OPINION
The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com
Letters
Larsen raises questions about US Customs lease
Dear Regional Administrator Northcroft, CBP, and Assistant Commissioner Yeager, GSA: I am writing regarding the new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lease in Friday Harbor, WA, and the General Services Administration’s (GSA) process to execute the lease. I have heard from constituents who are concerned about the new location. On their behalf, I would like to ask for clarification on some of the questions they have raised. I respect the work that CBP does to secure our borders and facilitate legal trade and travel. I want to ensure that there is an open dialogue between community members and your agencies, and that all concerns are addressed and mitigated when possible. A number of San Juan Island residents have raised concerns that the new CBP facility is in the heart of downtown Friday Harbor’s commercial waterfront. The community has worked to create a welcoming culture for residents and visitors, and some community members are concerned that the CBP facility will adversely affect the climate. They have also told me they are concerned that they did not have sufficient opportunity to provide input on the location and its potential impact on tourism. I appreciate that GSA and CBP representatives held a public hearing in late November in Friday Harbor to hear concerns and answer many of the questions about the new facility. There are still some outstanding questions, and I request that you provide written responses to them: n What was the process and timeline for executing the lease at the new location? n What are the guidelines for public input as part of the search process for a lease of this kind? n What did CBP require in terms of size and facilities for its new location? How flexible were those requirements when looking for a suitable location? n Was this search a competitive process with the consideration of multiple locations? If so, how was the final determination made? n Some community members have suggested alternative waterfront locations including a reconstructed Port of Friday Harbor building (following repairs from a recent fire) and the Cannery Landing building immediately adjacent to the ferry terminal. Were these locations considered? If not, why not? n After hearing concerns from the public in Friday Harbor, what actions will CBP and GSA take in designing the new facility to fit with the town image and minimize the impact on the downtown commercial corridor if the selected site is the final site? I appreciate your attention to my inquiry and look forward to your timely response. Sincerely, Rick Larsen Member of Congress Washington State, 2nd District
Wednesday, December 25, 2013 — 7
Guest Column
Thunder of Navy jets; sky’s the limit? Flights from Whidbey poised to grow, comment on impact statement by Jan. 3 By Ande Finley
Special to the Journal
C
itizens in the San Juans have recently learned about an environmental impact study that is being conducted by the Navy to evaluate the potential environmental and health effects of adding 10 Growlers (EA-18G electronic attack aircraft) to the expeditionary force and three Growler aircraft to the training squadron at NAS Whidbey in Oak Harbor. In addition, the Navy is proposing to continue and increase Growler operations at both Ault Field in Oak Harbor and OLF Coupeville, and has agreed to a three-year program of training Australian pilots to fly EA-18G’s, which will bring an additional 12 aircraft to NAS Whidbey. Earlier this year, Coupeville’s Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve were successful at getting a temporary suspension of flight training at OLF Coupeville by filing a lawsuit, alleging that the field, built for World War II planes, does not meet Navy requirements for use with modern jets and has dangerous crash zones overlapping with homes and businesses. The flights at OLF increased from 3,200 in 2010 to 13,300 in 2012, and that Ande Finley number is likely to go up with addition of new squadrons. Their website (http://citizensofebeysreserve.com/Issues.html) characterizes the Central Whidbey experience of frequent flyovers with higher-noise levels than ever before as, “living underneath a full-time highvelocity runway.” Lopez southenders are all too familiar with the impacts of the NAS Whidbey Growler program, which has now spread farther and farther north on the island. Flights can occur any day of the work week and the invasive noise of engine runups can go on until well after midnight, rattling windows at potentially damaging decibel levels even inside buildings. “I personally experience the sound as a shattering of the atmosphere, both externally and internally. I don’t hear it in my head, rather, I feel it in my gut,” Lopez resident Angie Ponder reported in the Dec. 4th issue of Orcas Issues: News
Contributed photo / neptunuslex
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island anticipates arrival of 10 new Growler fighter aircraft, like the one shown above.
& Reports. “It engenders a sort of pre-conscious stress response which I suspect is related to the ‘frequency’ of the sound, which is somewhat lower than that of the Prowler.” Concerns among the island communities are not limited to the effects of noise levels. There have been eyewitness reports of jet-fuel dumping over Smith and Minor islands, west of Whidbey, both are national wildlife refuges surrounded by the largest kelp beds in the Salish Sea, key to sea life in this marine environment. Impacts of jet fuel exhaust and emissions on air and water quality, and on agricultural activities, need to be considered, as well as the incompatibility of jet noise with the beauty and quiet on which the San Juan economy, based in great part on tourism, depends. As with the recent Cherry Point coal export terminal EIS, scoping is an early and open process where the public is invited to help identify issues to be studied. The scoping period ends on Jan. 3. If you share any of these concerns, make your voice heard at www.whidbeyeis.com, and write to your state and federal congressional representatives and your county council member. For more information, or a sample of a scoping comment letter, contact Cynthia Dilling at seraphim@rockisland.com. — Editor’s note: A contributing writer for the Islands Weekly, Ande Finley lives on the south end of Lopez Island and belongs to a group concerned about impacts of noise and activity of Navy Jets stationed on nearby Whidbey Island.
High time to battle against ‘The Beard’ By Dider Gincig
Special to the Journal
Invasive Clematis vitalba (Old Man’s Beard, or also called Traveler’s Joy) is one of the largest invasive species and a threat to trees, eventually causing them to collapse. Once the tree collapses, C. vitalba continues to grow along the ground in layers that are several meters thick, preventing the regeneration of anything below it. Any light necessary for plant growth is blocked out. It prevents growth of native vegetation, and each stem can produce 30 feet of growth in one season. Homeowners can do their share by cutting vines and removing roots, and by organizing neighborhood work parties. You can call Judy Jackson and Jason Ontjes, field assistant at the San Juan County Noxious Weed Control Program, as they will respond to homeowners’ willingness to help with this invasive species, and will be purchasing a pair of loppers to loan to the public (376-3499 or email at judy@sanjuanweeds.org, jason@san-
Prolific, resilient, invasive, Clematis vitalba remains a deadly threat to trees
juanweeds.org). It is in bloom now, thus easier to see, but also in seed (each plant can produce over 100,000 seeds). Seedlings can be hand pulled. Larger stems need to be cut. It is okay to cut them low to the ground and as high as you can reach, but the material should not be moved due to the likelihood of dispersing seeds. They have prolific seed production with wind dispersal and a vine quickly recovers from physical damage, with the ability to re-sprout when roots are produced from stem fragments and from attached stems. All vines running along the ground and just under the surface must be dug out. Roots broken off or cut off at least two inches below the surface usually do not survive.
Contributed photo / SJC Noxious Weed Board
Clematis vitalba, aka Old Man’s Beard, overtakes an Evergreen in Orcas Island’s View Haven neighborhood.
Eradication requires multiple treatments. Planting conifers will help limit germination by reducing available sunlight. Dense native ground cover may also significantly reduce seed germination. See BEARD, Page 8