Wild and Scenic Rivers 



  What is it about The Wild and Scenic Rivers Acts’ inclusion into the Wild Olympics campaign that is troubling? Why are we being disarmed by the "No Dams" statement, because it is so obvious and redundant that a river in the park would need such protection that it is beyond comprehension.

Note: The Elwa Dam was just removed and it is becoming obvious that a huge amount of environmental damage has occurred sending rippling effects to many species (such as the swans of the upper lake that disappeared.) This is anything BUT a non-issue, and may prove the most damaging part of it all.

  Once a river is designated;  it goes through a bureaucratic process which then puts it into one of three categories: Wild, Scenic, and Recreation. Its control is to be determined by the Dept. of Interior or Agriculture depending. It specifically says: AFTER IT IS DESIGNATED it will then be decided
This guarantees that anything that is said prior to inclusion, about whether ANY part of ANY river is to be Wild, Scenic or Recreation, is meaningless.. They are given one year to do this and  three more for a management plan.
A new management plan for the park? It is REQUIRED.

Specific words like rip-rap and diversions are found. New regulations will be applied. Fine, it ends at the park line? Well not quite. Once named, lands can be added by the WILLING PARTNER AGREEMENT.  Well,  that is the forest service, isn’t it? It is now out of the park. 

The Scenic Rivers Act; all by itself, allows the act itself to buy lands.. So THEY CAN NOW BUY LANDS INDEPENDENT FROM,  THE WILD OLYMPICS ACT,  1/4 mile on each side of the river and if the piece of land is larger? they  can buy the whole thing with the extra  not tallied into their limits. Surely they will negotiate a deal with Rayonier easily enough. They will buy the land that can’t be logged! Everybody should know they already are not allowed to log it!  Don’t they? Yet they will likely be paid for the timber anyway. Sweet deal.

  For the Quinault river; it is only a few miles from the park line down to the county line on the South Shore of the river. The other side is Park line, all the way to the lake as dictated by high water. AS you continue; ask yourself if you want to play poker with congress?

Establishment of Wild and Scenic River boundaries:
 -from the Intra-agency Wild and Scenic Rivers Co-ordinating Council.

"....have a legally established boundary. Generally, however, this responsibility is left to the managing agency to be completed following designation".

"an interim boundary will be established with-in 1/4 mile of the ordinary high water mark on each side of the river."

"the boundary also defines the area in which the managing agency has land acquisition authority."

"besides acquisition, other protection tools such as locally adopted and enforced zoning laws, donations of easements to land trusts and co-operative agreements, are techniques to be considered."

  But wait a sec! This is WILD OLYMPICS! They are also asking for all DNR land! The local counties are all being asked to join in the fun. What a party they will have.
EXCEPT WE ARE NOT INVITED.
The Clearwater, Queets, Humptulips, Hoh, Bogachiel and Wynoochie areas; of which we are well acquainted, will be severely impacted.

Forget what Wild Olymics Campaign supporters say. None of them will be held accountable
and they will all be long gone before many citizens realize what has really happened.(Sara Crumb is the first to exit)(Maria Cantwell is up for re-election in 2016 and remains in the shadow.)

A loss of camping, fishing and river access sites will result. This is what really happens in Wild and Scenic Areas.  Forget about cutting firewood or picking mushrooms. Did you know mushroom picking is prohibited in the park? Forest service graciously allows one gallon.  No permits for  picking more will be allowed in wilderness.

  As for the Quinault part of the wilderness, which you might accurately describe as our back yard; is a mess and this act guarantees it will stay that way. Some wilderness areas will be; a cluster of cell phone towers at the top, with a gated road up the middle! The wilderness even comes with an elevated fire danger. DOUBLE DANGER because one wilderness will abut the other as the road between the two is de-commissioned.
 The forest service planning rule revision issued on 2/10/2011 stated goal is “ to promote vibrant communities.”  Oh well, they can always  revise the revision. It will be far easier than unlocking a wilderness.

 Will the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act further inhibit us from protecting
 our homes and land on South Shore?


S1278 restrictions on water resources projects
"No department or agency of the united states shall assist by loan, grant, license, or otherwise in the construction of any water resources project that would have a direct and adverse effect on the values for which such river was established."
and once again from the intra-agency council....."shall be preserved in a free flowing condition."

