Newsletter of the League of Women Voters of Tacoma – Pierce County
The Voter
Office Phone: (253) 272-1495
March 2012
Volume 32, Number 3
Office E-mail: [email protected]
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
LEAGUE OF WOMEN
VOTERS OF TACOMAPIERCE COUNTY
702 BROADWAY SUITE 105
TACOMA, WA 98402
(253) 272-1495
VOTER STAFF:
EDITORIAL:
MICHELLE PIZZO
[email protected]
SUSAN EIDENSCHINK
[email protected]
TERRI BAKER
[email protected]
MARY ANN LESKIE
LUCINDA WINGARD
[email protected]
Hurray for Jackie Jones-Hook and Lois Chapman for a truly wonderful TRY
Launch. We had about twenty elected officials present and everyone had a chance to
talk to them. We also got to hear a rousing speech from former Senator Rosa Franklin. Outstanding work by all.
Remember that we are not mailing TRYs to each of you this year. Pick yours up at the
Unit meetings, your local library, or come by the office. This is going to save us postage.
Three things are coming up for you to plan for. First, the State League is holding its
annual Council Meeting in Pullman from June 1st to June 3rd. We are looking for volunteers to go. The program is centered around fostering an independent judiciary. Let
me know if you are interested in attending. We will help with the cost. Second, we
are planning a League yard sale, tentatively scheduled for May 4th and 5th. Can you
donate items, tables, clothing racks, or your driveway to hold it in? Let me know what
you can do and start saving up your goodies. Third, we are beginning a book club and
the planning meeting to decide how many and where to meet will be on Saturday,
April 7th from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at my building’s community room at 1515
Dock Street, Tacoma, WA 98402. Park on the “Circle” and parking is free.
See you at Units.
Terri Baker
PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION:
The League of Women
SUSAN EIDENSCHINK
MARY ANN LESKIE
The League of Women
Voters of Tacoma-Pierce
County is a nonpartisan
political organization that
encourages informed and
active participation in
government, works to
increase understanding of
major public policy issues,
and influences public
policy through education
and advocacy.
© 2012 LWVT-PC
click to find us on
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow,
and trouble avoid you wherever you go...Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
LWVT-PC TRY LAUNCH VOLUNTEERS
A “BIG THANK YOU” to Lois Chapman, who worked tirelessly in getting NET IMPACT on board, and made the arrangements for the assistance from the PP&E Students
(Politics, Philosophy and Economics Club). Her outreach to the community and the
elected officials made this event happen. Thank you again, Lois, for all the work you
put into making our LWVT-PC TRY Launch such a success. Invaluable volunteers
were:
Net Impact ● Rosa Franklin ● Julie Anderson ● Grace Notes
Politics, Philosophy and Economics Club, UW Tacoma
Studies Group – Lucinda Wingard ● Susan Eidenschink
Membership – Mary Watson ● Paula Eismann
Registration – Dorothy Bremner ● Ann Williams
- Jackie Jones-Hook
Page 1
The Voter
March 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Board meetings are held on
third Tuesdays of the month
at 4:30 p.m. at the League
Office. Members may both
attend and provide input.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
[email protected]
1ST VICE PRESIDENT
[email protected]
2ND VICE PRESIDENT
See Membership Directory
SECRETARY
See Membership Directory
TREASURER
[email protected]
DIRECTOR
See Membership Directory
DIRECTOR
[email protected]
DIRECTOR
See Membership Directory
DIRECTOR
(Resigned)
DIRECTOR
[email protected]
DIRECTOR
See Membership Directory
DIRECTOR
See Membership Directory
Terri Baker
(253) 906-4425
Sue Summers
(253) 460-5569
Ruth Ann Hatchett
Dorothy Spadoni
John Thurlow
Paula Eismann
Stella Jones
Jacqueline Jones-Hook
Elizabeth Ogden
Michelle Pizzo
(253) 720-1291
Mary Watson
Ann Williams
UNIT MEETING INFORMATION
For more information, call (253) 272-1495.
TACOMA
Day/Time: Second Thursdays / 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Place: N. Tacoma Police Substation, 5140 N. 26th St.
Unit leader:Lyz Kurnitz-Thurlow, [email protected]
LAKEWOOD AND NEIGHBORS
Day/Time: Second Fridays / 10:00 a.m. - noon
Place: Steilacoom Community Center
2301 Worthington St., Steilacoom
Unit leader: Ann Elliston, 253-564-4102
EAST PIERCE
Day/Time: Second Saturdays / 10:00 a.m. - noon
Place: Puyallup Library, 324 S. Meridian, Puy.
