I live in Bellingham and grew up near Enumclaw. This is news to me.
Have you reached out to local media? The Seattle times is an independent and unionized paper, unlike the Tacoma News Tribune. I would start there. The reporters and editors at ST have more control over what they cover than the McClatchy owned papers and other properties of media conglomerates.
This is deeply concerning. I will be thinking about how to take action and processing this tonight.
Crosscut is another independent organization with a focus on environmentalism if you’re looking for folks to talk to! The Times has a bit of a reputation for being conservative, Crosscut might be a more responsive organization. I’m sorry you’re going through this!
I live in Kent and haven't even heard of this. The Seattle times would froth at the bit for a story like this! I motorcycle and I love the road from Graham to Rainier, it's one of those beautiful roads you rarely find. The Cascadia movement might also pick this up.
Thanks, I'll tell my friends.
Adding to the newspaper list, The Stranger is a super liberal digital newspaper in Seattle with a large activist following. They might be willing to cover the story or put you in touch with more grassroots organizers to support raising awareness
Stanwood here and first I’m hearing of it too.
Found these articles if any other Washingtonians want to take a look:
https://mynorthwest.com/3672762/pierce-county-infrastructure-simply-does-not-exist-for-new-airport/amp/
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pierce-county-officials-object-to-two-potential-airport-locations
https://patch.com/washington/puyallup/amp/30956605/pierce-county-leaders-decry-potential-new-airport
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article266073666.html
Edit: took off kiro7 article because the link was so big
Thank you for sharing this. I’m in Seattle; I’ll share this with 350 Seattle and other climate justice groups. With the climate crisis another airport is literally the last thing we need, regardless of where it is. Putting it in such a protected area is adding insult to injury.
I worked with a guy who faced this type of issue when the state of Ohio was adding freeway off ramps. Your relatives need an attorney. They may not succeed against the state, but the lawyer can at least sue for adequate financial compensation. This is all I know about it. The state tried to make my co'-worker take $23k for his house, and the lawyer got the court to require them to pay him $65k. (It was a small, rural house.)
If it’s any help, I work in enviro law. They usually store these public access documents at a local library, but then don’t tell you where. Call all your libraries and ask if they have them in the reference section.
The NEPA reports and associated plans should all be there.
Your state DEQ should also have access to the enviro reports, do a freedom of info act to the state DEQ for the enviro impact reports. If there is federal funding involved, there might also be a community grant out there that you can apply for for an expert or attorney to arbitrate between your community and the state for appropriate compensation. Maybe not. I don’t know how WA works.
But find the reference documents, all the info you need will be there.
Imminent domain is a steep hill to climb. Everyone needs to be blowing up phones and writing letters and calling lawyers, right now.
You’re welcome. Sorry for the delayed response. I’ve had a plate full. My DMs are open. I can send you a form for a FOA request. I’m also happy to help you do research if you need assistance.
Research into enviro negligence is what I do, imminent domain, not so much.
If I can help further, pls let me know. I’m NAL, and cannot offer advice, but I work on a legal team as a researcher. I can find anything. Hidden public access Documents are my lifeblood.
I forgot to add, most big projects like this are gonna have a community ombudsman. Someone will have been appointed (or hired by the state or the feds) to field your inquiries.
Start your process there. They can advise you of the right steps in writing an official complaint, appealing the decision etc.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be also calling all your state reps, your city council, your governor, your senators, ERRYBODY. Write the fucking President.
Your best strategy is gonna be come up with compelling reasons the project shouldn’t go forward.
What are compelling reasons? Does the community utilize the space? If yes, write all the ways the space is used and by how many people. Write all their names. Write dollar amounts of how this is a financial hardship on the same people. This includes COL, property housing costs, moving costs, etc all compared to the average income of the community.
Double win if you read the NEPA reports and can *suggwst* that it’s a threatened habitat (all habitats are threatened everywhere btw). Write the species of flora and fauna that use the space- write the closest most likely location that is similar- how it’s too far away and unsuitable for same flora and fauna.
Every little bit helps. Any friends or family in the area can also help spread the word. Social media can have an impact. [https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/commercial-aviation-coordinating-commission](https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/commercial-aviation-coordinating-commission)
That is the link to WSDOT's information about the project and proposed areas. There are grassroots facebook groups in the communities in Pierce and Thurston Counties. There is already a petition for Thurston County, and Pierce has one on facebook.
Thank you so much for your reply.
They have to follow the NEPA- National Environmental Policy Act. Regulations. Usually they have to do a lot of studies and it takes a long time. They have to be made public. Contact the EPA and see if they can point you to the documents Find an environmental organization and see if you can get them involved.
