How much is a colony of herons worth?

Washington State Department of Wildlife has set the area in blue as the colony for our Gig Harbor herons.  They are protected by state and federal regulations.  Gig Harbor has a critical area ordinance that up to 150' from the blue line is a buffer.  No violence, no bulldozing, no developing...MAYBE!  

It is always about the money.

Gateway Guest Opinion Column 4/27/16

     Here we are in the middle of spring. The trees are budding and some flowers are blooming. If you glance up at the sky, you may be very lucky to see some of our very own Gig Harbor herons.
     Our Gig Harbor herons are known as great blue herons. While being blueish in color they can often appear grey. Our herons stand 3 to 4 feet tall with a wingspan of 4 to 4 1/2 feet. Like many birds their bones are hollow, allowing for maximum air lift.
     When you see our herons flying, they will likely have branches and nest-building materials in their beaks. Spring is the time for nest repairing and rebuilding before the mating ritual and egg laying. If you want to see photos of our beautiful Gig Harbor herons, visit the Citizens for The Preservation of  Gig Harbor Facebook page .
     Where there is a colony of heron nests, it is known as heronrie. How blessed we are to have established heronries here in our town of Gig Harbor.
     The Gig Harbor City Council saw fit to vote to support the Olympic Property Group development company. This company destroyed the property along Peacock Hill and continues to wipe out more land, leaving in its wake an ugly, scarred piece of earth. Olympic Property Group’s money-making machine might be running out of land to convert into dollars.

Where will OPG go next?

     In January, the Olympic Property Group, based in Poulsbo, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Downtown Waterfront Alliance. How convenient. The goal of development is to make a profit, whether or not it is chewing up land or existing buildings.

For generations, our Gig Harbor herons and their chicks

 have called Gig Harbor home.

     Our heronrie and these bird families are located in downtown Gig Harbor.
Olympic Property Group wants to tear down the property next door and across the street to our heronrie. 

But wait, there’s more.

     It appears as long as Gig Harbor has any spot of beautiful green earth left, our council will welcome any developer to come and turn it into money to line their pockets.

     The heronrie is downtown on a piece of beautiful green treed earth overlooking the sound. There are groups of developers working to figure out how to build on this property, regardless of the negative impact to our protected herons. 

 Indiscriminate building could be the end of our herons.

     Washington state and federal regulations are in place to protect our herons. If anyone disturbs or destroys the herons or heronrie, those people can go to jail and pay a fine. Gig Harbor has a Comprehensive Plan, including a Critical Area Ordinance, that was put in place to protect our herons.
     On a regular basis we watch the city council ignore Gig Harbor’s Comprehensive Plan in favor of over development. This over development results in negative impacts. 

Do not let the disappearance of our majestic Gig Harbor herons

 become yet another loss.

     This past March Washington State stopped several developers from cutting trees in the colony area.  Another developer Olympic Property Groups is threatening a buffer area surrounding our heronrie.

      Olympic Property Group has developed plans that will violate the protective buffer area surrounding the Gig Harbor heronrie.  

 

     The owner of the property our heronrie sits on is known for their kindness and generosity on other projects. They have provided value and various educational opportunities in those communities. What about a Heron Sanctuary, education center or park combination?
     This would create a wonderful legacy and lasting gift to our community.
Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor has offered to work with this family in finding a way to facilitate a purchase and create a Gig Harbor Heron Land Conservancy.

Our Gig Harbor herons are wild and majestic, and we need to honor them.

  This opinion column appeared in the

 

Mayor and Council email addresses:

 guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

 paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

 kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net

 EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

 arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net 

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC 
 Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! 
Sign up for email: citizens4thepreservationofGH@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor 
 Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!

Coming to Gig Harbor

  

 2nd Friday of every month

  7pm  

10511 Peacock Hill  

Documentary Movies with lively discussion afterwards!

