Grays Harbor County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution last week stating their opposition to federal Wild Olympics legislation.
The resolution states, “As Grays Harbor County Commissioners, we believe that Wild Olympics proposal threatens jobs on the Olympic Peninsula and is not consistent with Grays Harbor County’s mission of Economic Development. This proposal would take timberland out of production. Any reduction or further regulation of our timber industry threatens the very livelihoods that people have relied on for generations.”
The legislation, first introduced in 2012 by Sen. Patty Murray and then-Congressman Norm Dicks, would designate more than 126,000 acres of the Olympic National Forest and 464 miles of river as “scenic and wild.” Congressman Derek Kilmer has been sponsoring the legislation since he took office in 2013.
The legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives in February, part of a package of bills called the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, HR803. Murray introduced partner legislation Feb. 25 in the Senate, S455. The bills currently sit in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and do not yet have a hearing date scheduled.
Proponents claim the legislation would not significantly impact timber harvest in working forests or access to recreational activities. Opponents say the opposite is true and it will remove harvestable second-growth timber from harvest, restrict access to recreation and hinder science-based sustainable timber production.
“The Grays Harbor County Commissioners view further restrictions on access and use of federal lands as contrary to stated goals of the (National Parks Service) and as contrary to the recreational and economic interests of Grays Harbor residents,” read the resolution.
Murray released a statement after the House passage, where she said she was “committed to keeping up the fight in the Senate to ensure this critical legislation becomes law and our prized and pristine wilderness is protected.”
The commission’s resolution says it “stands strongly against the addition of any more private or public lands into wilderness designation and requests abandonment of further consideration of legislation related to the Wild Olympics proposal and any variation that involved further restrictions on economic and recreational activities on the Olympic Peninsula.”
State Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, of the 19th District applauded commissioners Vickie Raines, Kevin Pine and Jill Warne for sending the statement to Congress.
“The Wild Olympics scheme does no good for anyone who actually lives or works on the Olympic Peninsula. It doesn’t do much good for tourists or visitors. It doesn’t do much good for anyone, period,” said Walsh. “Senator Murray and Congressman Kilmer should be ashamed of themselves for allowing political extremists — many from outside of Washington — to snooker them into supporting the Wild Olympics scheme.”
The commissioners’ resolution ended with a statement on the wild and scenic rivers portion of the legislation.
“The county stands against the designation of wild and scenic rivers because we believe that more than enough land has been removed from production and extraction of natural resources and private ownership, and that rivers should not be restricted from future potential of dams to produce energy at a reasonable cost to the people.”
Mayors weigh in
“I met with members of Norm Dicks’ office early on as they formed Wild Olympics. I told them right from the start I would not support legislation that places more land and forests in the management and control of our government,” said Hoquiam Mayor Ben Winkelman.
“I’ve never been in favor of it. I think it’s just another land grab closure by the government,” said Aberdeen Mayor Pete Schave. He’s concerned about its potential impact on local management of forests. “I’m 100% for proper practices in utilizing our resources,” he said, noting he’s “planted a lot of trees in my lifetime and done a lot of fisheries projects,” and believes local knowledge is the best base for natural resources management.
“Few people love the natural forest and outdoors more than the loggers and the families who live and work in them. The Wild Olympics Campaign has certainly changed over the last 10 years or so, but it still doesn’t have my support,” said Winkelman. “I appreciate the willingness of Congressman Kilmer in communicating with us and considering changes to meet the concerns of his constituents, but the premise of the Wild Olympics Campaign is one I cannot get behind.”
After 10 years, Winkelman said he’d be open to a plan that included fully-funded forest services for road maintenance, recreational access, and properly managed forests, “but I feel like the Wild Olympics Campaign is being sold as a program that increases access and preserves forests that would be mismanaged and underfunded by government entities.”