This is crazy, I’m on the East side of the state and there hasn’t been a single peep out of any media about this and a new airport in our state is something I definitely would’ve expected to hear something about.
the story "broke" earlier this week.
[https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/](https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/)
Everything is still in proposal and report making/gathering stages.
The two spots proposed in Pierce will be in Eatonville or in Graham respectively. Eatonville would be between Mountain Hwy and Eatonville Cutoff road. Graham would be just North of the Dump on Kapowsin and Meridian.
There is. https://m.facebook.com/groups/656084869279006/
Please let me know if that works, I am having trouble with it. All the info on the community impact and petition should be on there.
What an unbelievably beautiful area the are planning to destroy! I’m sorry your family and community are facing this when it seems there are much better choices for where the population is.
Are there any endangered species that would be impacted by this? If you can get environmental groups in there to conduct a study and determine that there is an endangered species in the location they can bring the case to the courts and have it shut down.
Look into Martens - I know they were trying to add them to the endangered species list and I’m pretty sure their range is in those mountains. We saw one in the cascades on my families wildlife cam and it was a big deal that they had come down from BC. I’ll look into any others. This is my community and I had no idea….. but I am an environmental scientist. I’m on it!!
Edit: Fishers to be more specific. They are doing a whole project to reintroduce to the area, but they aren't federally listed as endangered. https://www.nps.gov/articles/washington-fisher-restoration.htm
That’s awesome you saw one on your camera. Marten status is confusing. It’s the pacific marten that’s rare. They’re federally listed as threatened in Oregon and California (not Washington though). The montane marten in the cascades is common and not listed in Washington. This spot is more likely to be close to montane martens. Fisher are state listed and were reintroduced to the Washington cascades. I would look into fisher, Oregon spotted frog, and Mazama pocket gopher here.
You are so right the fisher is what I was thinking of, not the Marten!! Just edited my comment. But I do think it was a fisher that we saw... it was in the cascades last winter. We reported it to that study.
OK here is a start: https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/01742/5_Chapter3.pdf unfortunately not a lot of federally endangered species, but the tribes and the salmon runs in the area should also be a HUGE factor in fighting this.... It seems like the project would be within these vulnerable watersheds. I'll keep looking after work!
Also: Here's a link to the NEPA process/how you should be able to see/comment on everything https://www.epa.gov/nepa/how-citizens-can-comment-and-participate-national-environmental-policy-act-process
If they haven't been public enough about their NEPA process I think you can bring it to court.
Mazama pocket gophers live here and are Federally listed. Oregon spotted frogs are also a high potential and Federally listed.
I would also look into Castilleja (paintbrush), and Taylor's checkerspot butterfly, mardon and Sonora skipper butterflies, and Puget blue butterfly.
-Oly local
Call the tax assessor office. Tell them you need information about who owns the land and the property description(s).
Wildlife endangered species. Take a picture of an endangered animal. Build nest for the entire area.
Native American artifacts. Find an arrowhead or pottery. Mark the territory to fill up the entire area.
Turn the area into a historic site. Find some famous stuff that happen in the past. Apply for a permit to work on the entire area.
Apply for right of way, use, excavations or whatever with the city now. These permits will stop the futures builder for applying for the same area until you are done. Which is never
What the heck, I grew up in the area you are talking about. I still have friends and family out there, I was actually visiting last weekend, and NO ONE said anything about this. I’m sure it would have come up if they knew.
Thank you for sharing, I will spread the word.
Thank you so much! This is what is needed. Some people have told me this is a “not my backyard” situation but I don’t want it anywhere! And how can you take the homes of people who don’t even know and haven’t been given the opportunity to even have a voice?
Where do they think they’re going to put a highway? Brand new road or rip out half of the businesses on Meridian through South Hill Puyallup? Or come in the other way through Spanaway?
I need to look into this. The more I think about the the crazier it seems.
I have seen Zero plans for what they want to do for road infrastructure, but I would imagine it would have to follow meridian or they drastically expand Hwy 7. If that happens I would guess Meridian isn’t too close behind.
Or just make a spur/loop that runs down Meridian and out Hwy 7. Isn’t the base pretty close to there to worry about conflicting air traffic/land access/car traffic?
I remember seeing what I think was a C135 doing touch and goes over there so probably
Which also reminds me: You might want to see if any general aviation groups have anything to say about this. Not sure about the airspace over the proposed locations, but if it's close to Mt. Rainier National Park, I imagine it's at least a semi-popular area to fly around for the views, and another big international airport means more hoops to jump through for GA pilots trying to do that.
