Response to Senator Murray's 

Reintroduction of Wild Olympics/Wild and Scenic

Feb 2013

      Our Olympic forests and rivers are already well protected by state and federal laws and these land and resource grabs have a negative effect on local communities and businesses. The well meaning but ignorant federal politicians are just listening to the moneyed environmental organizations and don't seem to care about us in the local communities who are most affected by these federal land takings. All those signs against the new land grab that are posted by those in the rural communities nearest the proposed federal actions show that those who use these lands the most are dead against it. It is not just the land grab but the threat of continued federal actions limiting access to and use of forest resources that negatively affect our local economy and communities. Who wants to invest in businesses that continue to lose access to the resources they rely upon? These takings have been happening here since 1938 and many businesses and communities have disappeared. If you listen to the local people most affected by this you will find that we think it is time to draw the line on these land and resource grabs. We are proud of our rivers and forests and hike and fish in them more often than those in urban areas who tend to favor the land grabs. We have taken good care of our forests and rivers and don't need the federal government to take more land and limit more resources. Patty Murray and the rest of the federal supporters of these proposals should take the time to listen to those who live in these economically depressed areas instead of bowing to the interests of the moneyed environmental organizations. We don't have the money to produce slick presentations like the affluent environmental organizations do but we are more than willing to speak from the heart of our local experiences with the government takings of our land and resources.

Cliff Hay