Unit leader: Ellen Zulauf, See Membership Directory
GIG HARBOR-KEY PENINSULA
Day/Time: Second Saturdays / 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Place: SEE UNIT MEETINGS ON THIS PAGE
Unit leader: Liz Lathrop, [email protected]
www.lwvwa.org/tacoma/index.html
PAGE 01
PAGE 02
PAGE 03
PAGE 04
PAGE 05
PAGE 06
PAGE 07
PAGE 08
PAGE 09
PAGE 10
President’s Message; Thanks, Launch Volunteers!
Board; Unit Meetings
LWVT-PC 2012 Calendar
January 2012 Program Planning; Membership Form
Art & Transportation Adventure!; Observer Corps
Report; Thanks to Officials Attending TRY Launch
A Page from American Women’s History
International Women’s Day Program; Puget Gulch
Management Plan
The Role of Parks; Letter to the Editor; Go-Go-Go!
PC Open Task Force Report Executive Summary
Pierce Conservation District
BOARD SUMMARY:
The TRY Launch on February 19th was very successful
and many elected officials and League Members were in
attendance at the UW Tacoma campus.
The Unit meetings in March will discuss the Open Space
Task Force, particularly its Report and Recommendations.
What is it? Why was it necessary? What next?
The Board awarded a membership scholarship to Linda
Rutenberg for work she will do on the League website.
Thank you, Linda!
The 2012 TRY will not be mailed to individual Members.
Members can pick them up at the Unit meetings, the library, or the office.
The State Council will be held in Pullman on June 1st, 2nd
and 3rd.
The Board approved Sue Summers, John Thurlow, Susan
Eidenschink and Mary Ann Leskie to serve on the Budget
Committee.
UNIT MEETINGS:
This month Units will be discussing Pierce County’s Open
Space Task Force. (LWVT-PC testified before the task
force.) A Report and Recommendations have been prepared. It is very lengthy, so the Executive Summary only
is provided (with limited paraphrasing) at page 9 of this
edition of The Voter. Consider reading the entire report at
http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/abtus/ourorg/parks/
OSTF.htm#OSTF Final Report. In keeping with the subject matter, also enjoy information about the Puget Sound
Gulch Management Plan (page 7), the role of parks (page
8), and the Pierce Conservation District (page 10). Be sure
to register to vote in the Pierce Conservation District election(s) by March 6th!
Don’t forget that this month’s Gig Harbor-Key Peninsula Unit meeting is at Merrill Gardens in Gig Harbor,
3213 45th St. NW.
Page 2
The Voter
March 2012
2012 LWVT-PC CALENDAR
March 7 - 4:00 p.m. DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO
VOTE IN PIERCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT
ELECTION(S)
April 7 - 9:00 a.m. LWVT-PC Book Club planning meeting, Community Room at 1515 Dock Street, Tacoma
March 8 - International Women’s Day
April 9 - Last day of in-person registration for voters not
currently registered in the state for the April Election
March 8 - 1:00 p.m. TACOMA UNIT MEETING (Topic:
Open Space Task Force)
April 12 - 1:00 p.m. TACOMA UNIT MEETING (Topic:
LWVUS Privatization Study, consensus)
March 8 - 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., International Women’s
April 13 - 10:00 a.m. LAKEWOOD & NEIGHBORS UNIT
Day Program, Native Quest Cultural Center, 2354 S. Jeffer- MEETING (Topic: LWVUS Privatization Study, consenson, Tacoma
sus)
March 8 - 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., International Women’s
Day Event, Evergreen State College, Tacoma Campus
March 8 - Regular legislative session ends
April 14 - 10:00 a.m. EAST PIERCE UNIT MEETING
(Topic: LWVUS Privatization Study, consensus)
March 9 - 10:00 a.m. LAKEWOOD & NEIGHBORS UNIT April 14 - 2:00 p.m. GIG HARBOR-KEY PENINSULA
UNIT MEETING (Topic: LWVUS Privatization Study,
MEETING (Topic: Open Space Task Force)
consensus)
March 10 - 10:00 a.m. EAST PIERCE UNIT MEETING
(Topic: Open Space Task Force)
April 17 - 4:30 p.m. LWVT-PC BOARD MEETING,
League Office
March 10 - 2:00 p.m. GIG HARBOR-KEY PENINSULA
UNIT MEETING (Topic: Open Space Task Force)
April 17 - SPECIAL ELECTION
March 13 - 5:30 p.m. Puget Gulch Management Plan Public
Meeting No. 1 (Puget Creek Restoration Society), SloApril 24 - 5:30 p.m. Puget Gulch Management Plan Public
venian Hall in Old Town, 2306 North 30th St., Tacoma
Meeting No. 1 (Puget Creek Restoration Society), SloMarch 14 - Last day to publish Notice of Election for the
