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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDonnelly's CommentsCITY OF RENTON 10415 — 1471h Avenue SE Renton, WA 98059 October 26, 2018 Renton Hearing Examiner 1055 S. Grady Way Renton, WA 98059 Re: Forest Terrace Development — November 13, 2018 LUA 18-000124 Dear Hearing Examiner OCT 2 9 2018 lZ IG(Ph RECEIVED L-J'4) CITY CLERK'S OFFICE I saw in the paper that the city of Renton is bringing the above referenced file to you for a hearing for possible development. I will not be attending the hearing, but wanted to inform you about what I've seen over the years. I would like to provide some comments: I have lived next door to various plats developed in the city of Renton in addition to living here 32 years in my present house. I drove by the area where this proposed development will be going in. Do not believe what is written down as mitigation that the developer must fulfill. Renton makes developers write stuff down — like 30% of the trees on site must be saved. When clearing starts, all of the trees will be coming down to be replaced with I-2 caliper trees — that will take another 50-60 years to become the size they are now. The notice says that the developer wants "a critical area variance". Does this mean that there is a wetland on site that they want to fill in? If there is a stream on the property, Renton officials don't make developers to put up silt fences to protect the stream. Or does the developer want to build on a slope — after clear cutting the property? Have you read what happens in a clear cut? See the attached article. If is indeed a slope, please read the letter Renton sent to the DNR for clear cutting of the DeLeo Wall area. Mayor Law asked for a SEPA review — is this what the developer doesn't want to do? Where will the water from the drainage tract go — into May Creek? In April 2018, a group of citizens organized to stop the clear cut of an area on Cougar Mountain called DeLeo Wall. Someone in Renton wrote a letter to DNR and had Mayor Law sign it. A copy is enclosed. In it, it states that Renton wants to have DNR perform a SEPA review of the impacts a sloping area would bring to the site. Renton is also concerned about the impact of clear cutting on May Creek. They are concerned about an area outside of the city limits of Renton, but could care less about what happens to property within city limits. Looking at the property as I drove past it, I saw some slopes on the property. Is this why the developer wants a variance? To be able to build on a slope — even if it is a small one? A slope is a slope and should be treated as such. Renton officials won't do a thing to protect the green belts on the property. Take a look at the Super Safeway on NE 4". This store was built on a wetland — and every so often, water seeps up into the store — but store staff rope it off to keep customers safe. Ditto with the Bartells on NE 41h — the floor in the Camera Dept. is warped. Renton has a Municipal 2 NPDES permit — which requires the developer to adhere to certain environmental controls. Do you know that one of those is putting up silt fences before construction starts? Renton doesn't require that — more than once I've had to call DOE to get Renton officials to force the developer to put up silt fences. Renton also has an ordinance that says developers/contractors cannot work on Sunday but they don't enforce it. They also made a developer close to me build a bike lane, and then workers were allowed to park in the bike lane so the real purpose wasn't allowed to happen — and the police department didn't seem to care. Another thing that I have seen is that the developer will need a NPDES permit from DOE. In the past, they have allowed the developer to start work on the project without having the permit, and then they have to get it after the fact. Ditto the grading permit — they may start clearing without having a proper clearing permit. Renton officials also don't make the contractor keep the road clean of dirt — and when the rains come, don't make the developer put down straw or hydroseed the area to keep the loose dirt from going anywhere. It looked like there is a small stream on the property — who will protect that area? If the stream flows into May Creek, who will keep it from putting dirty water into it? As I live in the area, I may drive past this site to keep track of what is happening. Thank you for listening to my concerns about how Renton "protects" the environment. I certify, under penalty of perjury pursuant to the laws of the state of Washington that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my abilities. -�h Signed in Renton, WA, this day of October, 2018. Donnelly7�D 0-n " I Claudia Enclosures 5R11Denis Law Mayor April 27, 2018 State Department of Natural Resources Forest Practices 1111 Washington Street SE Olympia, WA 98501-7010 RE: City of Renton Comments Regarding Forest Practices Application/Notification #2420U1 Dear Sir or Madam: The City of Renton is hereby submitting comments on Forest Practices Application/Notification #2420111 made by Daipay