It is a tragedy that fish biologists, perhaps ichthyologists, were not involved from the beginning. Anadromous fish require year round water flow. I have no clue how many of these projects involve seasonal only run-offs, but from a Salmon restoration perspective they are useless. Anadromous fish runs are amazingly adaptable survivors, but without water they cannot exist. Ironic that this waste of resources manifested from people claiming aboriginal ancestry filing law suits. From the human evolution chart starting with "0" humans to our now eight billion humans where is the genealogical line that divides aboriginal from non-aboriginal ? Once that is known, ponder how many of those humans live today. The absurdity of different rights and privileges for differing ancestries is not compatible with equality.
It is so hard to measure the abundance of idiotic money grabbing waste of taxpayer dollars against each other due just to the sheer number alone, but this scam is perhaps the biggest boondoggle since the last administration.
Nothing related to this thievery of hard earned taxpayer money has as little return on investment at the state level. You have to be the former bloated national bureaucracy to equate to this rampant highway robbery.
The fact that Commissioner Mike French supports this criminal activity says it all. To slog our collective way out of this we have to get behind a courageous and tenacious leader with broad support and a laser focused on truth, facts, and transparency. I believe one is arising out of Clallam County government today.
They are trying to break us. No other explanation. They cant be that stupid. Break us. Enrichen themselves and their NGO buddies. Just like the climate scam, plandemic and illegal alien/voter scam. Wonder how much diverted stolen tax dollars the tribes are getting to facilitate the invasion of illegals?
The intent is clear when looking at these salmon restoration projects.How can these small streams substain abundant salmon stocks without abundant water?they cannot and officials know it.Ennis creek had a concrete fish ladder in the early 70's.Ennis creek,lee's creek,bagely creek,whites creek,tumwater creek,valley creek never had abundant salmon stocks.I fished these creeks since the sixties, most of these creeks should be classifieds as streams and some dry up during the summer .More steelhead run up some of these streams than salmon when there is high water during the early spring rain falls& snow melt.Big salmon projects just line the pockets of certain contractors that is the intent.The rivers that have substained large fish stocks were gillnetted and fish stocks decimated so state could apply for endangered species act $$$ which is still in the works.This would be a good candidate for doge to look at 'mass amounts of $$$ over the years'.Now culprits want to demolish hotel on top of whites creek and replace that 'newer culvert' which was installed when hotel was built,this project estimated at 100 million $$$ this is a total sham whites creek can barely substain small trout in puddles during summer months.
I will confirm your assertion with confidence, Jeff. I fished every one of the creeks you listed, including Peabody Creek which runs under Lincoln Street through a culvert from 2nd Street all the way to the harbor, that no one even talks about. A conversation with any of us locals would blow the current Salmon narrative back to the bone-dry Sequim Prairie, complete with native cactus and Garry Oaks, pre-irrigation days. The bridge that was built over Matriotti Creek on Highway 101 in Carlsborg is a prime example; marsh/dry bed most of the year. This fiasco is another aspect of a "Transfer of Wealth", with the same contractor, Scarcella Brothers Construction, as the prime contractor on all of these "fish passages" that local construction companies could easily accomplish as the prime, instead of a subcontractor; lets talk about jobs, shall we? Another major consideration, is that the State, Counties, and Cities are all crying the "we don't have the money blues", yet put none of the grandiose projects such as a New Clallam County EOC, "fish passages", Dungeness off-channel reservoir, and taxpayer funding of the greatest elephant in the room, The Field Arts and Events Hall (another non-profit), Olympic Medical Center's endless land and building grabs such as a most recent, former Wells Fargo at Front and Race. It is somewhat depressing to list all the corruption taking place by the various levels of goverment, because when I begin naming them, the list keeps spawning so many others, and those are only the examples I know of. Another consideration worthy of mention, with regard to weather, climate, and geographic features, is that the earth is not static, which again, blows all the alarmists, and their out of context language out of the water. There are just enough loud mouths and paid activists to inflitrate and cause confusion via propaganda to create doubt in those who are less informed and easily led through fear and uncertainty.
Most of these environmental activist are brain washed by big govt,look how many years these restoration projects have been in place and with little to no improvements of fish stocks which are usually chum & pink the bottom of salmon stocks.Salmon stocks need lot's of deep water to survive.Radical hypocrites usually use environmental issues to squander tax $$$.
Many were listed as stormwater runs because the grade was too steep to be of spawning use. A fish culvert up a mountain. Somebody needs to be held accountable.