April Election
March 14 - First day to propose initiatives to the legislature
March 17 - 12:00 noon, “Get The Money Out of Politics” Event, Tollefson Plaza (17th & Pacific), Tacoma
March 18 - Overseas and military ballots mailed for the
April Election
March 19 - Last day for mail-in and online voter registrations and transfers for the April Election
March 20 - 4:30 p.m. LWVT-PC BOARD MEETING,
League Office
venian Hall in Old Town, 2306 North 30th St., Tacoma
April 30 - Last day to change precincts until after the General Election
April 30 - First day candidate filings may be submitted by
mail
May 10 - 1:00 p.m. TACOMA UNIT MEETING (Topic:
Health Care)
May 11 - 10:00 a.m. LAKEWOOD & NEIGHBORS UNIT
MEETING (Topic: Health Care)
March 26 - 12:10 p.m. - 12:50 p.m. Women’s Guide to
May 12 - 10:00 a.m. EAST PIERCE UNIT MEETING
Financial Security in a Financially Un-Secure World, Pierce (Topic: Health Care)
County Annex, 2401 35th St., Tacoma - Main Conf. Room
March 27 - 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Live voting at the Pierce May 12 - 2:00 p.m. GIG HARBOR-KEY PENINSULA
MEETING (Topic: Health Care
Conservation District Office
March 28 - 12:10 p.m. - 12:50 p.m. Women’s Guide to
Financial Security in a Financially Un-Secure World,
County City Building, 930 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma - 7th
Floor Rainier Conf. Room
May 15 - 4:30 p.m. LWVT-PC BOARD MEETING,
League Office
June 1- 3 - LWVWA State Council Meeting, Pullman
March 28 - 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Women’s Guide to FinanLWVT-PC ANNUAL MEETING: TO BE ANNOUNCED
cial Security in a Financially Un-Secure World, Puyallup
Library, 324 South Meridian
NO UNITS OR BOARD MEETINGS IN JUNE, JULY,
OR AUGUST
March 30 - April Election ballots mailed
Page 3
The Voter
March 2012
JANUARY 2012 PROGRAM PLANNING RESULTS
by President Terri Baker
NATIONAL
- Full support for LWVUS to take whatever action is necessary to support the ideas that corporations are not people,
money is not free speech, and there must be public disclosure
of all donations to candidates. I sent this to LWVUS.
- Action to obtain Fair Taxes for all should also continue.
- There was support for a study in support of violence reduction but not for the proposal as written. It was felt it was
too broad and assumes a cabinet level position is the answer
before completing the study. We will notify the state who
recommended this that it be reframed and related to the Millennium Goals of poverty and education. The Rotary has a
similar stance and there is a magazine called Tolerance.
- Others: Climate change, immigration (support family
reunification), hydro-fracking, voter suppression, and distribution of electoral votes.
are. We would then see what issues we could support and act
upon. Susan Eidenschink is already visiting the camps and
agreed to bring any issues to the Board.
- We will continue to take local action to support the elimination of the Death Penalty in Washington. We will publish
this information in The Voter.
- Julio Quan and Susan Eidenschink asked for local action
and support of the National Prevention Strategy. Members
agreed to use the Unit meetings scheduled for health care (in
May) to cover this topic this year and we will continue to offer information in The Voter.
- LWVWA asked for our local action in support of Low
Impact Development Standards. Two Members agreed to
become involved in this: Lois Chapman and Julio Quan.
- A Member suggested we pull together various Members
who have been traveling extensively and develop a program.
Bobbie Fletcher agreed to put a presentation together on the
Department of Happiness in Bhutan that Units can request to
hear.
- Develop a book club either for the entire LWVT-PC or for
each Unit. Sue Summers is taking this on. Others interested
are Darcy Wright and Lucinda Wingard of Gig Harbor.
- Possibly sponsor a forum on Charter Schools. We will
consider this if it continues to be a hot topic in the legislature.
- Others: Invite new Tacoma City Manager, increase Observer Corps, support Pierce County walks, quality of school
lunches, correctional systems speaker, campaign finance,
youth voting, update on County transportation system, and air
quality.