Properties LLC and dated April 20, 2018. The application is to harvest 28 acres of timber on two adjacent parcels on Cougar Mountain, one located in the City of Newcastle, and one located in unincorporated King County. The City of Renton'$ boundary abuts the west end of the King County parcel. Stream "A,' a Type W fish bearing stream, flows through the Newcastle parcel and empties into May Creek, a Shoreline of the State that supports the following species of salmonids: Chinook, Sockeye, Coho, Steeihead, Cutthroat trout and Kokanee (confirmed within the last two years immediately upstream of the 1-405 May Creek Bridge). May Creek flows west through Renton and empties into Lake Washington. The City of Renton is very concerned about deleterious impacts this proposal could have on the downstream environment and the fragile May Creek Basin: Specifically we are concerned about impacts on steep, unstable slopes, the potential for silt -bearing runoff to enter Stream'A' and then May Creek leading to takes of the salmonids that live there, the loss of 0.7 acres of forested wetland that would be filled to create the access road, the Installation of a culvert in Stream 'A' that could introduce a fish passage barrier and other associated impacts. These impacts are barely recognized in the application, and there is no evaluation or mitigation offered. These concerns are addressed more specifically as follows. Renton urges that the DNR disapprove the application because, among other reasons, the intended timber harvest is misclassified as a Class III forest practices. At a minimum, this application, which was submitted as a Class ill forest practices, should be reclassified to a Class IV -special and subjected to SEPA review, and should be reviewed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife as a hydraunc project involving Type F waters. Renton City Hall, 7th Floor 1055 South Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057 - rentonwa.gov State Department of Natural Resources Forest Practices Page 2 of 4 April 27, 2018 Disturbance of Steep, Unstable Slopes and Landforms Forest Practices Application 2420111 is self-contradictory about steep, unstable slopes. While it states that there will be ground -based equipment placed on slopes greater than 40% and the FPA indicates that unstable slopes or landforms consistent with WAC 222-16-050(d)(i) may be present within the harvest area, question 11 states there are no potentially unstable slopes in the area of the forest practices activity. 2. The steepest slope in the harvest area is stated to be 65% in question 21. 3. WAC 222-16-050, Classes of forest practices, states In Provision (1) that a Class IV -special classification should be used and SEPA review applied if the following provisions apply. Provision (1)(d)(i)(A) states that potentially unstable slopes are one of the following: inner gorges. The Enlarged Forest Practices Activity Map for this application shows that Stream 'A' (Type F water) passes through an 'inner gorge' where a 210-foot length of the stream is proposed to be confined in a 24-inch by 30-inch culvert. Provision (E) states any areas containing features indicating the presence of potential slope instability which cumulatively indicate the presence of unstable slopes makes the project eligible for SEPA review. 4. WAC 222-10-030 states that SEPA policies for potentially unstable slopes should be applied if the proposal "would deliver sediment or debris to a public resource." Silt -laden runoff from this project would deliver sediment to salmon -bearing May Creek, which receives the flow of Stream 'A'. It also requires additional information, provided by a qualified expert, describing the potentially unstable landforms, the likelihood that the project would deliver sediment or debris to a public resource and any possible mitigation for the identified hazards and risks. The application appears to lack this required additional information. 5. By these criteria, this application should be disapproved as a Class III forest practices, reclassified as a Class IV -special forest practices, SEPA should be applied and the required additional information should be submitted by the applicant. 6. Since there appears to be no analysis by a qualified expert, the application is incomplete. 1055 South Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057 • rentonwa.gov State Department of Natural Resources Forest Practices Page 3 of 4 April 27, 2018 Impact on Special Threatened and Endangered Species WAC 222-10-040 Class IV -Special threatened and endangered species SEPA policies establishes that due to potential impacts of sediment -laden runoff from this project into downstream May Creek that serves as the home of salmonids including threatened species, that in addition to SEPA policies, the department shall consult with the department of fish and wildlife and other agencies with expertise, affected landowners, affected Indian tribes and others with expertise when evaluating the impacts of forest practices. 