John,

Thanks for alerting me to this. I've forward your email to Greenlake
friends of mine, with a synopsis and sample email to make it easier
for folks to grasp the issue and take action. Tweets, please feel
free to use this in any way you like.

Marc Hoffman
Kirkland, WA
tweeters "at" dartfrogmedia "dot" com

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Dear ...,

I'm sending this message to you because you live by Greenlake. I'm
hoping you'll take a minute to write a short email to the Seattle
Parks Board to protect birds on Greenlake from nest-damaging
water-ski shows. The Board has heard primarily from a well-organized
group that advocates for these shows, and needs to hear more
pro-environment opinions.

The Parks Board is soliciting written comments on this matter, before
forwarding their recommendation to the Parks Superintendent at their
next meeting, October 9th.

I'm hoping you'll send a brief (or lengthy!) email in the next few
days, mentioning that you are a Greenlake resident (please include
your address), and that you oppose the use of the lake for
waterskiing activities. Emails should be addressed
to: Sandy.Brooks at Seattle.gov

Below is a sample letter that you're welcome to use, followed by a
lengthy post to a regional birding listserv that explains the issue
in greater detail.

Thanks, and I hope you've had a good summer.

-Marc

============= Sample Email =====================

TO: Sandy.Brooks at Seattle.gov

Dear Seattle Parks Board,

I am a resident of the Greenlake neighborhood and I oppose the
permitting of any waterski events on Greenlake. There is direct
evidence that such activity has destroyed the nests of Pied-Billed
Grebes in the springtime and disrupts other wildlife any time of
year. It also disrupts the tranquility of the lake, which is used by
many as a peaceful retreat from noisy city life.

Please do not permit any water-skiing- or water-boarding-related
events at Greenlake.

Sincerely

Mary Doe
1234 Peaceful Lane (Greenlake)
Seattle, WA

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At 10:27 PM 9/26/2008, you wrote:

>Hi, Tweets,
>
>Last night (Thursday) the Seattle Parks Board held a public hearing
>re discontinuing issuing permits for motorized boating, such as
>water-skiing, wake-boarding, etc. Although motor sports of all types
>were permanently prohibited on Green Lake years ago, there is a
>loophole which allows two such events each year. These permits do
>not allow events during June, July and August, which means that the
>two events take place during both the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
>
>The permits have traditionally been issued to the Lake Samammish
>Waterski Club. They use two or more powerful boats that both create
>"wakes" and tow groups of skiers who use these wakes to perform
>mid-air stunts. They set up and use a public address system, which
>on Memorial Day could be clearly heard all the way from the
>Community Center to beyond Duck Island.
>
>While the noise of the boats and the PA announcer is very disruptive
>to the great majority of those walking around the lake and also to
>nearby residents, their activities continue to create a far more
>serious problem; one that should be of concern to everyone reading this.
>
>Starting in April and continuing through May there were at least
>three floating nests built and used by pied-bill grebes along the
>one-mile SW shoreline of Green Lake. Many took great pleasure
>watching these nests being built, maintained, and eventually hosting
>as many as five eggs. I personally enjoyed watching the ongoing
>activities at these nests nearly every day in May.
>
>As I walked past the Small Craft Center, it was obvious that wakes
>(waves) were continually reaching the shoreline. By the time I
>reached the turtle logs, waves were washing completely over both
>logs. And all three of the fragile nests had disappeared.
>Coincidence? I think not!
>
>Speakers at last night's public hearing were limited to two minutes.
>The first four or five expressed their concerns about waves eroding
>the shoreline and destroying nests. Perhaps a dozen of the skiers
>then spent the remainder of the discussion period extolling their
>activity, discussing their efforts to minimize environmental impact,
>and emphasizing at great length how water skiing at Green Lake has a
>long-standing tradition. Each speaker was wearing a tee-shirt
>created especially for the hearing. Each speaker introduced the
>following speaker. The dozen or so speakers and their friends soon
>were cheering and clapping at the end of each turn. The group had
>clearly organized and orchestrated their participation; by the time
>this became apparent it was too late for any rebuttal, they
>overwhelmed and dominated the discussion.
>
>Much of their testimony was what a wonderful sport/hobby they have.
>There was no one who argued this point. They then produced some
>engineering studies made on a lake in the Mid-West as evidence that
>their wakes could not possibly reach shore(!). They ended their
>testimony by focusing on the long tradition of water skiing on Green
>Lake. Not once did they even mention the possibility of moving their
>activity to Lake Samammish or to Lake Washington.
>
>There can be no argument that water skiing can be an enjoyable
>activity. Or, that there is indeed a history and tradition of doing
>it at Green Lake. But hydroplane races were an even longer tradition
>at the lake, as was the original Bite of Seattle and the even longer
>tradition of Fourth of July fireworks. All of these "traditional"
>activities were eventually forced by public opinion to move
>elsewhere, where they have grown and thrived.
>
>The skiers speculated that the missing nests could have been the
>victims of "dogs, raccoons, etc." They refused to acknowledge that
>the nests completely disappeared during their event. They emphasized
>that pied-bill grebes are generally not considered to be an
>endangered species, as if this justified destroying their nests.
>
>What next?
>
>The Park Board is soliciting written comments on this matter, before
>forwarding their recommendation to the Parks Superintendent at their
>next meeting, October 9th. If everyone still reading this lengthy
>epistle would take just a moment right now to email their concerns
>for forever ending this intolerable tradition, they could pass along
>a favorable opinion. Emails should be addressed
>to: <mailto:Sandy.Brooks at Seattle.gov>Sandy.Brooks at Seattle.gov
>
>It is significant that most of the skiers who spoke were neither
>residents, taxpayers, nor voters in the City of Seattle. Board
>members seemed sensitive to this, so if you are any or all of the
>above you might emphasize this in your comments.
>
>The grebes will likely continue to inhabit Green Lake. But only in
>much smaller populations if water skiing is not permanently prohibited.
>
>Thank you,
>
>John Pollock, on behalf of many, many others who regularly visit
>Green Lake to appreciate and enjoy the birds and to escape much of
>the constant noise of a busy city.