The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

To The Eagle:

As I travel Puget Island to the ferry tonight, I saw more white-tail deer than I’ve ever seen in all my trips to the refuge.

So the government thinks it needs to save the deer. They buy a lot of working farms, tear down the houses and barns, build massive fences, and spend $28 million to make it the way they want.

Along comes another government agency and dredges the river deeper and destroys the public road and dike protecting their investment. The Corps says it has money to build a new “setback dike,” but no money to fix the old dike. Does this sound like insanity to anyone else?

We can pump billions of dollars to repair after storms, we can build jetties to hold back the ocean, but we can’t fix a sink hole.

So what does Wahkiakum County get out of this? Nothing.

I say no deal. Let the dike fail and wash the stink out of here; we were better off before they came.I hope the commissioners hold the line. Corps, fix your screw up or prepare to get wet.

The deer left the refuge a long time ago (appears they’re not a fan of big government, either). A few that are left can swim; I’ve seen them do it!

I find it ironic that this bald dike, the way the corps wants, all dikes, no trees, is the one failing.

Danny Poe

Puget Island