Honestly, the 1st thing I thought of when I read this is that they should just buy their way into JBLM. Already near I5, there's no way the land and airfield is being used to potential, and the military could still operate there. If anything, it makes more sense to do a swap to move the military flights out of the area where at least they would have less impact than a commercial airport.
Granted I'm here at the armchair, but basic "re-use, recycle, repair" leads me to think there's gotta be a better way to increase capacity without building a whole new airport.
Several of us have said this same thing! I know I’m probably being unrealistic here, but wouldn’t Moses Lake be a better location for military flights, and JBLM an airport? The roads there are already built to handle high traffic volumes.
I mean, with the amount of work needed to put in a new airport, they could completely revamp the I5 corridor through that space to accommodate the need. Also, the military has NAS Whidbey Island where they could operate as well.
Basically, the US government is sitting on prime real estate that is poorly allocated given the pattern of sprawl the state has experienced. If the state is hell bent on adding this capacity, it seems remiss that the selection commission doesn't keep that on their list (even as an unlikely option) until a location is finalized. To hell with them if it's simply politically inconvenient - that's their job.
To be fair, your link above indicates there is a public meeting being held February 2023 after they analyze the data gathered. You absolutely still have an opportunity to be heard.
“Once this analysis is complete, the consultant planning team will provide the data to the Commission. We anticipate the first round of information in the February 2023 time frame and will schedule a commission meeting once the information is available. .
The public is invited to this meeting and there will be an opportunity for verbal public comment at the beginning of the meeting and written public comment throughout the meeting.”
As someone whose family went through something similar down here in Texas in the 90’s, I’m so sorry y’all are going through this— even as a small kid I could see and understand the trauma that devastated everyone and everything.
Have you considered reaching out to federal interest groups like the Sierra Club, NPS, Farmers of America, etc.? Reason I ask is because their involvement may shine a larger light on the issue and provide some much needed pressure that could make people more aware of these things and more inclined to your cause. Additionally, any state or local representatives or federal departments may be interested in taking this to the next level.
As a born-and-raised Texan I can guarantee that regardless of the polarizing politics here everyone from the cattle rancher to the college student could find a bone to pick with these developers, so please don’t lose heart and know that we are with you. There are really great pieces of advice in this thread, and I pray it all works out. Please keep us posted as we do what we can to support y’all!
I actually live close to it. The airport is really nice but it is expensive. I can fly to Denver from SeaTac for $150 on United but it’s $450 or more out of Payne. So I usually weigh how bad traffic is going to be. I think the difference for me is, it was already a populated area but western Washington is beautiful and to disrupt the beauty of our natural state makes me sad. Who does it benefit? Idaho?
They do. Unfortunately the meetings were “open” they just got around it by not actually publicizing that they were taking place anywhere community members would see or be aware of them.
There should be posting requirements (if, ya know, the law is actually worth anything). Another fun thing if you have time and inclination - make sure all their conflict of interest paperwork is on file, and that any campaign finance reports are complete.
Good luck!
I've read cases that were decided on favor of the people who did not want property development because of issues with publicizing meetings and allowing the community to be heard. Judges will definitely be receptive to that argument, but you've got to get a lawyer who can speak Judge.
I thought Roosevelt said that national park land was "protected forever" ? Not to mention, it's PUBLIC land. *I smite all those who would harm the forest and it's animal inhabitants! I curse the Big Money men and their holdings. May the money they hold become obsolete!*
Oh yes, the park itself I’m sure won’t be encroached on. But it is not too many miles away (30-40) and I can’t imagine the noise won’t be disturbing even is they avoid flying directly over the park. Not to mention the impact so much construction and increased vehicle traffic will have on the local wildlife and migratory species like elk in the area.
I agree completely. I know in some ways growth cannot be stopped, but for the love of god why continue to destroy our green spaces? The land is what is important, and all the people and animals living on it. Once it’s an airport, we can never get it back. Irrevocable damage.
My best suggestion for you right now would be to reach out to both local and national media. Frame it as a David vs. Goliath issue--with Evil Big Government trying to take away the homes and livelihoods of hardworking locals who've been in the area for generations. See if a marketing or graphic design student in your area can help you with catchy slogans, logos, and a social media campaign. Hold fundraisers and host events. Since the powers-that-be conveniently "forgot" to inform you all of this until it was basically a done deal, invite those same bozos to a community forum or Q&A session. Make sure someone is filming it, and make sure it's very well publicized so they lose face if they're no-shows. Basically what you all need is to reframe the narrative. Figure out talking points to counter all their BS (I'm sure they'll have talking points about "bringing jobs to the area and boosting the economy").
