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  • Comment Letter on Critical Areas Ordinance

    Dear Commissioners Garrido, Walters, and Rolfes,

    We are happy to provide a summary of our July 22nd comments as Commissioner Rolfes requested. We seek protection of critical areas and buffers and effective enforcement of the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO).

    Towards those goals, we present a checklist of items that presently reduce the effectiveness of, or even block, the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO). These items are mostly external to the Ordinance itself and cannot be fully addressed by amending the code. Nonetheless, they need to be corrected for the CAO to be effective.[…]

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  • Setting the Record Straight on the NSTO

    In a Letter to the Editor of Sound Publishing regarding the so-called “preferred route” from Kingston to Port Gamble article, Doug Hayman writes:
    “Majority of the public is in opposition to plans to go through NKHP. There were three public meetings about this study. There was overwhelming opposition to the trail going through the North Kitsap Heritage Park and instead, calls for paths to connect various communities. […]

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  • Comments re: KC Public Works on the TIPS

    Reviewing the draft report on the North Sound to Olympics Trail Study (NSTO), two things stand out: 

    Public Comments, Appendix A
    And overall project cost, Appendix F
    Reading the public comments in Appendix A confirms that there is overwhelming community opposition to going through North Kitsap Heritage Park, even from people who ride bicycles. […]

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  • Critical Areas Ordinance – Comments Part 6

    9. NO NET LOSS OF ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, NO ADVERSE IMPACT, and MONITORING

    The current CAO has two performance criteria for wetland buffer decreases:  (1) “provide as great or greater functions and values as…under the standard buffer”  (also referred to as “equivalent functions and values”) and (2) “no adverse impact” for buffer averaging. […}

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  • Critical Areas Ordinance – Comments Part 5

    7. SPECIALISTS AND REPORTS

    There are multiple ecological functions of buffers. Evaluation of functions may require expertise in wetlands, streams, habitat, soil science, hydrology, hydrogeology, and/or stormwater.

    Currently, the department appears to rely entirely on wetland reports and habitat management plans from wetland specialists and fish/wildlife biologists, respectively. However, their expertise may not extend to all the technical areas necessary for adequate evaluation of buffer functions. […}

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KEC educates and advocates for safe and clean water, air, and soil to support the health of all life. We focus on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington. We envision an Ecological and Just County – where all people along with wildlife thrive and are treated justly. Humans are part of nature, not owners of it.

Kitsap Environmental Coalition is a community of people dedicated to healthy lands, water, and habitat. We focus on Kitsap County, Washington, and we partner with people in other counties as they encounter conflicts similar to ones we face.

We educate ourselves and others through in-depth research, public presentations, speakers, films, flyers, letters to the editor, mainstream media coverage, digital social media, newsletters, tabling at farmers markets, and peaceful picketing. To date, we have created a powerful force in our campaign for safe and sustainable forestry practices.

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