PORT ANGELES — A room intended to hold a crowd of 50 proved too small Saturday to accommodate the throng of people who came to voice their opinion on expanding wilderness areas around Olympic National Park.
The downstairs room at the Museum at the Carnegie at the start of the meeting bulged with people both for and against the proposal developed by Democrats Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray as a compromise to a larger wilderness expansion plan proposed by Wild Olympics.
As many as 150 people attended the gathering, though not all were present at the same time.
The staff of the two legislators answered questions and took written comments.
Another workshop was held Thursday in Port Townsend, where 175 people attended; a meeting was scheduled Sunday in Hoquiam; and a final session is to be held Friday in Shelton.
Dicks’ and Murray’s proposal, which has not been turned into legislation, would designate 130,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service land as wilderness where no logging would be allowed; designate 23 river systems as wild and scenic within Olympic National Forest and the park; and allow the park to buy up to 20,000 acres of mostly private forest land if a willing seller is found.
The Wild Olympics’ 2-year-old proposal, if pursued by Congress, would designate 134,000 acres of wilderness, allow the park to buy up to 37,000 acres of land and designate wild and scenic areas along the rivers, which could limit logging to only forest thinning.
Pros and cons
Supporters of either proposal said it would benefit the North Olympic Peninsula by protecting rivers and expanding recreational opportunities.
Opponents voiced concern over the potential impact to the logging industry and jobs.
“I think it stinks,” Dave Bekkevar, owner of Bekkevar Logging, said bluntly.
“It’s the worst damn thing that could happen.”
Bekkevar, of Sequim, said he thinks it is important to have healthy forests but doesn’t believe that more areas need to be designated as wilderness.
“We do care” about forests, he said.
Proponents said the Peninsula would benefit economically through a potential increase in tourism as a result of the expanded forest protections.
“We’re not against the timber industry in any way, shape or form,” Jim Gift, Olympic Peninsula Audubon Conservation Committee co-chair, said.
Eric Kessler, a contracted guide in the park, estimated that his tours have generated nearly $900,000 to the economy since he started 17 years ago.
“All that money is from people who don’t come to see clearcuts,” he said, adding he expects a benefit to the tourist industry if either idea is adopted.
Harry Bell, police chairman for the Washington State Society of American Foresters, said both proposals neglect the economic benefits of the timber industry.
Well-managed logging can benefit social, economic and environmental needs, he said.
“There is no balance” in the plans, Bell said.
“It’s not looking at the economic needs.”
Sara Crumb, district director for Dicks, said the proposal developed by Dicks and Murray is intended to protect sensitive areas, such as around rivers, without locking away timber that is likely to be harvested.
“We’re trying to work with the Forest Service,” she said.
Crumb said there has been no timeline set for introducing any legislation on the issue.
“We’re taking it step by step, she said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.