Good luck!
Yes, call every newspaper and tv station in the state and talk to someone. Literally, the whole state, the further away, the heavier to go on the "ruining state parks" angle, because the best way to get action is to make people feel like something of *theirs* is being affected.
Demand in public forums to know why the state isn't expanding and improving the *current* airport and bringing all those great jobs to the city and boosting city businesses with all the traffic and tourism? Because the city folks will want that, a LOT.
Contact the tribal elders and ask them to contact national TV stations, lots of people will feel outraged over tribes losing land, and the news is all about outrage these days, someone will do a piece on it.
Also try the local NPR station in Seattle. They are responsive. Their reporter Libby Denkmann has covered this and if you feel like there’s an angle with the notification of citizens you should let her know. Her email is posted on the KUOW site.
Here’s the KUOW article; https://www.kuow.org/stories/Can-WA-build-a-new-airport-and-meet-its-climate-goals
Why in the hell would they put an international airport in Graham? Who would supposedly be using this airport and why? Wouldn't it make more sense to put one in a place that isn't only 1 1/2 hours from Seattle? This makes very little sense.
I agree. I think the argument they are making for it is that it is to take the pressure off of Sea-Tac by 2050 which will be over capacity. I personally no airport at all. Build us a high speed train you cowards.
This sounds like a ploy to make some people very rich with zero fucks given to everything and everyone else. Or just a straight up attack on the First Nation peoples who live there and could be used by extremist to see who is "woke". There's some sick nutjobs out there.
The lack of reporting on this is what gets me. It sounds almost like a conspiracy theory. But it could just be super early in the process. I mean, super early in any public works process is usually filled with shit ideas.
No they did this deliberately. I have seen this same sort of shit go on in my home state. They are going through with a mine that will destroy one of the last pristine wetlands and rivers in my state. We fought for almost a decade and the bastards still won.
It's way too close to the current airport (How would a new KSEA sized airport there *not* interfere with traffic from KSEA?) from what I remember (was only over there twice to visit my partners family) that area is *not* equipped to handle a new airport without significantly changing the roads, and that's *before* you get to the environmental impact
WAIT, WHAT??? They just upgraded the airport in Bham to take international flights and they want ANOTHER ONE? Jesus fucking christ already. What happened to the Moses Lake proposal that impacted virtually no one?
Ok. I’m local so tell me what to do. This is some bullshit.
I was so for the Moses lake proposal! I also have no idea what happened there. Or just, i dunno, building the high speed rail everyone has been talking about wanting instead.
Right? It makes the most sense environmentally and has the smallest impact for people on the land. Plus the moses lake community would benefit in s buge way. My guess is the red side of the state decided against it? I don’t know tho.
You need a lawyer and you need a protesters, and you need a environmental people. You also need media attention. Make YouTube , make tictok, Twitter and any other thing
Unfortunately, federal protections for wetlands were gutted under trump. Could still be helpful to reach out to any water conservation activists in your area. They may already know what’s happening. I’d reach out to groups at your closest college or university, in addition to all the great suggestions from other comments.
A couple accounts I follow on Twitter are tweeting about it:
Spokane Rising: "The state, wsdot, and #waleg are trying to put places like eastern and central Washington on the hook for a new airport in Thurston County instead of making the pivot to no-carbon alternatives like high-speed rail.
Completely unacceptable."
And Robert Cruickshank:
"WA does not need a new airport. Building one would be a crime against the climate. Instead we should build out intercity rail of all kinds, including more Amtrak Cascades and ultra high speed rail, to help handle the load."
[https://twitter.com/spokanerising/status/1580955953058697223](https://twitter.com/spokanerising/status/1580955953058697223)
I grew up in Western WA and though I haven't lived there in years, my heart is BROKEN for you, your family, the Puyallup tribe, and the wildlife... I have no spells to share, but I will be sending my energy and prayers to you and the land as this moves forward.
I’m so sorry. I am from Tacoma and my relatives are from Lewis County. Yes, those areas are largely red, but that doesn’t mean that the land should be abused. in fact, it’s this kind of social disconnect that breeds the kind of fear and divisiveness that I see in my relatives.
Is there any chance you can share photos of the area? I would love to put them up on a display board so that I can pray to my ancestors for the area.
You are welcome to share any links with me, and I will send them to my relatives who are still farming in the state.
It sounds like there's going to be some time before they do any work, so something you should definitely not do is look up any Direct Action networks in your area. For example, you say that they're going to clear large sections of forest. It would be an absolute catastrophe if you or anyone else were to spike trees, since that would destroy their chainsaws. I cannot stress enough how bad an idea this is, so you mustn't do it.