LOCAL
- The most interest and support was for a study relating in
some way to the large number of foreclosures in Pierce
County (over 300 in one month). Various ideas were put forward such as why they foreclose, who’s foreclosing, who’s
buying them, why they are empty for so long, problems with
military, and why foreclosed homes are not used as affordable housing. We agreed to contact the Centers for Dispute
Resolution and possibly the Realtors Association and Master
Builders to see what we could study that would be useful.
Those interested were Sue Summers, Paula Eismann, Jacki
Skaught, Evelyn Kelly, Marilese Quan, Liz McKercher,
Mary Mazur, Lois Chapman, and Mary Ann Leskie. We will
work to get a firm proposal to the Board and have something
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS, Kathy Fowler,
for the Annual Meeting.
- A proposal to study the Occupy Movement turned into an Martha Humphreys, and Linda Rutenberg. Join us in
action item to go through the camps and see what the issues our powerful work, and work with powerful people!
Pierce County town and city info is available at: http://www.piercecountywa.org/pc/abtus/ourorg/exec/ecd/citiesandchambers.htm
Join the Tacoma – Pierce County League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters of Tacoma – Pierce County invites you to join us!
Any citizen of voting age, male or female, may become a Member.
Yes, I’d like to become a Member of the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County.
This application ALSO entitles me to full membership in and mailings of the Washington State and National League of Women
Voters (LWVWA and LWVUS)!
Membership for one year is $60 (for two Members of a household - $90). Student membership is $30 but we are currently offering it
at half-price, and even have scholarships available at this time! Membership dues are NOT tax deductible. Contributions to the
Education Fund (by separate check, and they are tax deductible) and/or the General Fund are welcome.
Name ________________________________ Phone _________________ Email _________________________________________
Address _______________________________________ City _______________________ State _______ ZIP _________________
Comments: _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mail to:
League of Women Voters of Tacoma -Pierce County
702 Broadway, Suite #105 / Tacoma, WA 98402-3710
Page 4
The Voter
March 2012
ART AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
I propose an art adventure on April 5, using public transportation, similar to
the one we had November 4, 2010, when several of us used public transportation
to Seattle to see the Picasso exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). Another
major exhibition, Gauguin and Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise, is at SAM
now, February 20th through April 29th. On the first Thursday of each month
there is free admission, with a reduced cost for special exhibits, $12.00 for adults
and $9.00 for seniors over sixty-two. You can check out other exhibits currently
at SAM at http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/Exhibit/exhibit.asp.
We’ll start out
on the #574
Sound Transit
bus,
which
leaves
the
Lakewood
Transit Center
(11424
Pacific Hwy.
SW) at 9:36
a.m., the 512
P&R at 9:45,
or the Tacoma Dome
Station
at
9:58
a.m.
We
Arearea no varua ino (Reclining Tahitian Women),
will ride the
1894, Paul Gauguin
#574 to the
SeaTac Station on Pacific Hwy. and arrive about 10:40 a.m. The Light Rail Central Link trains leave that station every ten minutes. We’ll arrive at the University Street Tunnel station about 11:30 a.m.
OBSERVER CORPS REPORT
Puyallup City Council
February 7, 2012
Observer: Bobbie Fletcher, LWVT-PC
The meeting started on time. TDY was
available on request and the Chamber was
wheelchair accessible. The meeting was
recorded to be seen on TV, public meeting
channel 22 on Comcast/cable at a later date.
There were approximately thirty-five people
in the audience. There were agendas for
each person and copies of the ordinances
and resolutions being considered were available. The website is clear and easy to access, with detailed information about the
City and Council meetings.
The meeting was well managed, with courtesy and consideration for the Council and
the citizens in the audience. A moment of
silence was observed for a Puyallup family
dealing with a recent tragedy.
The State Auditor’s Office presented the
results of a pricing audit that it had conducted. There was good discussion of the
results by both the Council Members and
the citizens. Ordinances and resolutions
were discussed.
There was a presentation of the River Road
Development Plan in the Fred Meyer area.
Although taxes and housing were discussed,
We’ll eat lunch before going to the museum. There are several restaurants in the the issue ultimately died without a “second”
area (West Edge Market and Deli and Tully's Harbor Steps [both down the steps to a motion to pass the Plan.
across from the "Hammering Man"], Specialty's Cafe & Bakery [1023 3rd Ave
between Spring and Madison], and Mel's Market [3rd & Madison Street]). An- It is this Observer’s opinion that the tone
and atmosphere of the Council is much difother option is to bring a sack lunch.
ferent than the previous Council.
