Mud flats get bad rap

Myra Downing, wife of Port Commissioner Joe Downing, seems to regard the term “intertidal mudflat” pejoratively. These are some of the most important features on Earth. Scientific journals are full of the benefits of intertidal mudflats because shallower areas have greater growth of phytoplankton and greater surface area contact with dissolved oxygen. They are less prone to anoxia (lack of oxygen) than intertidal areas that have no mudflats.

Mudflats are a signature of healthy ecosystems throughout Puget Sound and Olympia’s beaches are starved for mud, thanks to damming the Deschutes River in mid-1950’s. A local class of fifth graders recently were debating lake vs estuary and they chose dam removal, so the natural systems could rebalance. For the good of our children, and generations to come, urge the Legislature to fund the capital budget and begin the EIS. I am confident the science will indicate dam removal is best for our water s, providing mudflats that grow micronutrients supporting the food chain in Puget Sound.

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Mud flats get bad rap."