2. WAC 222-20-017, Applications that Include forest practices hydraulic projects, Provision (4) requires concurrence review for culvert installation at or below the bankfull width in Type F waters. This proposal includes the installation ofa 210 foot long culvert for Stream 'A,' which is a Type F water. This requires hydraulic project review by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Provision (5) states that an application will be disapproved if the department determines, after consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, that a forest practice as hydraulic project in the application will result in direct or indirect harm to fish life, unless adequate mitigation can be assured by conditioning the application for the project. Application Incomplete and Contradictory The FPA is misclassified as a Class III forest practices because there is no applicable approved watershed analysis. Reference: WAC 222-16-050(1)(d)(ii)(A). Item 20 in the application indicates that 0.7 acres of forested wetlands will be harvested for the road, and the Enlarged Forest Practices Activity Map shows that the access road will be built through the wetlands. This is in excess of 0.5 acres of wetland area being filled or drained. Accordingly, the FPA cannot be approved as a Class III forest practices. Reference: WAC 222-16-050(1)(h). 3. The application lacks information, provided by a qualified expert, describing the potentially unstable landforms, the likelihood that the project would deliver sediment or debris to a 4. public resource, and any possible mitigation for the identified hazards and risks. Question 14a. on the application states that the proposal will not install a culvert at or below the bankfull width of Type F waters that exceeds 5% gradient. It also states in item 31 that the 24-inch by 30-inch culvert installation is proposed for a road crossing across Stream 'B,' which is a non -typed water feature. However, the Enlarged Forest Practices Activity Map clearly shows that it is Stream 'A' that will be placed in the culvert. Stream `A' is a Type F water bearing fish, and the culvert may present a fish passage barrier. 1055 South Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057 - rentonwa.gov State Department of Natural Resources Forest Practices Page d of d April 27, 7018 We conclude that this application presents a timber harvesting proposal that could pose significant adverse environmental impacts on steep, unstable slopes, potentially cause silt -laden runoff to enter Stream 'A' and then May Creek which provides habitat for threatened salmonids, bring about the unmitigated filling of 0.7 acres of forested wetlands, and includes installation of a 210-foot culvert to carry a Type F stream, which could present a barrier to fish passage. The application is self- contradictory, incomplete and indicates that the intended timber harvest has been misclassified as a Class III forest practices. We urge that it be disapproved for these reasons, but if it is to be considered, it should be reclassified as a class IV -special application, and subjected to SEPA and hydraulic project review by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as review by other agencies with expertise affected landowners, affected Indian tribes and others With expertise when evaluating the impacts of forest practices (WAC 222-10-040). In addition, the applicant should be required to submit the missing studies and documentation, and revise the application to remove the contradictions and improve its accuracy. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, I _ Denis Law Mayor cc: Members of the Renton City Council Bob Harrison, Chief Administrative Officer Gregg Zimmerman, Public Works Administrator Kelly Beymer, Community Services Administrator Chip Vincent, Community and Economic Development Administrator Shane Moloney, City Attorney Preeti Shrldhar, Deputy Public Affairs Administrator Leslie Betlach, Parks Planning/Natural Resources Director Lys Hornsby, Utility Systems Director ;ennifer Henning, Planning Director Leslie Clark, Senior Assistant City Attorney Jason Seth, City Clerk .April Alexander, Executive Secretary ,Iufia Medzegian, Council Liaison ?055 South Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057 - rentonwa.yov 1 Upper Skagit River watershed Logging north of the border gives Seattle `grave concern' Conservationists fear recent logging at the Canadian headwaters of the Skagit River, the premier salmon producer of Puget Sound, will open the door to mining down the road. MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES At the headwaters of the Skagit River, in British Columbia, logged areas stand out from the dark -green forest. The brown patches in this valley were logged earlier this summer; the light -green swath in the foreground was cut in 2004. This entire valley, about 26 miles southeast of Hope, British Columbia, drains into the Skagit, the most important salmon producer and electricity generator in the Puget Sound area. By EVAN BUSH Seattle Times staff reporter Battle Mayor Jenny Durkan, in a rare step earlier this month, wrote British Columbia Premier John Horgan with "grave