After enjoying our time in the museum we will catch a Metro bus to 2nd and
Jackson and walk about two blocks to the Sounder Station. Trains leave this station every 25 to 35 minutes from 3:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Those who began their
journey in Lakewood can catch a #574 Sounder bus. Those wanting to go to The following elected officials and civil serdowntown Tacoma can take the Light Link Rail.
vants attended the LWVT-PC TRY Launch
Using an ORCA Card is the easiest way to use different forms of public transpor- Event at the UW Tacoma: Steve Conway
tation in the Puget Sound area. With an ORCA Card you will be able to travel (29th LD Senator), Jake Fey (Tacoma City
Council), Stan Flemming (Pierce County
for two hours using your original payment. Obtaining an ORCA Card requires a
Council), Beverly Grant (Superior Court
deposit in your ORCA account. The cost to obtain an ORCA card is now $5. (It Judge), Nancy Henderson (Steilacoom City
used to be free to get a card.) You can determine how much money you want to Council), Anders Ibsen (Tacoma City Coundeposit and track your account online. You can obtain an ORCA Card at a Bus cil), Laurie Jinkins (27th LD State Rep.),
Shop or online. If you have a Regional Reduced Fair Permit (RRFP), you can Connie Ladenburg (29th LD State Rep.),
exchange it for an ORCA RRFP card. If you don’t have an RRFP, you can show John Ladenburg (WA Supreme Court candiyour driver’s license for proof of age or other pertinent information. Find out date), Anita Latch (Tacoma Civil Service
more information at www.ORCAcard.com. If you use an ORCA card and have Board), Dave Olson (Edgewood City Counan RRFP ORCA card it will cost $1.50 to get to Seattle by bus. Riding the cil), Paul Pastor (Pierce County Sheriff),
Sounder from Seattle to Tacoma will cost $2.25. Regular fare from Tacoma to Aaron Pointer (Tacoma Metro Parks),
Seattle by bus will cost $3.50. Regular fare from Seattle to Tacoma on the James M. Rackley (Bonney Lake City CounSounder will cost $4.75. Without an ORCA card the regular fare to Seattle will cil), J. Paul Wagemann (Clover Parks School
Board), Lauren Walker (Tacoma City Counbe $3.50 + $2.75 or $6.25. Without an ORCA card riding the Sounder from Seatcil), Debbie Winskill (Tacoma Schools
tle to Tacoma will cost $4.75. With an RRFP the cost will be about half this Board), and Hans Zeiger (25th LD State Rep.).
much. Contact me if you have questions or are interested in this adventure!
Thank you for coming!
- Susan Eidenschink, [email protected]
Page 5
The Voter
March 2012
A PAGE FROM AMERICAN WOMEN’S HISTORY
by Mary Ann Leskie
Born in 1879 into a family living in poverty, she was one of eleven children. Her mother had eighteen pregnancies and died of tuberculosis and cervical cancer at the age of fifty. Her father was a drunkard, but active in promoting women’s suffrage in upstate
New York.
This personal history influenced Margaret Higgins Sanger’s lifework: educating women about sex, birth control, and women’s reproductive health and rights.
After Margaret completed nurse’s training in 1902, she married William Sanger. During her first pregnancy she developed tuberculosis, and almost died giving birth.
When her health recovered, in 1912 she began working as a visiting nurse among the poor in New York’s lower east side. This experience opened her eyes to the epidemic of venereal diseases that destroyed the lives of so many underprivileged women. Her pamphlet about syphilis was her first contact with the Postal Authorities, who refused to deliver the pamphlet, invoking the Comstock
(anti-obscenity) Law.
(Later, Sanger won a court decision which allowed manufacturers to legally advertise and sell condoms for prevention of venereal
disease. However, they could not be labeled or advertised as a birth control device.)
During her experience as a nurse, Sanger also treated many women suffering from the hardship of frequent pregnancies and/or selfinduced, often fatal, abortions. She began research with doctors and libraries for literature about birth control, but found the only
answer in this country to be “abstinence.” In that era, information about and the use of any birth control technique was associated
with prostitution.
In 1913, Sanger went to Scotland and France to learn about birth control methods unavailable in this country. Midwives in Dutch
clinics also taught her about the use of the diaphragm, invented by a female physician. When she returned from Europe she began
publishing The Woman Rebel, an overtly feminist magazine which, along with her pamphlet Family Limitation, again brought her
into court for violating the Comstock Law.
Sanger and her sister, Ethel Byrne, opened a clinic for women in a blue-collar area of Brooklyn in 1916. The demand for their services and for the diaphragms they smuggled in from Europe was clear: almost five hundred women visited the clinic in the ten days
it operated before police closed it down.
