Letters to the editor for Dec. 20
Why OlyEcosystems wants study of West Bay Yards’ impact
OlyEcosystems (OCEP) has a vision for the West Bay shoreline: a cleaner Budd Inlet, more salmon, more birds, and ample greenspace for wildlife and people. We have examined the 478+-unit West Bay Yards proposal and cannot support it.
The developer asked the city for approval, with an incomplete plan and without any study of impacts or alternatives. We don’t know if the developer would be adding fill to the shoreline, how or if on-site contaminants would be handled, or if it would still be possible to drive south on West Bay Drive while cars are trying to turn left into the complex. The city deemed these impacts to be “non-significant” and waived environmental and traffic studies. Therefore, we appealed.
There are choices for Olympia about water quality, shoreline habitat, recreational access, and traffic. These are not the developer’s choices. These are decisions rightfully made by the professional staff of the city and the City Council. Decisions cannot be made in a vacuum, with studies waived for the developer’s convenience. We share the city’s enthusiasm for improving the shoreline and we expect their due diligence. This proposal is clearly “significant” and warrants an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The city should understand the proposal’s full scope and impacts, and then act in the public interest.
It is OCEP’s role to advocate for Olympia’s remaining ecosystems. We do not oppose all shoreline development. We expect shoreline development to be conducted carefully and in alignment with the city’s goals for a restored West Bay.
Gabe Taylor, Olympia
Leave the guns home
Do those of you showing your support for President Trump at rallies armed to the teeth with your AKs, ARs or whichever firearm you feel the need to publicly display think it makes you some sort of patriot? Or do you think it makes you look tough and/or intimidating? Guess what, it doesn’t. It only makes you look like you don’t have the intelligence to have an opinion about something and actually back it up with facts — and I don’t mean the regurgitated nonsense you read on the internet.
Why don’t you leave that stuff at home, support your cause and try to have some dialogue? You might even get people to listen to you or you may even learn something.
Do you think Democrats and independents aren’t gun owners that love this country as well? We just tend to have conversations without the intimidation. Try it, you might find people will actually take you seriously.
Mark Turner, Olympia
Let’s have a compassionate Christmas
The long-anticipated Christmas holiday is nearly upon us. It conjures visions of happy families gathered by a warm fireplace, opening presents, sharing their love — and feasting on ham and turkey. It’s the happiest time of the year, but not for the animals.
The 222 million factory-farm turkeys killed in the U.S. this year were raised in crowded sheds. At 16 weeks, workers cut their throats and dump them into boiling water to remove their feathers.
Mother pigs are crammed into tight metal crates on factory farms. Their babies are torn away, mutilated without anesthesia, stuck into crowded pens for six months, then slaughtered.
Consumers pay a heavy price too. Animal flesh is laced with saturated fats, cholesterol, hormones, pathogens, and antibiotics that elevate the risk of chronic killer diseases.
This holiday season, let’s refuse to subsidize such wanton cruelty. Let’s choose from the large variety of plant-based meats, cheeses, ice creams, and milks that abound in every supermarket, along with nutritious fresh fruits and greens.
This year, let’s have a truly compassionate Christmas holiday, just as the Prince of Peace would counsel.
Dan Pryce, Olympia