County to Acquire Trillium Community Forest

On October 10, the Island County Commissioners voted 2 to 1 to approve the use of Island County Conservation Futures funds totalling $310,000 to acquire the Trillium Community Forest property from the Whidbey Camano Land Trust.  The transaction will be completed next year after the completion of stewardship and conservation plans by WCLT.

Last year, WCLT raised $3.7 million from over 1,400 donors to acquire the property.  They also used funds from a loan from the Bullitt Foundation to meet the $4.0 million purchase price.  The Conservation Futures Funds will allow for the repayment of the that loan.

This preservation of 640 acres of forest land in a private/public partnership is a great example of what the voters of Island County had in mind when they implemented the Conservation Futures Fund.

South Whidbey Record – October 12, 2011
Whidbey Examiner – October 13, 2011

An informative rant about the Tea Party mentality

Here is an entertaining and informative rant from Marianne Edain in response to a recent anti-government letter to the editor:

“Ms Anita Dragoo complains in the 8-18-11 issue of the Whidbey Examiner about the excesses of government, and quotes Commissioner Homola as saying  government should “provide the critical public services that taxpayers pay for.” Does Ms Dragoo prefer that government NOT provide the services taxpayers pay for? And which of these services does Ms Dragoo propose to cut?

 Let’s see, we could begin with cutting the emergency services to veterans. After all, who needs veterans? Shouldn’t they be forced to fend for themselves, just like every other self made person?

 Then we can cut out the juvenile drug court. If kids want to kill themselves and each other with addictive drugs, surely that’s their business and not the taxpayers’. Of course the kids who go through the program (as reported in the Examiner) are far less likely to re-offend and much more likely to become self supporting and contributing citizens (as well as being happier human beings). So the tax money we put into these programs actually prevents greater expenses later. But no matter, it’s a government service which should be cut.

And who needs dog pounds? Just let the animals wander the roads, steal chickens, run sheep, bite people, and eventually be hit by cars.

So let’s get to the specifics of what Ms Dragoo considers intrusive.

HB 1637 – Bailey’s Septic System Bill

“The right-wing anti-government crowd, acting through one of its principal operatives, Barbara Bailey, continues its agenda this legislative session to undermine and dismantle government.

HB 1637, introduced by Barbara Bailey, deals with the right-wing efforts to significantly weaken our public health regulations. Current law requires pressurized septic systems to be inspected annually. This is due to the complexity of such systems and the increased risk to the environment and our ground water posed on properties requiring such alternative systems. HB 1637 would prohibit any public health department or local health board from requiring any type of septic system to be inspected more than once every three years. Also, HB 1637 allows property owners to designate an unlicensed, non-professional person to perform all septic system inspections – a significant weakening of current law.

I recently contacted an Environmental Health Specialist at Island County Public Health Department to learn what Barbara Bailey had discussed with Health Department personnel before submitting HB 1637, a bill that can have devastating negative consequences to her constituents. I was disappointed to learn that she had not contacted any Island County experts, but alas, I was not surprised because for Barbara Bailey this is about ideology – it is about her party’s continual efforts to undermine the legitimate functions of government. Therefore, why would she want to get information from government experts? They are the problem in her view.”

Sincerely,

Nels Kelstrom

Clinton, WA