The sisters were convicted of violating the Comstock Law and sent to a prison workhouse for thirty days. The trial judge held that
women did not have "the right to copulate with a feeling of security that there will be no resulting conception.”
However, national publicity from this trial fueled activism and interest in the birth control movement. Funding increased and
Sanger’s sponsors helped spread the message about contraception to individuals and doctors throughout the country.
In 1921, Sanger established the American Birth Control League, a precursor to today's Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
A loophole in the Comstock Law which allowed physicians to distribute contraceptive information to women for “medical reasons”
made it possible for Sanger to open the first legal birth control clinic in the United States.
Throughout this period, Sanger received hundreds of thousands of letters from women begging for information about how to prevent
unwanted pregnancies. One of her books, Motherhood in Bondage, was a compilation of some of these letters.
It is interesting to note that some leaders of the women’s suffrage movement did not share Sanger’s views about birth control. Carrie Chapman Catt, for instance, disagreed with the implicit sexual freedom and possible sexual exploitation of women that prevention of pregnancy might bring.
Because of Sanger’s advocacy through legal channels, one hurdle was overcome in 1936, when the U.S. Court of Appeals allowed
for birth control devices and related materials to be imported into the country.
Sanger retired to Arizona in 1937, but continued to tour many countries with her message of women’s health through reproductive
rights. In the 1950s, she was able to secure funding for research to develop a birth control pill.
Planned Parenthood says:
“Women's progress in recent decades — in education, in the workplace, in political and economic power — can be directly linked to
Sanger's crusade and women's ability to control their own fertility.”
Margaret Sanger’s legacy as a leading advocate for women’s rights lives on through the work of organizations like Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its stated mission:
• providing contraception and other health services to women and men;
• funding research on birth control and educating specialists and the public about the results;
• advancing access to family planning in the United States and around the world.
Page 6
March 2012
The Voter
To: LWVT-PC Members
From: Puget Creek Restoration
Society
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012
Subject: Puget Gulch Management Plan
Metro Parks Tacoma has agreed,
after numerous years of our wanting the process, to do a Management Plan for the Puget Creek
system. Unfortunately, it is only
addressing Metro Parks and the
City of Tacoma's properties. As
you may know, we have been
trying to get our boardwalk permit
issued and have, after almost
three years and re-applying,
thought we had the final document and information to submit
again. Now Metro Parks will not
proceed with the process unless a
Management Plan is developed
insuring that the public wants a
boardwalk on the existing trail at
Puget Creek. We believe this
boardwalk will improve habitat
conditions and provide access and
education to all citizens. We have
some concerns and also a vision
of the plan to incorporate things
that make the Puget Gulch system
unique to Tacoma. Please see
www.pugetcreek.org/
projects.html.
We really need you and your
group’s support at the two public
meetings scheduled. The first is
on March 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the
Slovenian Hall in Old Town,
2306 North 30th St., Tacoma, and
the second is at the same location
on April 24 at 5:30 p.m. Please
email me for the topics of interest/
discussion at these Puget Gulch
Public Planning Meetings.
Thank you for your activism in
our community. We could sure
use a portion of it right now!
Scott M. Hansen
Puget Creek Restoration Society
702 Broadway Suite 101
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone:(253)779-8890
Fax: (253) 593-8890
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.pugetcreek.org
Page 7
March 2012
PARKS SERVE MANY NEEDS ON
THE GIG HARBOR/KEY PENINSULAS
Op-Ed reprinted from the Peninsula Gateway with permission of author
Lucinda Wingard
To update its Comprehensive Park, Open Space, and Recreation Plan, PenMet
Parks is involving experienced staff, expert consultants, and volunteer advisory
committees. They are considering all the potential benefits parks bring to our
community.
One vision expressed by candidate Randy Boss for Parks Commissioner (July
13 Gateway) states that parks are solely “places where people can go and
play.” And many people may think this way, but this narrow view disregards
many benefits provided by publicly-owned open spaces.
The Voter
LWVT-PC PRESIDENT’S LETTER
TO THE NEWS TRIBUNE EDITOR:
...“The TNT quoted Steve Lerch as saying there is $340 million in newly expected savings from less reliance on state
services. Of course, there is a drop in the
use of state services. The eligibility for
the Basic Health Plan and TACID were
raised and home care hours for the disabled and elderly have been cut 4 times
in the last 3 years. The need is still there,
the services have just disappeared. This
is balancing the budget on the back of
the state’s mot vulnerable. Find new
revenue.” [From The Voter Editor:
Terri Baker penned that piece while
wearing her State-Council-on-Aging
hat.]