NET LOSS
What better date than Friday the 13th of May to show a film on the risks to Puget Sound which net pen salmon farming brings. The film will be shown Friday the 13th of May at 7pm, at the Angus Dei Luther Church (10511 Peacock Hill Ave NW Gig Harbor). It is free to the public, and anyone who is concerned over the political pressures being put on agencies by large and well financed corporations to green light these operations, and what they bring with them, should attend. If you're not too afraid of getting out on Friday the 13th, you will find it to be time well spent. 

And, it's free.

Find Meaningful Movies Gig Harbor on Facebook and signup for emails at mmgigharbor@yahoo.com

WHAT IS MEANINGFUL MOVIES?

       Our Meaningful Movies events typically consist of topical documentary films, occasionally coupled with related short films, and often accompanied by speakers, filmmakers, and representatives of organizations with specific knowledge to share on the evening’s topic.

      Film screenings are always followed by some form of discussion or audience engagement, where education and opportunities for involvement or advocacy are made available.   In addition, we rely on, and benefit from one another’s knowledge and experience in an environment that fosters a strong undercurrent of community building.

      Events are all-volunteer organized and run.  They are always open to the public at no cost, and rely on donations from attendees to remain sustainable.   The events are “owned” by the community.

The Meaningful Movies Project is a non-profit organization that assists neighborhoods, groups and individuals organize, educate and advocate using the power of social justice documentary film and relevant conversation to build positive and meaningful community and a more just and peaceful world.

      A great big thank you to Seattle for birthing Meaningful Movies and to Tacoma Meaningful Movies for mentoring Meaningful Movies in Gig Harbor.

Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! Sign up for email: citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor 

Check out the poppycock!

There are a couple of big deals about this Monday meeting and  grant!

 

      In 2013 Chuck Hunter, then mayor of Gig Harbor signed Resolution #942.  This resolution was voted on and passed by today's mayor and city council.  The entire resolution is found below.  Here is partial:
     "WHEREAS, the city believes that we must be good stewards of the natural environment by maintaining unobstructed views and open space on land and water; and
      WHEREAS, it is the intent of the action to preserve and protect the waters in front of Skansie Brothers Park for the enjoyment of current and future generations; and
      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Gig Harbor recommends that the open waters in front of Skansie Brother Park remain unobstructed and that no permanent structures be placed or constructed within those waters."

 The current mayor and council intend to block your unobstructed recreational use of the water and shoreline.
      The mayor and council  intend to take away your unobstructed view and open space on land and water.
      The mayor and council will tell you this is not permanent. 

 It is only going to happen when you are enjoying the park. 
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     There was notice of this open house, public hearing with materials last Wednesday.
      The mayor and council chose  to schedule this open house from 3:30- 5pm, when

employed folks could NOT attend.  If the mayor and council wanted to hear your thoughts, meetings would be scheduled when everyone could attend.  The city's previous statement about supporting open government is proven to be a bunch of poppycock. 

YEA, the mayor and council  are waiting to hear your thoughts!!

 

Mayor and Council email addresses:

 guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net

 paynet@cityofgigharbor.net

 kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net

 perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net

 malichk@cityofgigharbor.net

 EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net

 lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net

 arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! Sign up for email: citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!

Just the FACTS!!

 

 Good morning Everybody!!!
   There was a really good editorial in the Gateway today.  It also appeared in the TNT yesterday.  Yep, it is about the massacre of those trees on Peacock Hill. Continue to scroll and you can read that editorial.  Various folks in our community have met with the city administrator and a discussion took place to see if there could be more environmental planning in the future.  The planning regulations concerning trees and buffers were not amended when the tree fell on the vehicle with a young husband and father.
  What has happened to the value of life and living things on our council?  Sadly, it just seems to be about the money.  

 There was another letter to the editor in the Gateway today. Regardless of Derek Young's opinion below is why GH was only conditionally approved. Let's read what the state and PSRC has to say.   Below is page 1 and 2 of the PSRC reasoning for determining conditional approval only.   And we have enlarged the particular portion of page 2.  Just the facts.  As you can read, the state has said the issues are growth, impacts of infrastructure.
        This is from Washington State through the PSRC.

 

 Gateway Editorial 4/13/2016

Two Puget Sound cities. Two freak windstorms. Two families devastated by the loss of a father to a falling tree.

