03/26/2009: "Save Mitchell Hill"

Editor:

Several years ago, concerned San Juan Island citizens banded together to urge the National Park Service to “save Mitchell Hill” by adding this beautiful acreage to the adjacent English Camp unit of San Juan Island National Historical Park. Wheels of government turn slowly, but we are now on the verge of seeing this 320-acre recreational jewel protected from development forever.

The U.S. Congress is now considering the 2010 federal budget. Among the budget items under discussion for the Interior Department, which has jurisdiction over national parks, is funding for the acquisition of Mitchell Hill from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. As DNR’s land sales are used to support public schools, this sale would have multiple benefits for the State of Washington.

I urge everyone to add their voices to the many encouraging Congress to authorize this funding. Please write our Rep. Rick Larsen, Washington’s 2nd Congressional District, 108 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515. Or you can email Rep. Larsen through his website at www.house.gov/larsen/contact.

Please also contact Rep. Norm Dicks, Washington’s 6th Congressional District, who chairs the appropriations sub-committee responsible for the Interior Department. You can write Rep. Dicks at 2467 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515. He does not have an email address for those not living in his district.

Please tell Rep. Larsen and Rep. Dicks how important it is to our community to preserve this cultural and recreational asset by including the necessary funding in the 2010 appropriations bill for the Interior Department.

David Dehlendorf
Chair
San Juan Island Trails Committee