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Letter from City Councilman re why they only inspect boats during fishing season

Below is a an email from Bellingham city councilman Stan Snapp, in which he takes me to task for criticizing the city and county for its thinly disguised attempt to keep boats off the lake.  My letter starts with "Well, with all due respect" and his replies are in parentheses.  He outright states that he would prefer all boats banned from Lake Whatcom.

Joe,

You want to know why you are not effective and there are probably lot's of reasons starting with your tone of voice in your writing. Here are my takes on what you wrote and some suggestions, and none of your writing or mine does a wit to clean up our lake.

Well, with all due respect, sir,(off putting right from the start, I am not your 'sir') I decided to use sarcasm instead of
outright anger over the lame, half-hearted (certainly city and county could do more and with a new county council make-up we should see that but the city has spend more that 20 million dollars so far and I'd hardly call that "lame, half-hearted. I get cranky at the county and DOE but their funds haven't been half hearted either) attempts at mitigating the
threats to the lake. Last winter, PW lectured us on the looming threats of
aquatic invasive species, and how every attempt (I don't believer 'every attempt' was stated without the qualification that resources cost money. I wanted more sooner but they have to live with budget constraints which is only the responsible way to conduct government) is going to be made to keep
the threat from the lake's shores. And, of course, the anglers and boaters
who want to use the lake will have to pony up fifty bucks for the privilege
of launching their boats. (my vote would have been to ban them from the lake, our drinking water protection is way more important than the anglers taking fish from our reservoir) We had to not only pay fees, but conform to their
time schedule. Then, the day after fishing season ends, the gates are
thrown open and anyone with a trailered boat can freely come in and launch.
And yes, I have pictures. Joe, it's all about numbers and costs, we can't pay people to staff a ramp for two boats a day, we takes our chances) As far as the AIS program is concerned, both
councils' credibilities are shot. (Cheap shot Joe, but without merit. You do know that councils have tons of work besides AIS and we got a very conservative county council to support a slowly developing program. To say council's credibility is shot is just not worth a response)We presented ample evidence to you and the
county council regarding this. You nodded politely and ignored us. (Again, not so. Just because a council does not do precisely what you tell them to doesn't mean your input is ignored) Then
you insult our intelligence by shutting down your kiosk on November first. (Again, Joe, not so, it was a matter of cost verses numbers, a calculated risk, it has nothing whatever to do with our intelligence)
Do zebra mussels have calendars, or was this whole AIS fiasco just an
attempt to get more people off the lake? (Personally, I would have worked to get people off the lake but if you have followed the path of invasive s across the country you wouldn't make a statement like that. I would have banned power boats long ago but I only had one vote on a council of seven) You might also be well advised to
ask some of the professional landscapers in the area as to what they have
been forced to do with the ban on phosphorous fertilizers--which can still
be purchased in Burlington. (It is my understanding that city and county staff have worked with landscapers. I don't know if it's been enough but we are told that they are not using banned fertilizers. I would not support hiring fertilizer police because even that would not guarantee results. Again, it's all about numbers. In fact soil sampling tells us there is plenty enough phosphorus in our soil without additives) If you did, you might discover that they have
had to use more fertilizer to get that lush, green look, and, as a result,
more runoff has taken place. The PW inspectors also apparently have no idea
what a 2-stroke carbureted outboard is, nor what a current license tab is,
since they allowed several of them to go into the lake after their
inspection.
So far the local governments have done nothing but posture to the state and
the feds, creating ordinances that look great on paper but do nothing with
regards to the lake. (another silly statement, we have a long record of receiving state and federal grants for a wide variety of projects that remove contaminants. City and County are not above criticism, the Silver Beach Ordinance is way overdue for an update but most of what it set out to do is working. Revising it is a matter of Planning Dept. priorities) It's plain to see that you're doing nothing but
attempting to mollify the DOE while trying to placate the wealthier lakeside
residents. (Rubbish Joe)
You and your cohorts use your alleged concern over our water quality as
nothing more than resume padding and reelction buzzwords for the
low-information voters in the area. (more rubbish, no question that political campaigns often state support for protecting our drinking water and when elected most have voted for all of the millions that have been spent and I don't think it is just to pad resume's or to get re-elected, that is just silly)
Why don't you take a trip around Northshore Drive and see how the rain takes
the oil, gas, antifreeze, soil, and other pollutants directly into the lake
from the street right down the paved paths and ramps? (Joe, I drive, bike and walk Northshore drive daily, a big chunck of the drive has been retrofitted to infiltrate all runoff and we have documentation that it works. The watershed streets are swept frequently with high tech sweepers so stop saying that no one is paying attention but you, that is bunk and you have to know that. Why don't you take a
trip out on the lake on a summer weekend and watch the residents pressure
wash their docks and ramps? You might also enjoy watching the drain tiles
in the concrete bulkheads gushing runoff water straight into the lake. (those tiles with water running out have been treated just above the lake. Why not contact city or county Public Works and gain some facts so that a statement here could be taken seriously Joe) Face
it--your ordinances are ineffective and unenforceable. (They are effective, can be improved and enforcement is happening and serious, just ask a violator) They are designed to
keep the waterfront owners happy and the feds off your back. (bunk)Every attempt
we have made to bring solid, factual information to you and the county
council has been politely ignored. (Facts like you've presented here? At least they were polite)
If you're so offended by my sarcastic remarks, maybe you should re-evaluate
your effectiveness as a city councilman and grow a thicker skin.

Stan

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Thank you for your commitment to this Joe. Sounds like another typical, by the book, left wing, tree hugging, POS politician. I can smell the BS all the way down here in Lake Stevens. Makes me sick just reading it. Keep up the fight brother!

Thanks, Jordan.  The DFW has developed an AIS program that was signed into law last year.  I'm hopeful it will trump the current program and force its closure.  The county still has plans to initiate and enforce AIS fees and inspections on every lake in Whatcom County.  There are other groups behind this, such as the Audobon Society, which has wanted us off Lake Terrell for the last decade.  We have also been accused ("we" meaning individual anglers) of illegally introducing smallmouth bass into Lake Whatcom.  If we don't make our concerns known, this will only continue.     

What an arrogant ass.....unfortunately this is more the rule than exception when dealing with elected officials or bureaucrats.

There is no more proof smallmouth bass have been illegally introduced into Whatcom than there is proof the Greater Loon was not illegally introduced.  By their definition, I guess the Audubon members were illegally introduced into the Pacific Northwest.  

What would one expect from an organization created to preserve birds.  After all, they are named after John James Audubon who killed every species of bird he encountered.

Maybe they should be buying fishing and hunting licenses to help fund the biologists and pay their fair share.

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