland, shall be forever reserved from sale, but the valuable materials thereon may be sold or the land may be leased in the same manner and for the same purposes as is authorized for state lands if the department finds such sale or lease to be in THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE STATE and approves the terms and conditions thereof.
In the event that the department sells logs using the contract harvesting process described in RCW 79.15.500 through 79.15.530, the moneys received subject to this section are the net proceeds from the contract harvesting sale.
[ 2003 c 334 § 220; 2003 c 313 § 7; 2000 c 148 § 2; 1998 c 71 § 2. Prior: 1988 c 128 § 32; 1988 c 70 § 1; 1980 c 154 § 11; 1971 ex.s. c 123 § 4; 1955 c 116 § 1; 1953 c 21 § 1; 1923 c 154 § 7; RRS § 5812-7. Formerly RCW 76.12.120.]
“The state does have a continuing duty to help pay school construction costs. But, even if we view that obligation as a trustee’s solemn fiduciary duty, let us remember that the granted lands are protected by two overlapping trusts. A broad public trust has always existed. Courts have ignored this trust, but they have not extinguished it. The trust is still there, and because it is, the environmental and aesthetic values of the granted lands must be safeguarded for all people, in all generations to come. The state’s obligation to the public trust beneficiaries is EVERY BIT AS STRONG AS its obligation to the public schools.” Daniel Chasan, J.D. “A Trust for All the People: Rethinking the Management of Washington’s State Forests”, Seattle University Law Review
More info at svena.org:
> Clearcut logging
> Singletary Timber Sale $$$
> MAP OF TIMBER SALES NEXT TO WALLACE FALLS STATE PARK
> PLANNED LOGGING NEXT TO WALLACE FALLS STATE PARK 2017-2020, part 1
> PLANNED LOGGING NEXT TO WALLACE FALLS STATE PARK 2017-2020, part 2
- On May 28, 2017 Everett Herald published an article “State sued over timber sale near Wallace Falls State Park” (PDF 5-28-2017). The article states:
“The largest piece — more than $400,000 — is headed to the Sultan School District,
according to DNR estimates.”
We contacted DNR (Department of Natural Resources) to clarify some numbers and found out that Sultan School District will apportion from Singletary Timber Sale about $29,600 (NOT $400,000) based on the sale value of $1,731,121.
Full report: Singletary Timber Sale $$$
- SVENA IS OPPOSING MASSIVE TOXIC AERIAL SPRAYING ON TREE FARMS IN THE SKYKOMISH RIVER VALLEY. More info
We do not recommend the use of herbicides such as Roundup, pesticides, fungicides and other exterminating toxic chemicals due to potential water and soil contamination and negative effects of toxics on human and environmental health. Children and pregnant women are most sensitive to synthetic toxic chemicals. We promote finding alternative methods to toxic chemicals used for the body, home, garden and yard care. Please think twice what you put on/in/around yourself, and in your drain. It can very much affect your and your family’s and neighbors’ health as well as the whole downstream watershed (including drinking water sources) and Puget Sound.
Eco-friendly products and practices
21 Expert Organic Lawn Care Tips
- It takes only a couple of minutes to check the latest FPAs for Sky Valley (Forest Practice Applications) and more info for FPAs. We encourage that you look out for your neighborhood in terms of logging, toxic chemical spraying and trash that can affect your and your family’s health, safety, and value of your property and business. More info is in three simple steps for becoming an FPA reviewer
SVENA is working to bring a substantial value and benefit to the Skykomish Valley. Please support our efforts and visit SVENA website, become a sponsor or a member, join our Facebook Group, or simply click on a “Like” button on our Facebook page. Please spread the word, share this page with your family, friends and neighbors, let us know if you have questions / economic, public health or environmental concerns / interesting facts or photos, if you would like to add someone to the mailing list or to opt out of receiving SVENA updates.
Sunset Falls, Skykomish River Valley, WA
Warm regards,
Inessa Pearce
President
SVENA (Skykomish Valley Environmental & Economic Alliance)
svena.org
Welcome to SVENA! 