I am a Port of Olympia Commissioner. I write today as one commissioner, not on behalf of my commission body, as this is not an issue that has come before us. I am writing to support the planned harvest of Department of Natural Resources Thurston County timber sales that may be removed from their harvest schedule based on advocacy from a minority of voices. I appreciate interest groups, but their perspective can be rooted in an immense amount of privilege and must be balanced with governance that reflects us all.
Approximately half of all state-managed timberlands have been set aside to support habitat. The 50% that remains is second and third-growth timber managed to support our environment through carbon sequestration, our communities through quality jobs, and our schools, ports, libraries, fire districts (and more) through revenues. Anti-logging sentiment is antiquated and has a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities. The science clearly shows sustainable forestry greatly contributes to our state’s climate goals and creating equitable solutions to climate change.
The timber sale areas at issue were previously harvested and will be sustainably harvested and replanted for decades to come. The ultimate renewable resource. Ignoring experts at US Fish and Wildlife and Washington State Department of Natural Resources and their evidence based Habitat Conservation Plan and forest management plan is not intellectually honest; it is an attempt to reduce timber harvest based on personal preferences and privilege, not science or reason.
I hope we will stand for those working in our forest lands and mills, those junior taxing districts relying on the revenues from these harvests, DNR resource professionals who prepared these timber sales, and those of us who are clear supporting sustainable forestry is one of the most impactful things Washingtonians can do to mitigate climate change.
~ Amy Evans Harding, JD
Amy Evans Harding is an elected Port of Olympia Commissioner, serving from District 3.
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TurninginTumwater
Yes, by following their own Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for State Forest Trust Lands, the DNR has a 25 yr record of leading in high quality forest management aimed at long term and well-tested conservation for dozens of wildlife and fish species and their habitats. No other state has such a high level of conservation-based forest management.
HCP details at: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/programs-and-services/forest-resources/habitat-conservation-state-trust-lands
Thursday, October 31 Report this
DeaneTR
Amy learned long ago when she got her start in the real estate business to agree with whatever makes her the most money and morals and ethics were no concern as long her bank account was growing as fast as possible. It's how she got elected as Port Commissioner for a port that was being expose for being a taxpayer funded operation that operates at a loss to ensure a small number of people get rich via Enron accounting/fraud.
If you care about as much profit as possible while polluting streams and killing off the last of the Salmon and Orcas and accelerating climate change to the absolute worst case scenario, you have to support everything Amy says no matter what!
In this latest screed of hers she cares about doing whatever it takes to parrot the timber industries lies so they can make the maximum profit in short term because extinction is forever and with no salmon and no orcas Orcas there's no limits to how much money can be stolen from future generations by turning the waters of South Puget Sound into a cesspool.
Just like Trump there's no limits to the lies she'll parrot as long as the money keeps flowing into her bank account.
As for "Turning in Tumwater" making a claim about a habitat conversation plan justifying no limits to logging the last of the oldest trees on state land because "No other state has such a high level of conservation-based forest management" that's no different than Trump claiming that no other leader is as great as Trump. Yet the truth is the habitat conservation plan process was created by Bush senior when he was president solely to nullify the Endangered Species Act just long enough to allow the continued death of endangered species and violate the law based on vague promises to care about the species in the future when its accelerating even faster towards extinction.
It's no different than how Trump claims that there will never be laws or elections again, just firing squads and deportations of anyone who objects to his agenda in order to maximize the profits for the richest at everyone else, especially at the planet's expense. That's what Amy Evans represents! That will never change!
But the truth is any intelligent person will vote to ensure the ending of the political careers of Amy Evans and Trump because they are one in the same when it comes to caring about money making with lies rather than truth and justice on a planet that needs to be kept alive rather than killed.
Sunday, November 3 Report this
52237123abc
Well said DeaneTR. Amy is using her positions of power at the Port and City of Tumwater to her own benefit. Not to be trusted!!!!
Wednesday, November 13 Report this