Thurston County Commissioners backpedal

Not too long ago, the Thurston County Commissioners were on a mission to save the Mazama Pocket Gopher—a species that the Federal Government had been trying to exterminate for over 50 years, and now the State says is threatened.

Citizens from around Thurston County—now educated by S.T.O.P Thurston County town halls—have been pouring out to Commissioner meetings asking them to remove the regulations. The Commissioners have dug in their heels and have propped themselves up by a small contingent of environmental radicals called GO (Government Only), and puffed-up science.

The Business Examiner reported on the Pocket Gopher situation a few days ago and it seems that the Commissioners are starting to backpedal. It looks like they are trying to shift the conversation from saving the pocket gopher to saving the prairies. Alas, the citizens wouldn’t give up their property rights for a gopher, maybe they will give up their rights for the prairies—which by the way, were made and maintained by humans.

Here is a quote from the Business Examiner article printed September 19th [link to article]:

“This is about the prairie itself,” Valenzuela said. “The word ‘gopher’ has been explosive — but it’s just a candidate for protected species. That’s the only connection between the gophers and the prairies.”

She isn’t worried about a building shutdown. She’s more excited about a recent $450,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant the county will use to create a regional habitat conservation plan for fragile ecosystems, including the prairie.

The final product, Valenzuela said, will circumvent development issues.

“Our goal is to ultimately create a plan that will take a big-picture approach toward managing impacts to sensitive species,” she said, “rather than putting the burden on each and every permit applicant to come up with a plan.”

With the grant, one of three awarded in the state, the county will work with the Washington Fish and Wildlife Service to establish permit regulations that will allow development — while protecting ecosystems and species.

“This will eventually result in a large, countywide habitat conservation plan so that individual landowners could be relieved of the burden of having to make changes,” Valenzuela said. “It will be more efficient. We think this is the better approach.”

Commissioner Cathy Wolfe agreed.

“We’re thrilled to get this grant,” she said. “It’s going to help the county respond to some of the requests we hear most often — (including) take a landscape approach to conservation, and make the process easier.”

Let me translate the Commissioner’s comments for you. It means that they have taxpayer’s money, they will waste it on hiring staff, and figure out new and creative ways to limit the use of your property.

Ken Berg, Manager at US Fish and Wildlife, was at a recent Thurston County Planning Commission meeting and he said that the new approach isn’t about saving species, it’s about taking property (managing habitiat). Most likely, the Commissioners are now going to be taking directions from Ken Berg since that’s where they have found their new funding source.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this issue. Check back here to see our updates.