  The ONP does not admit to the damage they caused at Finley Creek. What if congress also mis- designates this area as worthy of wild and scenic? without considering this ecological destruction? there  would be no watershed restoration
(this is also in accordance with the governance rules set forth for all World Heritage Parks within a biosphere area as named by the UN) .

We demand they fix it and all other ecological damage they have caused to the Olympic Peninsula. No act should even be considered before this is done. They now have an estimated  $500 million maintenance backlog for ONP (2014). There was no plan to fix anything until we hollered loud and clear and silently with our visual signs placed where a home was destroyed  and where  the property it sat on was swallowed by the Parks planned river diversion. 

Lets go back to Wild and Scenic; there is  a CONDEMNATION CLAUSE.   “When the private property becomes fully encircled,” . The proposed wilderness adds to this imbalance, A wild and scenic boundary applied here simply removes the people.

S1277 land acquisition-

"...grant of authority to acquire state and Indian lands."

 
"...lands owned by the state may be acquired only by donation or exchange."
Note:  Congress refers to this as deed swapping. A no cost transaction. What they don't tell you is that Federal Land acquisition for public purposes RAISES YOUR FEDERAL TAXES! Year after year after year!

"...nothing shall preclude the use of condemnation to clear title or acquire scenic easements as are reasonable....necessary to give the public access to the river."

Note: allowing public access through your private property

"...authorized to accept donations of lands and interests."

"... the secretary shall pay full market value."

Note: Interior always kicks you while your down. All throughout history, each time the dollar has been devalued, land grabs  follow. Pennies to the dollar is the "New" 2014 deals of the day.

There is presently nothing even remotely related to fair market value in a broken economy. What can replace what an owner considers his own personal interest? The value of such interest cannot always be replaced by money. An example may be the value of a healthy soil a farmer has cultivated for a lifetime. What can replace our clean water and air? or quality of life we experience daily? 

  With another layer of added bureaucracy, a stagnant time of policy implementation that will delay and likely prevent activity? the answer to our #1 question must be yes. This is bad for us. What happens upstream comes down. You don’t need the cost of condemnation, if the river does it for you. -muddyshoes

  Wild and Scenic update notes :  After a year of hearing  John Owen (Owen is D.C.'s planted "Wild Olympics" scout) swore up and down about boundaries and wild and scenic ending at the park line, now what I originally accused him of (B.S.) at the Quinault Library has happened!
 What he said means nothing. 

The politicians Dicks and Murray responded with their own proposal: The Real One (that was previously conjured) They were not the same. They wanted to rush this through congress, before  even had the chance to read the bill.  Now read  the CONDEMNATION CLAUSE again. HEY PEOPLE..... We are just about ready to be encircled. We can be bought out and condemned at any time with this act through "Wild and Scenic".
So, John Owen is correct when he says Wild Olympics will not do this. BUT Wild and Scenic will. Dicks and his staff refuse to recognize this as a threat. But what do those who live in the concrete jungle, of their choice, know? Is this the punishment we get for our resistance to this plan. ENCIRCLEMENT?

 For Wild Olympic supporters to claim a petition of a mere 4500 signatures as any kind of mandate to a pop. of 230,000 is totally ridiculous.

Kilmer  swallowed Wild Olympics bait. It wasn't the insignificant signatures of course. It was the lobbyists. Kilmer ignored the majorities of people. The green party bought him off. The big government backed takers such as the $billion$ Sierra Club holly-wood-urr's  joined kilmers back patting crew to come back in 2013 to swing the deal. On America's charge card. 



Wilderness and Wild and Scenic
Together Completely Encircles Us

  
 "The line will end at the park boundry on South Shore".  Mr. Owen and the entire congressional delegation will swear to this.
   The Park owns the entire Northshore of the Quinault River acording to the high water rule. Refer back to Wild and Scenic review:
   It states that when the govt. is in this position it exerts full W&S regulations on both sides of the river.

  AT the recent bishop center meeting at Grays Harbor College; Will, a new entity from Senators Murrays' staff, actually tried to deny this also. The others already know and are lying or avoiding the truth. We have confronted them with it.  Can't they read the law? or would they rather not?

Private Property Rights is the Foundation of Democracy
 and A Free People