Subject: Spencer Island - A threatened Habitat
Date: May 6 22:41:47 1998
From: Steve Hallstrom - steveh at u.washington.edu



The following may be of interest to some Tweeters. There are often references
to Spencer Island in reports.

>From owner-farmcity at onenw.org Wed May 6 15:28:37 1998
Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 15:27:57 -0700 (PDT)
To: farmcity at onenw.org
From: Annalee Cobbett <coban at seanet.com>
Subject: Snohomish County Ag Lands - comments needed


===== A message from the 'farmcity' discussion list =====

-- For General Distribution --

Open Spaces in Snohomish County Need Your Help!
Public Comments Needed
Island Crossing, Spencer Island and Smith Island
Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan

Public comment is needed NOW on how Snohomish County should respond to the
superior court remand of three areas under the Snohomish County Plan: Island
Crossing, Spencer Island and Smith Island.

Contact Information for Snohomish County follows this message.

+Comments Needed

Please tell the County that they should designate Island Crossing, Spencer
Island and Smith Island as agricultural under the Growth Management Act
(GMA), and not put these areas into urban growth.

Send letters, faxes, phone calls and e-mails to your County council
member, planning commission, staff, and the agricultural advisory board

Submit recent pictures, maps, and studies with your comments that show
that these areas are being used for agriculture and are suitable for agriculture

Testify at the County council hearing or the planning commission hearing

Talk with council members and staff about the need to designate these
areas as agricultural land, and not put them into cities' growth areas

+Comment Deadlines (Subject to change - updated info will be provided)

May 15, 1998 Deadline for comments to Sno. Co. Planning Department

June 17, 1998 Deadline for comments to Agricultural Advisory Board
Ag Advisory Board Hearing
.
June 23, 1998 Deadline for comments to planning commission
Planning Commission Hearing

August 19, 1998 Deadline for all public comments
Public Testimony: Hearing before Sno. County
Council

August 26, 1998 County Council decision - adopt ordinance
or Sept. 2, 1998

+Talking Points

Island Crossing, Spencer Island and Smith Island are currently used for
agriculture, have always been used for farming and grazing, and zoned for
agriculture

They are located in river valleys with prime Class II agriculture soils

They are located in the 100-year river floodplain, and comprehensive plan
policy NE 5.B.1 states that land uses within the floodplain shall be
primarily agricultural

Island Crossing, Spencer Island and Smith Island do not contain urban
growth, and are not served by water, sewers, utilities or public services

Any urban development in these areas would require fill and possibly
displace flood water storage capacities

These areas were designated agricultural lands of primary importance by
the 1982 Agricultural Preservation Plan, and the 1993 Interim Agricultural
Conservation Plan

Smith and Spencer Island are top-ranked targets for tidal and wetland
restoration by the Snohomish Estuary Wetlands Integration Plan (SEWIP), and
People for Puget Sound's Snohomish Estuary Conservation Blueprint

+Agriculture in Snohomish County:

Farmland on the urban edge is worth preserving for open space, wildlife
habitat, and fresh local produce

Farmland does not have to support a family to be classified as
agricultural land under the GMA

Small parcels of farmland are as valuable as large farms, because they are
more plentiful and function as urban separators

Farmland in Western Washington does not need to be irrigated to produce crops

Agriculture is a profitable industry in Snohomish County, producing $98
million of value in 1995

Snohomish County agriculture ranks 13th in the state for market value of
agricultural products sold

The County ranked 4th in the state for milk cow livestock, and 3rd in the
state for horses In 1997

Snohomish County ranked 5th in the state for corn production In 1996

+++++++++++

+Contact Information for Snohomish County:

Snohomish County Council Members: Dave Somers
Rick Larsen
Kirk Sievers
Barbara Cothern
Gary Nelson

Mailing Address: 3000 Rockefeller, M/S 609
Everett, WA 98201
Telephone: (425) 388-3494
Fax Number: (425) 388-3496
E-mail addresses: firstname.lastname at co.snohomish.wa.us
Example: rick.larsen at co.snohomish.wa.us

Sno. County Planning Department: Larry M. Springer, Planning Division
Manager
Klaus Schilde, Lead Planner

Mailing Address: 3000 Rockefeller, M/S 604
Everett, WA 98201-4046
Telephone: (425) 388-3311
Fax Number: (425) 388-3670