PORT TOWNSEND — A private group is attempting to create a voluntary agenda for the development of an environmentally responsible regional business plan.
The Cascade Land Conservancy, a 20-year-old land stewardship organization, is rolling out “The Olympic Agenda,” which focuses on three areas: economies, communities and landscapes.
By giving all three aspects equal weight, the organization can attract more diverse input than if it were weighed toward either economy or ecology, said Sam Gibboney, the organization’s conservation director.
The agenda was discussed this week in meetings in Shelton on Wednesday and Port Townsend on Thursday, where 56 people from government and businesses gathered at the Northwest Maritime Center.
With an address by Jefferson Land Trust Director Sarah Spaeth and a panel that included Tylor Shellfish President Bill Taylor, Dungeness-area organic farmer Nash Huber and Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval, the prevailing theme was that all involved needed to develop and follow a consistent vision.
“The shellfish industry can provide sustainable jobs and provide an important role in the development of communities,” Taylor said.
“But in order to move in a sustainable direction, we need to have a vision as to where we want to go and the leadership to take us there.”
When asked what the region most needed, Huber joked: “A whole lot of money.”
But he soon added that the local economy is affected by global events.
“The cost of food is linked to the cost of energy,” he said.
“What is happening right now in North Africa isn’t pretty and has thrown the cost of energy into uncertainty, but it is clear that all the people in this room are going to have to work harder for less.”
Cascade Conservancy President Gene Duvernoy acknowledged that the material lacked specifics but said such specifics weren’t necessary at this point, though people in Port Townsend seem ready for them.
“Port Townsend is leading the region in this kind of discussion,” he said.
Duvernoy said he has been encouraged by the diversity of the attendees and the willingness to have discussions across traditional political boundaries.
“It’s no longer a battle between environmentalists and business people, but ways to find new ways of working together where people can protect their property rights while taking advantage of new funding opportunities,” he said.
Washington State University Extension Acting Director Pamela Roberts said she got a lot out of the meeting but that “a lot of dialogue will be needed before we can create our own vision.”
Some of the misgivings she had about the event were unfounded.
“I thought there was a danger that the outside people were trying to affect our internal processes, “ she said.
“But they handled the information exchange very gently.”
Sandoval didn’t feel the lack of specifics was a drawback.
“This is just a first step, where the purpose is to get the people here to go out to educate and engage the community,” she said.
“We’ve already done a lot of this planning, but people, especially those who are new to the community, need to know why we are doing what we are doing.”
As an illustration, Sandoval mentioned the negative reaction by some people to the changes on Upper Sims Way.
“In a lot of cases, the city gets grief for implementing plans that have been in place for 20 years,” she said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.