PDN has 2-2.5 reporters — one of which is really young and posted what amounts to an “orange man bad — libraries good” press release for North Olympic Library System today.
I hadn't even considered the reduced business for Agnew Grocery, for example, though it should have been obvious. I will be stopping in more often. Thanks for highlighting it, Jeff.
You're welcome. My idea of heaven is a place with ice cream in the back, a room dedicated to wine, and animals to pet behind the store. When I die, look for me at Agnew Grocery.
I'll be tending the grain scale and water tower when old No. 4 stops for a shot of water and a load of grain, Jeff. Pull up a crate, we'll shoot the breeze while I'm on break. The Oiler on No.4 has some great stories I'm sure you'd enjoy; 'coffee's always on.
7 Cedars Casino also opened up "The Little Sister" deli around the same time, an obvious attempt at stifling the competition judging from its suddenly-we-feel-the-need-to-offer-ice-cream menu.
The owner said it was costing them $1000's per day even with the worker patronage...if anything it would be good to give a modest subsidy to small local businesses out of the millions spent on infrastructure....oh, I forgot...getting rid of the small local businesses is part of 'the plan'. Notice how many mid/small size businesses are already closed...and isn't it interesting how the 'landowners' can sit on empty buildings for YEARS...I have been told that they are 'write offs' so the giant corp's are getting tax benefits to sit on empty properties...what a great system!😱
The Indian valley culvert was put in in the late 1920’s, even then the forefathers had insight to make it large, great fish ladder and it was still lasting. Many of the workers on the project couldn’t believe it was being taken out. The salmon was having no problems coming down Indian creek to the Elwha.. what a waste
I know you don't know me but my name is Worked hard all my life American tax paying citizen.
I'm sorry to take your time and yes I'm not a lobbyist or a NGO from Germany but I wondered
if you had a minute to hear my suggestion on how to take care of some of these community problems your feeling. I have feelings too ! I feel like I'm being taken advantage of, I feel like somebody some where is stealing from me and I don't know who it is ? It feels like somebody has their hand in my pocket! Is that you Mrs Mr Representative? how did you do that your
not even in the same room ? Since your hands are deep in my pocket could you move your hand to the left a little now the right a little ? No you say! that's immoral ! Shame on me? Well that doesn't feel good !
thank you for taking my money for nothing! Can I at least have your Hand out ?
Thanks for pretending to listen:
Worked hard all my life American tax paying citizen>
The sad part of this for a fraction of what is being spent you could of unblocked virtually every VIABLE creek capable of supporting spawning salmon on the 101. Stream bank restoration could have been funded. But instead of using a targeted planned approach from the bays upstream it was allowed to be left up to the Judge who saw no other way to rule. My understanding (which may be incorrect) was that Ferguson refused to engage in a comprehensive plan. The A.G's refusal might have been a heads we win not spending any money to tails we also win resulting in losing the lawsuit but creating billions of dollars in in prevailing wage work. I just see a most egregious waste of money with poor results. If my assessment is incorrect please educate me.
Not about the 'fish'...although they do need some loving care...big die-off of the hatchery fingerlings at Dungeness...two diseases hitting them hard. 'Unusual' according to one of the staff there. Something in the air-food-water? Noooooo, it couldn't be!😱
It would all be OK if they used some of those special laminated wooden beams to create the culverts. They make it all OK. I suspect they’re what is holding up the Sequim Library, too.
First of all we wondered why the road was being resurfaced in Agnew on Old Olympic…..using county tax dollars so it wouldn’t be taken away next year in county budget? The road was perfectly good road, couldn’t the money be spent on other much needed projects, perhaps used to fix Three Crabs road instead? Now we know why the money was spent for the road repair we questioned. This is how & why we don’t trust our government…
Having explored the topography around Knapp Road and the dry gulch labeled “Eagle Creek” extensively while birding over the years, I was astonished to see the horrors perpetrated upon us and the land with the construction of the new bridge there several years ago.
As your map shows, Eagle creek terminates into a playa (wet land) that has no outlet and never reaches the sea. The seasonal water flow percolates and evaporates away.
Physics aside, culverts by nature will always be far more navigable than bridges with massive flat bottom concrete pretensioned structures.
Salmon apparently fly in order to reach water that has and will never reach the sea.
Based on the tribes totem poles depicting salmon, apparently they believe they do indeed fly.
So we are being forced to pay mega millions for bridges accommodating flying fish who don’t need no stinking bridges in the first place.
