To: The Washington State Legislature, interested parties and the news media
From: Ron Ewart, President, National Association of Rural Landowners
NOTE: Intended for Washington State Property Owners only, however, this kind of legislation is being promoted in almost every state in America, especially in Western States.
Once again, Washington State rural landowners are under the vicious attack of big-city politicians, with legislation that only rural landowners are being asked to bear.  As in just about all environmental protection regulations, or conservation measures, the city folk get off virtually scot-free.

Once again, Socialist and radical environmentalist Washington State Senators Adam Kline and Kent Jacobsen (both from the Ho Chi Min City of Seattle districts) are the lead sponsors of a Bill (SB 5064) to lock up the Northeast portion of Washington State in the radical environmentalists wet dream of the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) wilderness area.  (see www.y2y.net)

This is language from Senate Bill 5064:

"The department shall participate with wildlife management agencies and conservation organizations in other states and provinces, comprising the Canadian Rocky mountains ecoregional area, in the cooperative programs of the Yukon to Yellowstone conservation initiative. Where the Yukon to Yellowstone conservation initiative has identified priority species, habitats, or landscapes lying within Washington state, the department shall actively seek to involve local governments, landowners, and local conservation organizations in the initiative. The department may integrate these activities with its cooperative work with other states and provinces sharing ecoregional areas with Washington state."

Oh it sounds innocuous enough.  The soft-sounding language would lead you to believe that this will be a cooperative effort between the conservation organizations, environmentalists (NGO's) and property owners, but don't you believe it.  Ask the property owners along the Columbia Gorge how they feel about the Columbia Gorge Commission and its heavy-handed attitude, battle-axe mentality, towards private gorge landowners.  Ask the people along the salmon rivers that flow into the Columbia River, how they feel about the draconian, dictatorial bashing of property owners who have the misfortune of being in the NGO's, fish and wildlife and state and federal agencies way, as the government and the NGO's devastate the land with their salmon recovery antics. 
 
Ask Raven Webb of Rosburg, WA how she felt when a couple of the NGO's (Columbia River Land Trust and Ducks Unlimited) came along in the middle of the night and removed two huge tide gates that protected her land from flooding and replaced them with 13-foot culverts so that the tide or a river flood can back up onto her property and flood her home.  For the 12th time she has been flooded out of her home and is flooded out as we speak.  Raven is just one of thousands upon thousands of private landowners that are being literally wiped out by unconstitutional environmental regulations and conservation measures, like Y2Y.
 
These property owners have no rights or recourse and we can guarantee that Senator's Adam Kline and Kent Jacobsen of Seattle, or any of the environmental or conservations groups, don't care one whit.
 
This Bill was pushed last year but died in committee thanks to the tireless efforts of Representatives Joel Kretz, Ed Orcutt and others.   We sent out an e-mail to Kretz and Orcutt at that time about the Bill and that previous message follows our signature block below.
 
So if you are a state legislator, we urge you to never let SB 5064 out of committee, in either House.  If you are a landowner, we urge you to flood your legislators with NO ON SB 5064 e-mails, faxes and telephone calls.  Do it today!
 



 
Ron Ewart, President

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RURAL LANDOWNERS

P. O. Box 1031, Issaquah, WA  98027

425 222-4742 or 1 800 682-7848

(Fax No. 425 222-4743)

Website: www.narlo.org  

March 2, 2008
 
Representatives Joel Kretz and Ed Orcutt
Washington State Legislature
cc: Copies to NARLO Members
 
 
Dear Representatives Joel Kretz and Ed Orcutt:
On many occasions NARLO has come down hard on the Washington State legislature, but primarily because of Democrat actions, not Republican ones.  We know that Republicans can only act as spoilers to the Democrat majority.  So we wanted to personally thank each of you for your efforts in stopping Y2Y.  Unfortunately, we know that the Democrat/environmentalists will no doubt bring this draconian legislation up again in the next session.  Hopefully, we can mount a state-wide, grass roots rural landowner campaign to stop this gross injustice to rural property owners, before the Democrats are successful in making it law.
 
What most of these liberals do not understand is that this vicious assault on rural property rights, federal, state and local, has already ended up in wholesale non-compliance and eventually could even result in violence.  We vehemently oppose violence as an answer to government tyranny, but we know that others may not be so inclined.  Landowners grow increasingly frustrated and angry at city folk, radical environmentalists and the politicians they elect, that constantly pass laws that only affect the constitutionally guaranteed property rights of rural landowners.  Rural landowners are being asked to bear almost the entire burden of environmental protection laws, while city folk get off virtually scot-free.  This is patently unfair and in fact violates the equal protection clause of the U. S. Constitution.
 
Again our sincere thanks for your heroic effort.
 
You are welcome to forward this to others, if you deem it appropriate.
 
Take care,
 
 
 

Ron Ewart, President

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RURAL LANDOWNERS

P. O. Box 1031, Issaquah, WA  98027

425 222-4742 or 1 800 682-7848

(Fax No. 425 222-4743)

Website: www.narlo.org