concern," admonishing his govern- ment for not consulting with the city on a B.C. logging project some 125 miles away from Seattle at the headwaters of the Skagit River. She says cutting down the trees undercuts the spirit of a decades -old treaty between the two governments protecting the land around the project, endangering vulnerable fish populations, including chinook salmon and steelhead. To understand why a mayor in Seattle would be concerned with a logging project in Canada, you must trace the river to its root. Begin at Puget Sound, and follow a braid- ed tangle that twists through a shorebird - filled marsh. Upriver, the Skagit carves through a farming valley abundant with dime -sized blueberries and commercial flow- ers. Continuing east, chinook salmon, local orcas' favorite food, wiggle through glacial runoff spilling through mountain gorges. Higher still, those waters churn past three dams, pumping electricity to Seattle in view of summer's tourists. Above the Ross Dam, the water pools deep and cold, perfect for bull trout. Just above the 49th parallel, out of mind to most Washingtonians, is where the Skagit forms. In British Columbia, the stream is MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES A sport fisherman is seen fishing in the headwaters of the Skagit River in B.C. Up here, bull trout are at the top of the food chain in the river. clear to the bottom seen from 2,500 feet above. Eighty -foot fir trees layer mountain- tops. Higher, avalanche chutes slice through alpine meadows and remind summer visitors that snow piles up by the meter here. But amid the greenery, brown polygon cutouts of freshly felled logs emerge. They're at the center of Durkan's concerns — a con- troversy involving two countries, loggers, See > WATERSHED , A16 A16 New!0 M4C$CaW91MCS ( SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018 ** A valley of untouched forestland drains into the headwaters of the Skagit River in Canada. Recent logging in this "donut hole" area, surrounded by protected parkland, alarmed offi- cials in Seattle, which has a conservation agreement with British Columbia. < Watershed FROM Al miners and conservationists. Logging, she wrote, was "in- consistent with the spirit and intent of the 1984 Treaty," and urged Horgan halt immediately plans for more. "Why the full assault by log- ging?" said Shaun Hollingsworth, a member of an international commission dedicated to the valley's conservation. Much of the Skagit's headwa- ters are protected by Canadian parks. But, to preserve historic mining rights, the B.C. govern- ment set aside a forested area the size of Manhattan that's sur- rounded by parkland. It's known now as the "donut hole." Crews this summer began to fell trees inside the donut hole at the behest of British Columbia's government. Conservationists who once fought to keep Seattle from flooding the area now worry that B.C. will allow the valley to be hollowed at its center. Logging could threaten Ross Lake bull trout and disrupt possi- ble grizzly -bear recovery efforts, some say. They fear logging, and road construction, will open the door further to mining, which they argue represents a grave threat to Puget Sound salmon on the horizon. The B.C. government office that auctioned areas for logging says the cutblocks represent a small fraction of protected lands in the watershed. As tensions rise, the Upper Skagit Valley is proving again that history rarely rests for long and faded intentions are some- times tested by time. Logging activity near B.C.'s Skagit headwaters The British Columbia government in 2015 approved logging activities inside an area called the donut hole, a patch of land surrounded by provincial parks just east of Hope, B.C. Two cutblocks have already been logged this summer. Sources: Esri, Seattle City Light, British Columbia Timber Sales Reporting by EVAN BUSH, Maps by MARK NOWLIN / THE SEATTLE TIMES iCttEt'r Skagit River Trait' C„>< k Timber already cut Timber to be cut in 2018 Timber cutting under negotiation San crtfnfsy £.C. LrE ,.. Manning j t Silverdoisy orWt'l Jars i, prol#inclal Trait P at, 5t[VERONSY " .. MOUNTAIN 5 �.4d71/ll C31 4? c ` The de nut hots crteA Area open to mining claims Hope Sunshine Valteya t. #g{ey BRITISH )labiwr,f�>r,i COLUMBIA S�r __ __________ a_ Maine fyndert Somas �,N;' r. 1its - d Tt7 WASHlNGTON tlka MILLS Bellingham Skgg t Cicrt"ge ! (kt` +�' / Dralnee t 4• 1 98st" , i Newhatem to r �., s,r,t; : '• Sedro Hamilton Concrete 20 i' Anacortes Woolley , + • a�"< :' • Rockport Marblemount Burlington e- • `.'e7, z0 . Mt. Vernon Q Gorge Dam © Diablo Dam © Ross Dam =i,`'kln gout r IISr,, f rirnr �Dafrington To Brian Kynoch, president of Imperial Metals, the company that owns the mining tenures, it's an investment worth further exploration. To Hollingsworth, the Canadi- an co-chair of the SEEC, the land is a target. He wants the commis- sion to help acquire mining ten- ures for conservation. For several years, SEEC has been negotiating with Imperial Metals over the donut hole with the province's permission. So, when he found out two cutblocks had been logged there — work