As everyone knows by now, the jokes on us. We have been taken advantage of, taken to the cleaners by the tribes, courtesy of the liberal
United States courts.
We are living in an age of stupidity, & ignorance,
where common sense is no longer common, and in fact is rare to non-existent.
Personally I’m sick of being told to bend over and grab my ankles.
Repatriations have nothing to do with me or anyone else living today.
However, because a small subset of our population lives in lala land, we must therefore pay up with far more than just money.
French was telling you the ugly truth: these salmon restoration fixes are NOT about the salmon! They are about the bridges!
How else do you get funds to fix aging bridges when there’s no money in the budget? First, you pretend that the poor salmon are dying because they can’t breech the culverts (never mind that there’s no salmon in these creeks in the first place), then you whisper in the Tribes’ ears that removing the culverts under all the bridges around the state will return the salmon.
The tribes take the bait (pun intended) and file their lawsuits. Liberal judges can’t deny the Tribes lest they be labeled as racist. Bam! Billions of dollars allocated to save the salmon, but it’s really the bridges that are being “saved,” not the salmon.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the tribes figure out they were duped. More lawsuits? More billions to restore salmon to nonexistent creeks!
Stay tuned for more taxes, more lies, more corruption. This is what the Dems vote for. This is on them.
It is a tragedy that fish biologists, perhaps ichthyologists, were not involved from the beginning. Anadromous fish require year round water flow. I have no clue how many of these projects involve seasonal only run-offs, but from a Salmon restoration perspective they are useless. Anadromous fish runs are amazingly adaptable survivors, but without water they cannot exist. Ironic that this waste of resources manifested from people claiming aboriginal ancestry filing law suits. From the human evolution chart starting with "0" humans to our now eight billion humans where is the genealogical line that divides aboriginal from non-aboriginal ? Once that is known, ponder how many of those humans live today. The absurdity of different rights and privileges for differing ancestries is not compatible with equality.
Well said.
It is so hard to measure the abundance of idiotic money grabbing waste of taxpayer dollars against each other due just to the sheer number alone, but this scam is perhaps the biggest boondoggle since the last administration.
Nothing related to this thievery of hard earned taxpayer money has as little return on investment at the state level. You have to be the former bloated national bureaucracy to equate to this rampant highway robbery.
The fact that Commissioner Mike French supports this criminal activity says it all. To slog our collective way out of this we have to get behind a courageous and tenacious leader with broad support and a laser focused on truth, facts, and transparency. I believe one is arising out of Clallam County government today.
They are trying to break us. No other explanation. They cant be that stupid. Break us. Enrichen themselves and their NGO buddies. Just like the climate scam, plandemic and illegal alien/voter scam. Wonder how much diverted stolen tax dollars the tribes are getting to facilitate the invasion of illegals?
It all starts with a casino.
Yes. That and legalizing dope to dull the senses.
This all started when Gregoire was in office. And it is truly one of the most extravagant ways to blow billions of dollars.
The intent is clear when looking at these salmon restoration projects.How can these small streams substain abundant salmon stocks without abundant water?they cannot and officials know it.Ennis creek had a concrete fish ladder in the early 70's.Ennis creek,lee's creek,bagely creek,whites creek,tumwater creek,valley creek never had abundant salmon stocks.I fished these creeks since the sixties, most of these creeks should be classifieds as streams and some dry up during the summer .More steelhead run up some of these streams than salmon when there is high water during the early spring rain falls& snow melt.Big salmon projects just line the pockets of certain contractors that is the intent.The rivers that have substained large fish stocks were gillnetted and fish stocks decimated so state could apply for endangered species act $$$ which is still in the works.This would be a good candidate for doge to look at 'mass amounts of $$$ over the years'.Now culprits want to demolish hotel on top of whites creek and replace that 'newer culvert' which was installed when hotel was built,this project estimated at 100 million $$$ this is a total sham whites creek can barely substain small trout in puddles during summer months.