Undeveloped open spaces save taxpayers money. Undisturbed land provides
free storm water management services, free flood protection, and free water
filtration. Undisturbed land provides habitat for predators that provide pest control. Undisturbed land hosts pollinators for our gardens. Undisturbed land pro- GO-GO-GO! TONS OF THINGS TO
vides economic wealth in the form of fish and other foods, in healthful herbs KEEP YOU BUSY THIS MONTH!
• Hit the International Women’s Day
and medicines, and in tourism.
Program in Tacoma on March 8th Where properties are protected from human development, where landscape and
see the flier on page 7 - or find anshorelines are left in natural conditions, county tax money does not have to be
other way to celebrate this important
collected for water purification, pest eradication, levies, dikes, or erosion bulkday, or yourself if you’re an international woman!
heads.
• Support Puget Creek Restoration
Livability in our community is enhanced when stretches of healthy forest canSociety’s efforts by attending the
opy filter the air we breathe and buffer noise and light pollution.
Puget Gulch Public Management
Plan Meetings, March 13 and/or
Furthermore, undisturbed land provides a native biodiversity “bank.” As a landApril 24 (see page 7, and the calenowner in the Biodiversity Management Area of Crescent Valley, I have learned
dar).
that allowing native species to thrive in this watershed makes the whole area
• Join Susan Eidenschink at Tollefson
more resilient in the face of disaster, natural or otherwise.
Park on March 17th at noon, and
show your support for overturning
Preserving our natural heritage of biodiversity means humans will experience
Citizens United; learn more about
better health. Diseases spread and increase faster when the biodiversity in an
Move to Amend.
area is low. Low biodiversity is a factor in the spread of West Nile disease and
• From the start of the recovery
bee colony collapse, for example.
through May 2011, women lost
218,000 jobs, while men gained
Government agencies that are responsible to Pierce County residents can take
768,000; by age 45, women have
the wider view, planning where open spaces can maximize these values.
earned $122,000 less than their male
counterparts - by age 65, it more than
When areas of rich native biodiversity are completely surrounded by areas of
doubles to $379,000; and over 40%
dense development, the wildlife overall dwindles. This habitat fragmentation
of elderly women (but only 30% of
can be averted if open spaces are planned to provide wildlife corridors, if greenelderly men) depend on Social Secubelts are planned ahead through wise acquisition policies and set-asides.
rity for more than 90% of their inAcquiring open space as part of the public parks system makes sense for area
residents. In addition to providing us recreation and entertainment, parks maintain the aesthetically pleasing lifestyle we prize, support surface water management and water filtration, sustain wildlife habitat and wildlife corridors, and
support tourism.
come. Some surprisingly easy solutions are presented (for free) by the
Pierce County Community Connections and the Aging and Disability
Resource Center on March 26th at
12:10 p.m., March 28th at 12:10
p.m., and March 28th at 7:00 p.m.
See the calendar for more details.
Page 8
The Voter
March 2012
PIERCE COUNTY OPEN SPACE TASK FORCE REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
SHORT SUMMARIZATION
(Taken from the Report’s Executive Summary)
The Pierce County Open Space Task
Force (OSTF) was established by formal
resolution of the County Council on October 27, 2009. The OSTF was created
to conduct a comprehensive review of
open space needs and issues and develop recommendations for strategically
financing future open space resources in
the County. The report is the culmination of the work of the OSTF. It represents an opportunity to implement consensus driven recommendations that
integrate the goals of diverse stakeholders with interest in parks and trails,
agricultural and forest lands, riparian
corridors, special habitat areas, and marine shoreline. It includes recommendations for open space acquisition and resource protection over the next ten years
in each of the following categories:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Parks
Trails
Agriculture
Forests
Biodiversity/Habitat
Lakes, Rivers and Streams
Marine Shoreline
Priority One:
Appoint an Open
Space Coordinator
Task force members were unanimous in
their desire for County leadership in
facilitating a comprehensive countywide open space program. This coordination would include county departments working together with cities,
towns, state and federal government,
and other open space stakeholders.
They believe the facilitation will enhance everyone’s efforts to protect and
manage Pierce County’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources.
The OSTF’s highest priority recommendation is to hire or appoint a full-time
Open Space Coordinator reporting to the
County Executive’s Office. The Open
Space Coordinator would coordinate
actions among county departments responsible for open space long range
planning, acquisition, and stewardship
programs.