authorized by BC Timber Sales (BCTS), an arm of the pro- vincial government — it was a surprise. "I call it an end run," Hollings- worth said. "Knowing full well they signed this treaty, and they hit us with this? It's a slap in the face." Vivian Thomas, communica- tions director for British Colum- bia's Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, said SEEC was not directly notified of the auction but said BCTS held public meetings and published adver- tisements broadly outlining the agency's forest plans. Areas with- in the donut hole were previously logged in 2004. Four cutblocks, auctioned in 2015 and totaling about 168 acres, are slated for harvest this year, Thomas said. By early Au- gust, permit -holder Interwest Timber had cut down about 30 percent of that area, she said. Estimated market value for the timber is about $2.1 million in U.S. dollars. Nearly 3.4 miles of new road were built for logging trucks to haul out about 780 loads of timber. "It is a very small portion of the donut hole that is being harvested, and a very small portion of the total area of the Skagit watershed that's protected," Thomas said. The Skagit River has long been part of a power struggle. In the 1970s, as energy con- sumption rose, Seattle City Light was among utilities that invested in joint nuclear -reactor projects. Residents soured as costs soared for the mismanaged proj- ects. In 1976, the city council voted against buying into two new reactors, and bet instead on conservation and generating more electricity at city -owned Ross Dam. The only problem: City Light would need to raise the dam 122 feet to produce more power and flood miles of wilderness across the border. Seattle had begun constructing Ross Dam in 1937, raised it in three phases, and in 1949 finally settled at 540 feet, a height that spilled waters into Canada. The two nations spent years negotiat- ing over payment for the flooding and whether Seattle could build even higher. The Canadians in 1967 agreed to allow Seattle to build taller for about $35,000 a year. That didn't sit well with envi- ronmental activists. In the 1970s, they canoed down the Skagit in protest. A popular folk artist wrote a song in the valley's de- fense. "We kept the pressure up," said Ken Farquharson, a leading activist then, who remains in- volved in conservation efforts. Seattle Deputy Mayor Bob Royer, brother to Mayor Charley Royer, led negotiations with British Columbia. It took years, but he finalized a deal in 1984. The B.C. government would provide Seattle with cheap hydro power through 2065 in exchange for not raising the dam. The agreement created the Skagit Environmental Endow- ment commission (SEEC), with Ken Farquharson, left, was one of the leaders in the 1970s who brought Skagit River conservation efforts to the public's attention. At center is Shaun Hollingsworth, the Ca- nadian co-chair of the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission. At right is Joe Foy, co -executive director for the Vancouver -based 6ilderness Committee. four members appointed by the Seattle mayor and four by the B.C. premier. The agreement mandates that SEEC work to conserve the watershed, enhance recreation and acquire lingering mining and timber rights to pro- tect the land. A treaty signed by the U.S. and Canada cemented the deal. "We got the same amount of energy for the same price we would have gotten if we raised the dam," Royer said. Both par- ties saw it as environmental win - win. Years of controversy were put to rest. Future parkland? The so-called donut hole is something of a cartographic curiosity. On maps, it's an island of public, unprotected land north of Ross Lake where the Skagit Valley and E.C. Manning Provin- Controversy resurfaces News of the logging operations among environmentalists incited anger south of the border. "It's incomprehensible to me," said Michelle Connor, a former SEEC commissioner and CEO of Seattle -based land conservancy Forterra, that the B.C. govern- ment would "endorse casually logging." "You're talking about a water- shed and ecosystem that's proba- bly one of the most intact ecosys- tems in the Pacific Northwest today," Connor said. Adding roads and hauling out lumber, she said, could have environmen- tal effects downstream and dis- rupt habitat that stretches over the border. "To me it's opening the door to consequences; we don't know how they might play out," she said. Several U.S. fisheries scientists cautioned that predicting down- stream effects of logging can be, difficult without knowing on -the - ground details. Sediment flowing downstream and localized, rising water temperatures are primary concerns. Some conservationists, like Connor, fear for salmon on the - 's cial parks meet. The Skagit River skirts the donut hole's northern edge. Several tributary streams weave through mountainsides within. As the parks formed, the donut hole was created to preserve existing mining tenures. To Joe Foy, co -executive direc- tor for the Vancouver -based Wil- derness Committee, "this is a hole in the park system waiting to be filled with parkland." Skagit River, one