Well 2015 has come and gone. The SnoPUD Commissioners meeting also came and went. It took place on 12/15/2015 and it was packed full of people invested in squashing the horrible proposal to Dam Sunset Falls on the South Fork Skykomish, just upstream of where we put in.

The Everett Herald published this article after the meeting, but it's weak sauce. Almost seems like its trying to trivialize the issue:

http://www.heraldnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20151216/NEWS01/151219269/PUD%27s-plans-for-power-facility-at-Sunset-Falls-draws-fire&template=MobileArt



Here is a much more sincere work of journalism regarding this contentious issue.If you haven't already, please take the time to read this one:

http://www.monroemonitor.com/2015/12/21/pud-preparing-application-for-hydroelectric-development/

Good Job, Chris Hendrickson! It is reassuring that the noble profession of journalism is alive and well! we see so few examples of it a midst a sea of media cheese.    

Edited by jP - 06 Jan 2016 at 12:04pm

basically where that puts us at the moment is this:

SnohoPUD is in the process of submitting their Draft License Application to FERC. After the DLA is filed, a 90 day review and comment period kicks in. According to the meeting and the Monroe Monitor article, they want to submit that DLA by jan 15. so, next week.

They will have to address the concerns in order to submit their Final License Application, tentatively scheduled for the end of 2016.

So what I am saying is this year we are going to all need to stay vigilant and keep an eye on this issue. I hit the deadlines for some of the comment periods in the past, but feel like I missed at least as many. These deadlines to submit comments always seem to sneak up on me at some point when it is difficult to respond in a timely yet articulate manner. I'm catching onto the fact that I have to get myself several steps ahead of this process so that I can be as effective as possible at any juncture where I can weigh in and make a difference.

The bottom line is if the place we love is threatened, we are threatened. This dam proposal is an act of war as far as I'm concerned, and I'm not joking. But its the kind of 21st century war that will only be won by a critical mass of articulate, educated people, utilizing all forms of communication we have at our disposal. Its a"Battle of Hearts and Minds".

If you love to kayak Wild and Scenic Rivers, if you love The Skykomish, YOU are needed in this battle. it's gonna require each and every one of us to be as active as we can.

For now the best place to start is to visit wwwsavethesky.org
At the very least sign the petition and urge your non boater friends to do so as well.
If you have already read everything there, summon up a personal committment to go there and read it again. We all need to have these facts and talking points on the tips of our synapses. Because what we are called on to do here is to convince other people to take action.

As for me, I have not yet begun to fight. Applying my efforts towards fighting this Bad Business Deal is the only New Year's resolution I got.

Stay tuned. There will be a lot of Fun and Engaging ways to oppose this project not far downstream this calendar year. did I say its going to be FUN? It's going to be FUN and if we all work just a little bit together, I believe we can prevent this silly proposal from being built.

Edited by jP - 06 Jan 2016 at 12:06pm

Great words JP. Keep it coming. We all need to be Informed on how best to fight this thing and encouraged to do so.

Thanks for posting JP and Megan!  Just making the SAVE THE SKY PETITION a hyperlink below:

https://www.change.org/p/toni-olson-abandon-the-skykomish-river-sunset-falls-hydro-project