Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2010
County Councilman Dave Somers is working to find harmony between farmers, environmentalists and tribes.
A new initiative makes a fresh attempt to find some elusive balance between fish habitat and farmland for Snohomish County.
Last week, County Councilman Dave Somers of Monroe launched the Sustainable Lands Strategy to try to find harmony among farmers, environmentalists and tribal members. The hope is to draft mutually beneficial policies by this fall. Mapping programs and other tools would help county leaders decide the highest and best use for specific areas.
"I'd like to find something that works for both agriculture and fisheries," said Somers, a former longtime salmon-habitat biologist for the Tulalip Tribes. "We want to see both sides at the end of this to see that they've won."
Much of the county's low-lying farmland was claimed from the floodplain more than a century ago through a system of dikes and levees. The conversion of prime salmon habitat to agriculture, and now back to wetlands again, has stirred tensions between advocates for fish on one side and farms on the other.
The conflict has played out in the Snohomish and Stillaguamish River watersheds, most notably on Leque Island near Stanwood, Ebey Island near Snohomish and Smith Island between Marysville and Everett.
On Leque Island, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife is trying to remove a dike to begin a chinook salmon and waterfowl habitat project. Ducks Unlimited supports the idea to turn 150 acres of farmland into a tide-influenced estuary, but the Snohomish County Farm Bureau and some area hunters oppose it. Other concerns exist about the project contaminating freshwater aquifers.
On Smith Island, a plan to reflood county-owned land and restore it as chinook salmon habitat could force a horse stable to relocate or shut down. That could bring about consequences for people who can't afford to keep their animals elsewhere.
The County Council last week authorized a $20,000 contract for a regional team of experts to lead the new initiative. The Puget Sound Partnership also is awarding the project $40,000 because of the its potential statewide benefits.
"Both sides are going to have to give," Somers said. "But that in my mind is better than one side losing altogether."
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Last week, County Councilman Dave Somers of Monroe launched the Sustainable Lands Strategy to try to find harmony among farmers, environmentalists and tribal members. The hope is to draft mutually beneficial policies by this fall. Mapping programs and other tools would help county leaders decide the highest and best use for specific areas.
"I'd like to find something that works for both agriculture and fisheries," said Somers, a former longtime salmon-habitat biologist for the Tulalip Tribes. "We want to see both sides at the end of this to see that they've won."
Much of the county's low-lying farmland was claimed from the floodplain more than a century ago through a system of dikes and levees. The conversion of prime salmon habitat to agriculture, and now back to wetlands again, has stirred tensions between advocates for fish on one side and farms on the other.
The conflict has played out in the Snohomish and Stillaguamish River watersheds, most notably on Leque Island near Stanwood, Ebey Island near Snohomish and Smith Island between Marysville and Everett.
On Leque Island, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife is trying to remove a dike to begin a chinook salmon and waterfowl habitat project. Ducks Unlimited supports the idea to turn 150 acres of farmland into a tide-influenced estuary, but the Snohomish County Farm Bureau and some area hunters oppose it. Other concerns exist about the project contaminating freshwater aquifers.
On Smith Island, a plan to reflood county-owned land and restore it as chinook salmon habitat could force a horse stable to relocate or shut down. That could bring about consequences for people who can't afford to keep their animals elsewhere.
The County Council last week authorized a $20,000 contract for a regional team of experts to lead the new initiative. The Puget Sound Partnership also is awarding the project $40,000 because of the its potential statewide benefits.
"Both sides are going to have to give," Somers said. "But that in my mind is better than one side losing altogether."
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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