Priority Two:
Space Council
Establish an Open kind of open space tax. The opinion
poll would:
The Open Space Coordinator would also
facilitate a newly created “Open Space
Council,” thereby providing the desired
County leadership and streamlining
county participation in a comprehensive
county-wide open space program. The
Open Space Council would take a more
active role in implementation of the
county’s open space programs, projects,
policies, and initiatives established by
the County Council over the last two
decades.
The Open Space Council would include
jurisdictions and stakeholders from
agencies, land trusts, and other groups
that fulfill active roles in implementation of open space programs, projects,
policies, and initiatives at local, state,
federal, and private levels. Much of the
Council’s initial work would be to oversee the implementation of the recommendations provided in the OSTF final
report.
1. Determine public support and likelihood of passage;
2. Help define the specifics of the tax
proposal including type and amount;
and
3. Identify which projects or components would insure voter approval.
A public opinion poll was conducted in
Pierce County prior to 2009 by the Trust
for Public Lands. This poll showed proposals for Open Space with trail components had a reasonable chance of passage. If the 2011 poll shows public support for an open space tax increase, then
the Open Space Council would cooperate with the County Council to place a
ballot issue before the public. In addition, the Open Space Council (and represented stakeholders) would manage a
public relations campaign to promote
voter approval for funding open space
programs and the 10-year acquisition
plan.
Priority Three: More Efficient Use of Other recommendations of the Task
Force are organized in the report under
Existing Fund Sources
the following subjects:
Many land acquisition opportunities are
lost due to limited availability of local • Revenue (market-based solutions
match funds that are flexible and readily
and public funding options)
available. There are numerous funding • Policy & Regulatory
sources available to assist with land ac• Smart Acquisition Strategies
quisition but most of them require local
matching funds. Increasing the avail- • Program Alignment
ability of local funding would provide a • Land Stewardship (Maintenance and
Operations)
missing tool that the county, land trusts,
and other stakeholders could use to • Agriculture
package and leverage collaborative ap- The OSTF believes the report presents
proaches to land acquisition and re- an opportunity for the County to invest
source protection opportunities as they minimal resources in providing simple
arise (often on short notice).
coordination among open space stakeConduct a Public holders that would effectively leverage
millions of dollars of new and existing
funding; and that the 10-year acquisition
The County Council asked the Task
plan would effectively maximize the
Force to propose new funding sources
collective efforts of multiple stakeholder
and several have been identified . Howgroups resulting in permanent benefits
ever, the first order of business for the
to the citizens and environment of
newly formed Open Space Council
Pierce County. Read the whole report at
would be to conduct a public opinion
the Pierce County Parks & Recreation
poll to determine support for the best
webpage.
Page 9
Priority Four:
Opinion Poll
The Voter
March 2012
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT
PIERCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT?
by John Thurlow
Are you aware of the work of the Pierce Conservation District? It is a public agency, chartered under state law and founded in
1949, whose function is “to make available technical, financial and educational resources, whatever their source, and focus
or coordinate them so that they meet the needs of the local land manager with conservation of soil, water and related natural
resources.” Its mission is “to protect the natural resources and sustainable agriculture of Pierce County, by empowering local individuals and communities.” The Conservation District works with landowners, municipalities, and other groups to help
with various conservation projects – helping to maintain farmland, creating rain gardens, stenciling on storm sewers that the
water drains to the Sound, etc. The Stream Team has many volunteers who conduct water quality testing throughout the District. There are opportunities to volunteer, for those who are interested.
The Conservation District has a budget of about $2M, and is funded by an assessment of $5 per parcel of land, as well as
grants from the County and the State and other conservation organizations. It works through its own staff, with some conservation contractors, and many volunteers. More information about the Conservation District, its strategic plan and its activities,
and opportunities to volunteer are found at its website: http://www.piercecountycd.org/home.html, which includes a way to
subscribe to its newsletter.
Very few people vote in its elections, at least partly because few people are aware that they are happening and how to go about
voting. This year’s election for Pierce Conservation District Supervisor will be held on March 27th. Conservation District
elections are held separately from all other elections, and being a registered voter does NOT make you a registered voter for its
elections! To register to vote in these elections, e-mail Selena Corwin ([email protected]). You must apply by 4:00
p.m. on March 6th. E-mail her your name and address and tell her that you are a registered voter. You will then receive a
mail-in ballot every year. You may also vote in person at the Conservation District office on March 27th between 4:00 p.m.
and 8:00 p.m. The District Office is located at 5430 66th Avenue East, Puyallup.
Get involved – REGISTER – VOTE – VOLUNTEER!
From the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County and Pierce Conservation District sources
Page 10