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Methow Valley News March 9, 2000 Endangered Species Publisher's Comment ~ by Lee Hicks We need an agreement, and money...quickly It’s an axiom of marketing that you need to get someone’s attention before you can persuade them. In the spring of 1999, National Marine Fisheries Service got the attention of irrigators and the entire Methow basin by shutting down many ditches. It seems now that irrigators and other water users have teamed up with the state legislators to get the attention of lawmakers, the governor’s office and the salmon recovery funding board ("surf board"). The tricky part is to follow through with a persuasive message that will assure adequate funding to address endangered fish and water issues. A legislative maneuver last week to get funds for the basin directly from the salmon recovery coffers met with opposition from William Ruckelshaus, an influential Seattle businessman and political leader. A Republican, Ruckelshaus was the first director of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Nixon administration and has considerable bi-partisan clout. Ruckelshaus appears to have been protecting what he views as the integrity of the salmon recovery fund and the board’s charter mission. Legislators seemed to respect his intent. But the problem for the Methow is that salmon board funding follows a review cycle. The county also needs commitments from the state in order to get matching funds from other state and federal sources. Time is running out with winter winding down and spring runoff on the horizon. Both the basin watershed agreement—and evidence of funding to back it up—need to be in place if the Valley is to get NMFS’ cooperation and protection from enforcement action. The basin has been working through this process long enough now. It’s time for the state’s leaders to recognize the local effort and step up to do their part. Opinion | Sports |
Local Interest |