The parallels between the deaths of 36-year-old Jamie Fay in Gig Harbor last summer and 42-year-old Eric Medalle in Seattle last month are chilling. Each dad was taking a weekend drive with his young daughter. Each was struck by a wind-toppled Douglas fir, while the girl in the backseat escaped largely unscathed.
In each case, arborists later determined the tree that collapsed was rotten.
Both tragedies provide harsh reminders about humanity's unpredictable relationship with nature, and the fearsome power latent in these silent specimens. A tree, like a mountain lion, poses its greatest threat to people when it's sick or dying.
Despite the similarities, the incidents differed in their settings. Medalle died at Seward Park, a South Seattle old-growth sanctuary. Fay was killed on busy Borgen Boulevard in fast-growing North Gig Harbor, where hundreds of trees recently had been removed.
The clearcut made way for Heron's Key, a senior community that will be the largest development in city history. Single-family subdivisions are also rising nearby.
Fay's death on Aug. 29 set off a chain reaction – some have said overreaction. Subsequent windstorms caused two more trees to crash down on the public right of way, though no one was harmed. The big surprise came early last month when a 50-foot buffer of firs was cleared along several blocks of Peacock Hill Avenue. The city said on its website that it agreed with the landowner, Olympic Property Group (OPG), to cut the trees out of “an abundance of caution” ahead of another predicted storm.
It was a curious decision because arborists had not identified the trees as hazards, unlike the dozen-plus hazardous trees that were taken down along nearby Borgen after Fay’s death.
The treescape has now turned into a moonscape, and neighbors don’t like it. They understandably lament the loss of vegetation that provided an aesthetic benefit, offered cover for wildlife, absorbed stormwater and filtered air and noise pollution.
They also might wonder if they’re seeing a domino effect of tree vulnerability – a phenomenon described in an urban tree risk management guide published by the U.S. Forest Service.
“Forest trees that have been in relatively protected and undisturbed environments for all of their lives become very vulnerable to exposure when these forests are urbanized, that is, when residential or commercial subdivisions are built in or around the forests,” the guide says.
“When you remove a large number of trees,” it continues, “you change the site conditions for the remaining trees. Sudden increases in amounts of sunlight and wind may shock trees.” The risk of wind collapse is magnified due to the “death of the shallow network of supportive, fine roots.”
Perhaps this is part of the price of growth on the Peninsula. While residents enjoy convenient shopping and access to state Route 16, they also must contend with increased traffic and overcrowded schools. The Peninsula Neighborhood Association saw this coming 20 years ago when it unsuccessfully challenged the city’s annexation of 796 acres on its northern doorstep.
OPG vice president John Chadwell said Monday that his company will replant the buffer this fall with trees better suited for the suburban environment, mostly red cedars and pines. The saplings won’t soon make anyone forget the towering firs, but they will return desperately needed foliage to the neighborhood.
Trees are sentinels for a community’s quality of life. Gig Harbor residents should stand up for smart tree policy – for instance, by watching in the months ahead as officials consider changes to the city’s tree-retention ordinance.
Responsive leaders will find a balance between economic development, public safety and natural beauty. Acting out of “an abundance of caution” should apply not just to protecting people, but also to preserving dwindling green space.
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Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/editorials/article71257847.html#storylink=cpy

     "When you know better, you do better."  This has not happened yet in Gig Harbor.



Mayor and Council email addresses: guernseyj@cityofgigharbor.net paynet@cityofgigharbor.net kadzikp@cityofgigharbor.net perrowm@cityofgigharbor.net malichk@cityofgigharbor.net EkbergS@cityofgigharbor.net lovrovichr@cityofgigharbor.net arbenzc@cityofgigharbor.net

 Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor  LLC C4GH: Citizens committed to making Gig Harbor better than we found it! JOIN US!! Sign up for email: citizensforgigharbor@gmail.com http://citizens4gigharbor.blogspot.com/ Give us a "like" on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Citizens4GigHarbor Mayor and 4 council seats up for re-election in 2017!