Hi!

Just thought I'd let you know that today Pilchuck Audubon Society and
Snohomish County Parks Department are celebrating International Migratory
Bird Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m at Spencer Island. There will be group
birdwalks from 10 to 2 and displays on bird migration, books and educational
materials to look at.

While you're there you might want to take a look at the devastation that the
City of Everett has wrought on the Smith Island dike and Langus walkway -
it's the dike that you walk on to cross the bridge over Union Slough to
Spencer Island. They not only cut down all the trees on both sides of the
dike and more, but they rocked the entire riverside of the dike all the way
to the confluence of Union Slough with the Snohomish River. It used to be a
beautiful walk along that dike, especially this time of year when all the
warblers and other birds used those trees. Pilchuck Audubon, Seattle
Audubon and several citizens protested the project, lost, appealed and lost.
However, the city did not indicate in their project description that they
would be riprapping the entire dike and we believe that they cut down trees
that should not have been cut. We believe they are in violation of SEPA
Rules - in addition they are in violation of their water quality
certification. This is not the first time that the city has destroyed
riverside habitat in violation of its permits. If anyone is interested in
working with us to try to rectify this particular problem and to try to help
us figure out how to stop this city from these types of actions in the
future, please let me know.

Janet Carroll
Everett WA
jrc at jrc.seanet.com

"The frog never drinks up the pond in which it lives."