of Was mgton best salmon -producing rivers, but the scientists doubted logging would affect downstream runs. Salmon habitat ends below the Gorge Dam near Newhalem and sediment is unlikely to pass the dams, they said. But bull trout, a species listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are much closer. They make their home in the Continued on next page > *a SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018 I Toe, s I News A17 < Continued from previous page frigid waters of Ross Lake and many spawn in the Skagit's Cana- dian waters. The trout are the "polar bears of the North Cascades," said Ash- ley Rawhouser, an aquatic ecolo- gist at North Cascades National Park, "apex predators" of the river who need "wilderness -dominated mountain watersheds" to thrive. As climate change warms U.S. waters, Ross Lake could be one o the last refuges for the species, he said. Lynn Best, Seattle City Light's chief environment officer, said the timber harvest "could be devastating to the bull trout." Sediment could smother their eggs, kill their prey and impede young bull trout from catching meals, she said. Foy, of the Wilderness Commis- sion, said logging is in grizzly -bear habitat, which is important should the U.S. decide to reintro- duce grizzlies to the North Cas- cades. From roads and Logging to mining? A focus on logging veils conser- vationists' larger, but less imme- diate concern. "If the mine were in and we had to deal with the toxic materials going into the watershed, that's what worries me for salmon," Best said. She fears new roads could make buying out the mine harder and that logging could make the area less attractive as parkland. Metals, particularly copper, are toxic to salmon. Copper dissolved in water can interact with the gills of salmon and prevent proper breathing or cause dangerous ion imbalances in their bodies, said Jen McIntyre, an assistant profes- sor at Washington State Universi- ty's School of Environment. Even low concentrations of dissolved copper can impair neu- rons, damaging salmons' sense of touch and ability to smell. That can prevent them from finding food, evading predators or mak- ing their way to spawning ground, McIntyre said. When a dam breached in 2014 at Mount Polley, the site of an Imperial Metals mine near Wil- liams Lake, B.C., it sent 8 million cubic meters of copper- and gold - mining waste into a nearby wa- t w ;r. f Would the collapse at Mount Polley make it more difficult to mine in the Upper Skagit Valley? y "Probably so, but the process is the process," he said. "I'm assum- ing everyone would look at it -� based on the facts of it." MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES The headwaters of the Skagit River in British Columbia feed one of Washington's most pro- ductive rivers for salmon. Conservationists fear recent logging in the area will open the door to mining down the road. Members of an international commission, created in 1984, see re- source extraction here as a violation of the spirit of a treaty between the U.S. and Canada. tershed, according to B.C. gov- ernment figures. "We're going to replay that in the Skagit? I don't need to see that movie," said Connor, of Forterra. Kynoch, the Imperial Metals executive, said any mining would require a permit and the company would "need to come up with a plan that's not going to harm the salmon." Logging put on hold Once again, the Upper Skagit Valley has become a topic of international negotiations. Earlier this month, after meet- ing with SEEC, British Columbia put on hold, at least temporarily, the auction of logging rights to another 576 acres inside the donut hole scheduled for harvest next year. "They've put that on hold pend- ing discussions with SEEC," Thomas said. She said there had been a "breakdown of communi- cation." Seattle Mayor Durkan sent the letter protesting future logging but has yet to receive a response. Gov. Jay Inslee's office is monitor- ing developments. Meanwhile, an environmental - law group, EcoJustice, has threat- ened court action over a permit that allows logging trucks to travel through Manning Park to the donut hole. Imperial Metals plans "more grass roots exploration" of their tenures, Kynoch said. The compa- ny funded a Ph.D. candidate's thesis on deposits and is consider- ing exploratory drilling of a re- cent gold discovery. He downplayed the develop- ment of logging roads but said it could make exploration easier. "It may or may not help us at some point," Kynoch said. "It doesn't hurt our ability to mine it." More information could pro- vide leverage in negotiations with SEEC. "We're keen to know exactly what we have before we sell any of it," he said. "If you find even more [minerals], we're increas- ing the value." Foy, of the Wilderness Commit- tee is rallying public opposition. "Any attempt to put a giant, open pit copper mine there would open the gates of hell with the public," he said. Sediment, copper and public outcry can all flow downstream. Information from The Seattle Times archive was included in this report. Evan Bush: 206464-2253 or ebush@seattletimes. com