Saving Maury Island from the gravel pit

[eridani]

MAURY ISLAND TALKING POINTS:
MAURY ISLAND--THE AQUATIC RESERVE

THE MAURY ISLAND AQUATIC RESERVE WAS DESIGNATED A RESERVE AS IT IS A FUNCTIONING ECOSYSTEM WHICH PROVIDES HABITAT FOR JUVENILE CHINOOK SALMON, THE QUARTERMASTER HERRING STOCK, SOUTHERN RESIDENT ORCAS FOR FOR FISH SPECIES WHO TRAVEL FROM AS FAR AWAY AS THE SKAGIT RIVER, NEARLY 150 MILES NORTH. Chinook salmon, souther resident Orcas and the habitat are alisted as `Endangered" or "Threatened" under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

The Reserve is an important part of the much larger ecosystem called Puget Sound.

We need to close a loophole insterbed by State DNR int the Maury Aquatic Reserve Management Plan

That loophole opens the Reserve to an industrial barge-loading facility. This loophole undercuts the value of the reserve program at a critical time for the Puget Sound Parntership.

The Commissioner of Public Lands' role is that of landlord, as opposed to that of a permit agency. Permits are about how much environmental damage will be allowed. Leases are discretionary and must consider public interest.

The Commissioner' s decision regarding whether to lease valuable State aquatic lands for a new industrial barge-loading facility shound NOT be determined by whether permits have been granted.

The decision should reflect the management goals of an aquatic reserve and recognize that we must do no additional harm to our most sensitive aquatic areas.

The Citizens of Washington State own 2.5 million acres of aquatic lands.

It is the Constitutional duty of the Legislature to:

Protect these lands
Provide direction when that duty is shirked by State agencies
Provide guidance on how we protect our State-owned aquatic lands

As the Puget Sound Parntership is being formed, protection of such aquatic lands is an important responsibility. Citizens will pay for restoration but