Hi all,

My friend Lora Cox who has been faithfully toiling away for the past few years to keep a dam off of the Skykomish River is asking for our support on Tues. Dec 15 as SnoPUD reaches a critical decision point.

Please see her email below:

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On Dec 15th starting around 9 AM at the main office in Everett, PUD staff will present a detailed update to the Commissioners on the status of what has been done so far, the current design, the results of the "studies", etc.   Pete and I will be there to rebuff anything critical that we believe is misleading, incorrect, or omitted.

Could you attend the morning of Dec 15th and simply stand when I make my remarks?   The Commissioners have been told that opposition to this plan is limited to just a few people.  If we could fill their meeting room with opponents---4 years after the project was announced---it would send a message that more than just a few people oppose this project.

If only a handful can come, then it would appear SnoPUD is correct and there really aren't many people opposed to the project.  It might not be worthwhile to have just a few people show up.

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I think it would be great if as many people in the kayaking/paddling community as possible could show a strong presence and make it clear that lots of people are in opposition to this project. If you're able to make the time for this please let me know, I will be driving up from Kirkland and would be happy to car pool. 

It's at 9 am on Tues. Dec. 15 at main headquarters, pretty sure that's 2320 California Street, Everett, WA 98201.

Cheers and SYOTR.

I'm down. Lets do it.

Bump it. And keep bumpin it

Thanks you guys, Jed I'm finding out the room number and will post it here.

It is on the main floor of the headquarters at 2320 California Street, Everett, WA 98201, there is a receptionist who will point you to the room where the SnoPUD meeting is taking place. 9 am on Dec. 15th.

Gotta work :-( A dam on the sky would be the worst! Let's ally with the fisherman!

They must like to plan these things when turnout will be the highest, like mid morning on a weekday..Is there a petition we can sign for those of us that are unable to attend? Bump in the night

I'm off that day....anybody want to meet up and carpool? I'm coming from Redmond!

I'm heading up from Kirkland Megan, would be happy to carpool if that works out. Thanks to all who are willing to participate, I totally understand that some people have jobs that do not allow for taking off on a weekday morning and I think it's lame that these type of meetings often take place during regular work hours, but unfortunately that is when some of the big decisions about the places we love are made. Anyone north of Kirkland reasonably on the way to Everett I'm happy to pick up.

Hey JP, I think just showing up and standing to show support when Lora makes her remarks is the main thing needed.

Yes, I think it would be a good idea to see if any fishermen would want to show up, does anyone have an 'in' on that group?

Sorry to hear about the job by the way.  And I'll check to see if there's anything we specifically shouldn't do at the meeting. i.e. dressing up like a giant fish and flopping around in front of the podium in a salmon death reenactment, probably a no-no. ;)


Edited by irenen - 09 Dec 2015 at 7:55am

I just saw something on the news about a new lawsuit filed by the steelhead folks. Getting in with them could be our best move.

That would be awesome Irene! Just let me know the time and where to meet you!

I cross posted this at the Washington Fly Fishing site. Just for the sake of context, here's what one of the guys who is a career fish-bio guy had to say:

"In the interest of balance I think it's worth noting that this "dam" proposal is on the South Fork Skykomish River at Sunset Falls. As dams go, it won't be much of one. Rather, it would divert water upstream of the falls into and through a tunnel through bedrock to a powerhouse that would be located near the base of the WDFW fish ladder just downstream of the base of Sunset Falls. The project will only be developed if it includes the proposed NMFS criteria fish screen and return bypass on the water diversion, along with a few other critical details.

The area in and around the falls is not spawning or much in the way of rearing habitat. Even so, the PUD would be required to leave enough water in the river to maintain ecosystem function. Aesthetics are certainly debatable, since some would argue that aesthetics can be maintained only by having 100% of the stream flow passing over the falls 24/7/365. For comparison's sake, water is diverted from the Snoqualmie River to feed two hydroelectric powerhouses located downstream of the falls, and Snoqualmie is probably the most famous and visited waterfall in WA state.

No hydroelectric project is without environmental impacts, but this one is as close to benign as they come."

Just sharing here so people are well informed going into the meeting.