Dear Sky Valley Residents,

• SVENA stands for Skykomish Valley Environmental & Economic Alliance. Because SVENA is not a registered 501(c)(3) organization seeking tax-exempt status, we are able to provide endorsements. SVENA is not affiliated with any political party, and supports election candidates, organizations and businesses with the same or similar goals and missions.

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• We sent a questioner letter to all seven candidates for a position of WA State Commissioner of Public Lands. After considering many factors, and after numerous and thoughtful deliberations, SVENA endorses Hilary Franz. Please see the candidate’s website for more details of her campaign. We wish Hilary success in the primary election on August 2.

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• Please find upcoming tree farming activities in Summary for the latest FPAs (Forest Practice Applications) and some more info. You can be also notified individually, by email, of upcoming Forest Practice Activities (logging, spraying, etc) near your property, if you become a FPARS (Forest Practices Application Review System) reviewer with the DNR ( WA Department of Natural Resources). Becoming a reviewer will get you more timely notifications of proposed activities near you, and allow you more time to comment, contact DNR and an owner, or ask questions during the 14 day public comment period before the application is approved. Please see three simple steps for becoming FPA reviewer.

FPA #	Owner	Activity	Size	Date
2815280	Springboard LLC	Logging Road const.	30 ac 596 ft	7-22-2016
2815281	Springboard LLC	Logging Road const.	30 ac 247 ft	7-22-2016
2815270	Weyerhaeuser	Herbicide Spray	838.5 ac	7-20-2016
2815258	Cedar Forest Res.	Logging	15.8 ac	7-18-2016
2815240	Springboard LLC	Logging Road const.	36 ac 4416 ft	7-8-2016

 

Exact locations of herbicide spray on 835,5 acres FPA 2815270:

17,18,20,27,28,29,32,33-27-9E      Snohomish County, Gold Bar area
13-26-11E                                              King County
30,31-26-12E                                        King County

Time:

FPA for spraying is valid for 3 years. Single or multiple spraying will be done any time during 3 years from the date of approval.

Map for approximate locations of herbicide spray FPA 2815270

The proposed spray is planned to happen within these sections. The entire section will not be sprayed. Please refer to the detailed maps in the Forest Practice Application FPA 2815270 for more specific details.

List of Chemicals:

Accord XRT II, Alligare Glyphosate 5.4, Escort XP, lmazapyr 4 SL, MSM 60 DF, Oust Extra, Oust XP, Polaris, Polaris AC, Polaris AC Complete, Polaris SP, Rodeo, Rotary 2 SL, SFM 75, SFM Extra, Sulfomet Extra, Climb, Crosshair, Ll-700, Liberate, Superspread MSO, Syl-coat, Syl-tac

Pesticides Factsheet at NCAP (Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides).

If you have concerns, please send your comments to the Northwest Region office of DNR northwest.region@dnr.wa.gov and also to the permittee kelly.dougherty@weyerhaeuser.com during 14 days of review process (or after), and also to other officials. See more information in Resources. You can find a list of possible concerns on Summary for the latest FPAs page of our website.

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• FUN FACTS for tourism and recreation industry in WA State, Snohomish County and Skykomish Valley:

Washington State

Washington Tourism Alliance states that:

$16.4 Billion = Spend on tourism
$ 1.8 Billion = Tax revenue generated
151,000 = Jobs
80% = Small businesses in this state are tourism related
$400 per household of taxes paid by visitors

According to Earth Economics, outdoor recreation in WA State generates over $21 billion annually. Visiting local parks has the highest number of participation days – almost 190 million, public waters generate the most expenditures – $180 million.

Snohomish County

IN 2015, TOURISM AND RECREATION BROUGHT 2 BILLION DOLLARS TO SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WA. In 2014 it generated:

10,340 jobs
$256.5 million payroll
$19.9 million local taxes
$48.8 million state taxes

Visitor Spending in Snohomish County for 2014:

Restaurants $289.4 million
Transportation and fuel $152.5 million
Retail $135.4 million
Accommodations $130.6 million
Recreation, entertainment $130.5 million
Grocery Stores  $  60.5 million
Other travel expenditures $  94.0 million

Skykomish Valley

Tourism is a business booster for local restaurants, gas stations, retail, hotels, B&Bs, grocery stores, recreation and entertainment companies and many more enterprises. In 2015, Skykomish Valley had:

175 thousand visitors to Wallace Falls State Park
350 thousand visitors to Stevens Pass Ski Resort
4.2 million cars passing through the valley

Skykomish Valley is in close proximity to Seattle – one hour, and has a big potential to become a world-class authentic tourism destination that can be a jewel and pride or Washingtonians.

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• MAP OF TIMBER SALES NEXT TO WALLACE FALLS STATE PARK

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• A rare find for your fun summer reading with a lot of history and useful information: Daniel Chasan, J.D. “A Trust for All the People: Rethinking the Management of Washington’s State Forests”, Seattle University Law Review, 2000.

Last two paragraphs from Part III. Conclusion:

“The state could do school districts more good by, for example, eliminating the sales tax on materials and services used in school construction than by wringing every last dollar out of forest land. Under the current system-because money from the Common School Construction Fund reimburses districts for money paid in taxes-the state is, in effect, cutting trees on common school land to subsidize the general fund. Arguably, this violates both the Enabling Act and the Washington State Constitution.

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.”

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We will be glad if you support our efforts towards a safer, cleaner, healthier and more beautiful place to live and to visit by becoming a Sponsor, a Member, sharing your talents as a Volunteer,  joining our Facebook Group, or by clicking on a “Like” button on our Facebook page.

Please spread the word, let us know if you have questions / environmental concerns / interesting facts, if you would like to add someone to the mailing list or to opt out of receiving SVENA updates.

Warm regards,

Inessa Pearce
President
SVENA (Skykomish Valley Environmental & Economic Alliance)
svena.org