I will confirm your assertion with confidence, Jeff. I fished every one of the creeks you listed, including Peabody Creek which runs under Lincoln Street through a culvert from 2nd Street all the way to the harbor, that no one even talks about. A conversation with any of us locals would blow the current Salmon narrative back to the bone-dry Sequim Prairie, complete with native cactus and Garry Oaks, pre-irrigation days. The bridge that was built over Matriotti Creek on Highway 101 in Carlsborg is a prime example; marsh/dry bed most of the year. This fiasco is another aspect of a "Transfer of Wealth", with the same contractor, Scarcella Brothers Construction, as the prime contractor on all of these "fish passages" that local construction companies could easily accomplish as the prime, instead of a subcontractor; lets talk about jobs, shall we? Another major consideration, is that the State, Counties, and Cities are all crying the "we don't have the money blues", yet put none of the grandiose projects such as a New Clallam County EOC, "fish passages", Dungeness off-channel reservoir, and taxpayer funding of the greatest elephant in the room, The Field Arts and Events Hall (another non-profit), Olympic Medical Center's endless land and building grabs such as a most recent, former Wells Fargo at Front and Race. It is somewhat depressing to list all the corruption taking place by the various levels of goverment, because when I begin naming them, the list keeps spawning so many others, and those are only the examples I know of. Another consideration worthy of mention, with regard to weather, climate, and geographic features, is that the earth is not static, which again, blows all the alarmists, and their out of context language out of the water. There are just enough loud mouths and paid activists to inflitrate and cause confusion via propaganda to create doubt in those who are less informed and easily led through fear and uncertainty.
Most of these environmental activist are brain washed by big govt,look how many years these restoration projects have been in place and with little to no improvements of fish stocks which are usually chum & pink the bottom of salmon stocks.Salmon stocks need lot's of deep water to survive.Radical hypocrites usually use environmental issues to squander tax $$$.
Excellent!😊
Many were listed as stormwater runs because the grade was too steep to be of spawning use. A fish culvert up a mountain. Somebody needs to be held accountable.
Accountability...what's THAT? Only for the 'little people'🥸
Sure wish someone had the guts to do some INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM! Maybe someone from PDN...who should actually CARE about all this bs.
PDN has 2-2.5 reporters — one of which is really young and posted what amounts to an “orange man bad — libraries good” press release for North Olympic Library System today.
We have what we have and it is growing...visualize TRUTH, JUSTICE, LIBERTY AND TOUGH LOVE!😎
I hadn't even considered the reduced business for Agnew Grocery, for example, though it should have been obvious. I will be stopping in more often. Thanks for highlighting it, Jeff.
Edit: auto-incorrect.
You're welcome. My idea of heaven is a place with ice cream in the back, a room dedicated to wine, and animals to pet behind the store. When I die, look for me at Agnew Grocery.
I'll be tending the grain scale and water tower when old No. 4 stops for a shot of water and a load of grain, Jeff. Pull up a crate, we'll shoot the breeze while I'm on break. The Oiler on No.4 has some great stories I'm sure you'd enjoy; 'coffee's always on.
We do have amazing minds...if only enough of us could 'dream' the same dream maybe it would appear...alas, time does roll on here, in this realm!😊
Our very own Sylvester at Ye Olde Agnew Grocery.
Granny’s has ice cream up front, wine in the dining room and animals to pet out back.
Completely dependent on tourism now instead of log truckers and road crews.🤓
The 14o Below ice cream and restaurant business next to the Sequim Lodge was similarly crushed by this construction. They are now history.
7 Cedars Casino also opened up "The Little Sister" deli around the same time, an obvious attempt at stifling the competition judging from its suddenly-we-feel-the-need-to-offer-ice-cream menu.
The owner said it was costing them $1000's per day even with the worker patronage...if anything it would be good to give a modest subsidy to small local businesses out of the millions spent on infrastructure....oh, I forgot...getting rid of the small local businesses is part of 'the plan'. Notice how many mid/small size businesses are already closed...and isn't it interesting how the 'landowners' can sit on empty buildings for YEARS...I have been told that they are 'write offs' so the giant corp's are getting tax benefits to sit on empty properties...what a great system!😱
Paper Salmon.
Tastes like rice-cakes!😱
A new t-shirt...
The Indian valley culvert was put in in the late 1920’s, even then the forefathers had insight to make it large, great fish ladder and it was still lasting. Many of the workers on the project couldn’t believe it was being taken out. The salmon was having no problems coming down Indian creek to the Elwha.. what a waste
Dear Representative
I know you don't know me but my name is Worked hard all my life American tax paying citizen.
I'm sorry to take your time and yes I'm not a lobbyist or a NGO from Germany but I wondered
if you had a minute to hear my suggestion on how to take care of some of these community problems your feeling. I have feelings too ! I feel like I'm being taken advantage of, I feel like somebody some where is stealing from me and I don't know who it is ? It feels like somebody has their hand in my pocket! Is that you Mrs Mr Representative? how did you do that your
not even in the same room ? Since your hands are deep in my pocket could you move your hand to the left a little now the right a little ? No you say! that's immoral ! Shame on me? Well that doesn't feel good !
thank you for taking my money for nothing! Can I at least have your Hand out ?
