Orcas residents need to have a say-so in decisions made by San Juan County and Washington state in Olympia regarding construction and destruction of roads, trees, wetlands, etc.

Residents should have the right to vote on proposed construction. Too much destruction is occurring. Too much construction (road widening) is unnecessary and unwanted    by Orcas residents.

Example:  The current construction of Buck Bay Bridge in Olga. It’s a good idea for wild salmon recovery, but so far has destroyed that entire ecosystem. An ecosystem is not one species. The road department has killed and  is killing every living tree and plant in its wake  – displacing all the native wildlife in that area. Herons, bald eagles, sandpipers and Canada geese are all gone. Not even a seagull can be seen or heard. There are beautiful old growth douglas firs they intend to cut down unnecessarily to widen the south side of the road west of the bridge. It’ll take decades for that environment to recover and for all the native wildlife displaced that lived there … 100+ years if they kill the douglas firs.

We Orcas residents need to have a voice – a choice – regarding construction in our community.

Lorinda Roland

Olga