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

To The Eagle:

To some, I’m sure what I’m saying here will seem insensitive. To me, it is being pragmatic and realistic. An update to the Wahkiakum County Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) is being developed by the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST) in conjunction with the Washington Department of Ecology. That plan, as currently drafted, will significantly limit how a large number of property owners in the county may use their property. I find that to be a much more important issue for public involvement than changing the name of geographical point on the county map.

If you are a property owner in Wahkiakum County, please take the time to learn about the draft SMP and get involved in the process. The Wahkiakum County Planning Commission is scheduled to have two more monthly meetings on the draft SMP before it is expected to be forwarded to the County Commissioners for their adoption or rejection in July. The Planning Commission meets on the fourth Thursday of each month. Their next meeting will be on May 26 at 6 pm and the location was recently changed to the Grays River Valley Community Center (old Rosburg school).

To the editor of the Eagle – I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect the editorial staff of The Eagle to keep their readers informed of all important issues. While I might not have placed the same priority on the much discussed geographical name change, to discuss it to the total exclusion of any mention of the draft SMP is unconscionable. I hope you will strive to do better.

Nick Nikkila

Deep River