Statement of Intent (updated 3-30-11)
Concerned Citizens of Chico Creek Water Basin (CCCCWB) is a group of citizens intent upon preservation of our unique community: a community that that balances residential living along with environmental stewardship in an environmentally sensitive area along the streams that lead into Chico Creek. Open-pit mining operations proposed by Ueland Tree Farm (Craig Ueland) threaten to disrupt this balance by imposing a large scale industrial operation on an area that historically has been managed for timber production. Although Ueland claims to continue with timber production, the mining operation will replace the existing fine balance of responsible fish-friendly forest management practices in a designated Wildlife Corridor with heavy industrial activities, such as: scarification, blasting, excavation, and a steady procession of large earth moving equipment through the area, all with their inevitable adverse effects on stream flow, water quality, and wildlife disruption.
There are five fish bearing streams that make up the Chico Creek water basin: Chico Creek, Wildcat Creek, Lost Creek, Dickerson Creek, and Kitsap Creek. The Chico Creek system supports the largest run of Chum Salmon in the Puget Sound area. In addition to Chum, the system also supports runs of Coho Salmon, Steelhead Trout and Cutthroat Trout. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent and more are slated to be spent by state and local government agencies on stream restoration and salmon enhancement projects for the Chico Creek system. The open-pit mining operation proposed by Ueland jeopardizes both the expenditure of these funds and the very existence of the fish species the projects are designed to protect and enhance.
The industrial operation consisting of quarries, gravel pit, rock crusher, and cement batch plant, situated in close proximity to an established residential community, threatens the quality of life, health, safety, and financial viability of residents. Many homes in the area date back to the 1930’s and many have been handed down from generation to generation. Many of the adults in this community grew up here, exploring the streams and hiking the trails. They have stayed here and raised families because of the desirable quality of life offered by the natural surroundings. The community consists primarily of families, with schools and churches close at hand.
Access to the site is via a rural city street (Lebers Lane) and county road (Northlake Way) through the adjacent residential area with intersecting streets, numerous intersecting driveways, school bus stops, pedestrian traffic, and bicyclists. The project would require the offsite travel of over 150 large dump trucks with trailers (pups) per each working day through the adjacent residential neighborhoods. The gravel pit, rock crusher, and cement batch plant would be located at the head of Lebers Lane, on a bluff overlooking the adjacent residential neighborhood. Toxic and particulate emissions from these operations would be borne by the prevailing south-west wind over a wide area of homes, schools, churches and parks.
CCCCWB objects to the Ueland Tree Farm Mineral Extraction Project in its present form. Too much of a burden is placed on the surrounding community for the benefit of a single entity. In short, Ueland reaps the benefits while the community is left holding the bag. There are compromises in every situation. CCCCWB is willing to allow that Ueland should be able to make profit on his investment, but not at the expense of the residents of the surrounding community. CCCCWB has offered as a reasonable compromise a south access and relocation of the gravel pit, rock crusher and cement batch plant location to the southern end of the property. To date, Ueland has adamantly refused to consider these options. This being the case, CCCCWB will continue in our efforts to encourage Ueland to alter the project to a more environmentally compatible and community friendly configuration.