Thanks for pretending to listen:
Worked hard all my life American tax paying citizen>
(crying myself to sleep) not!
And continued under Ferguson as A.G.
The sad part of this for a fraction of what is being spent you could of unblocked virtually every VIABLE creek capable of supporting spawning salmon on the 101. Stream bank restoration could have been funded. But instead of using a targeted planned approach from the bays upstream it was allowed to be left up to the Judge who saw no other way to rule. My understanding (which may be incorrect) was that Ferguson refused to engage in a comprehensive plan. The A.G's refusal might have been a heads we win not spending any money to tails we also win resulting in losing the lawsuit but creating billions of dollars in in prevailing wage work. I just see a most egregious waste of money with poor results. If my assessment is incorrect please educate me.
Not about the 'fish'...although they do need some loving care...big die-off of the hatchery fingerlings at Dungeness...two diseases hitting them hard. 'Unusual' according to one of the staff there. Something in the air-food-water? Noooooo, it couldn't be!😱
It would all be OK if they used some of those special laminated wooden beams to create the culverts. They make it all OK. I suspect they’re what is holding up the Sequim Library, too.
First of all we wondered why the road was being resurfaced in Agnew on Old Olympic…..using county tax dollars so it wouldn’t be taken away next year in county budget? The road was perfectly good road, couldn’t the money be spent on other much needed projects, perhaps used to fix Three Crabs road instead? Now we know why the money was spent for the road repair we questioned. This is how & why we don’t trust our government…
The political power of the prevailing cone heads...
They needed to connect some sewer and water so 'the tribe' got that part of the contract.
There may be other behind the scenes reasons for that job as well...who knows whose palms were greased.
We certainly can't trust gov't but we used to be able to ignore it...now it's SHTF...and Here We Are!😊
Another great article Sylvester.
Stallone or the cat that was always trying to eat Tweety Bird?
Or the cat after Ozias.
Sylvester the mummy at Ye Ole Curiosity shop on Seattle Waterways
Of course!
'NOZIAS'...No more 'OZias'! The wizard of naught!
Dorothy and Toto for 2 of the Commissioners! 😳😂
Having explored the topography around Knapp Road and the dry gulch labeled “Eagle Creek” extensively while birding over the years, I was astonished to see the horrors perpetrated upon us and the land with the construction of the new bridge there several years ago.
As your map shows, Eagle creek terminates into a playa (wet land) that has no outlet and never reaches the sea. The seasonal water flow percolates and evaporates away.
Physics aside, culverts by nature will always be far more navigable than bridges with massive flat bottom concrete pretensioned structures.
Salmon apparently fly in order to reach water that has and will never reach the sea.
Based on the tribes totem poles depicting salmon, apparently they believe they do indeed fly.
So we are being forced to pay mega millions for bridges accommodating flying fish who don’t need no stinking bridges in the first place.
As everyone knows by now, the jokes on us. We have been taken advantage of, taken to the cleaners by the tribes, courtesy of the liberal
United States courts.
We are living in an age of stupidity, & ignorance,
where common sense is no longer common, and in fact is rare to non-existent.
Personally I’m sick of being told to bend over and grab my ankles.
Repatriations have nothing to do with me or anyone else living today.
However, because a small subset of our population lives in lala land, we must therefore pay up with far more than just money.
What a huge disconnect!
French was telling you the ugly truth: these salmon restoration fixes are NOT about the salmon! They are about the bridges!
How else do you get funds to fix aging bridges when there’s no money in the budget? First, you pretend that the poor salmon are dying because they can’t breech the culverts (never mind that there’s no salmon in these creeks in the first place), then you whisper in the Tribes’ ears that removing the culverts under all the bridges around the state will return the salmon.
The tribes take the bait (pun intended) and file their lawsuits. Liberal judges can’t deny the Tribes lest they be labeled as racist. Bam! Billions of dollars allocated to save the salmon, but it’s really the bridges that are being “saved,” not the salmon.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the tribes figure out they were duped. More lawsuits? More billions to restore salmon to nonexistent creeks!
Stay tuned for more taxes, more lies, more corruption. This is what the Dems vote for. This is on them.
They are experts at using some flubber and magic bean formula to get into our pockets.
What a great dramady, eh?🤪
Right to the POINT, Gayle!😎