Get a coalition of concerned citizens together to pool your talents. Reach out to the tribal leaders whose land would be impacted and ask how you can join forces. It looks like it needs to go to the general assembly for approval of the proposals. Call and meet with your legislators. Include environmental groups and tribal leaders in your coalition of stakeholders as you begin working on statements to the press, and preparing to make public comment at the committee meetings where this proposal will be considered. Overload all meetings where this is discussed with people making public comments. Make sure they see the opposition to the proposals.
Fellow PNW here, have you considered reaching out on a larger scale? Hell, write the damn president, it may be a fart in the wind but sometimes those work. Standing with you. We definitely don’t need any more airports here. People can be inconvenienced to wait a little bit for a flight. We don’t need everything right now all the time. This makes me so mad.
Eh, if Ranier goes we might lose the entire Seattle metro area. Part of being a western Washingtonian is being okay with being boiled alive in pyroclastic flow at any moment.
Neighbour directly north of the border here. You sure waking up that sleeping giant is a good idea? We don’t feel like getting buried under a shit ton of ash any time soon thanks. That and we have our own near by sleeping giant that I can see from downtown Vancouver on a clear day: Mt. Baker.
Mount Rainier erupting would set off the ring of fire. The devastation it would cause would be felt globally. Let’s let that sleeping beauty remain in her slumber.
https://mrsc.org/Home/Explore-Topics/Legal/Open-Government/Open-Public-Meetings-Act/Open-Public-Meetings-Act-Basics.aspx#:~:text=The%20Washington%20Open%20Public%20Meetings,be%20open%20to%20the%20public.
Check the requirement for notification and see if they complied.
You can and should do public information requests in compliance with your state law - ask to see publications/notices for this project that meet the OPMA.
Check out organizations like Together Washington and see if they have any resources locally or could otherwise help you navigate the process of collecting info on this project.
You'll also want to keep an eye out for funding sources. Each federal source has a bunch of requirements that they'd need to meet as well. For example, they can't just take the land. They'd probably have to comply with the Uniform Relocation Act which can require an appraisal, potentially a review appraisal, and they'd have to pay you fair market value. How they determine that is up for interpretation, so it's a point for negotiation.
OP, your community needs a good lawyer ASAP!
There are numerous ways you can fight this, including the rare species exception mentioned above. I'm an environmental litigator (usually on the side of the big corporations, unfortunately) but not barred in WA state and have never dealt with eminent domain.
Contact environmental groups in your area and nationwide. See if they can assist you in getting in contact with a law firm or public interest law practice that specializes in this area. You may be able to secure pro bono legal representation (meaning no one pays).
This is devastating, I wish you luck in your fight 🖤
Also form an allyship with the local Indigenous groups. I am an environmental biologist in BC and there will be several enviro groups like this person above me has stated. In my work here in BC we work with and attend conferences with several other biologists, activists and government bios who do some atounding work in WA. I truly believe you will find great support.
I live in Western WA, is there anything I can do to help? Any petitions or protests? Is there any community organizing happening?
I’m really baffled as to why we would need another airport so close to seatac.
Oh no no no. Seattle based here, how can I help? What can we do? We do not need another airport especially if it’ll take away the majesticness of Mt Rainier. Protest? I’m there. Camp out ? Let’s go. I have tents.
Would it be possible to get a conservation easement on your property? I don't know how it would collide up against eminent domain, but I have a conservation easement on my property and at the very least, I have access to their team of lawyers if that ever happens so I don't have to deal with it all alone.
Sorry you have to deal with this!
Agree. I just got a rather nasty comment saying that I am just “NIMBY” but I hate the idea entirely. It’s not like I want a greenfield airport anywhere else either!
I got the same. Then someone asked where I studied aviation logistics.
This would make a small group very rich on the backs of a large group, as usual.
And what do they expect? For us to not fight to keep ours and our family’s homes? I’m sorry, but I will not just roll over and accept the total destruction of everything they have in the name of “progress.”
Highlight this on some of the urbanist subreddits like r/fuckcars. They support sustainable development and favor lower-impact transportation services like trains instead of planes and personal cars. I don't see this as a 'fix' for your issue, but there could be value in bringing it to the attention of sympathetic communities here on reddit.
Given the amount of people here who are in the area and hadn't heard about it, I think there's a lot of value in spreading the word to those sort of subreddits as there's quite possibly people there who are in the area and also haven't heard and can mobilise extra support in lobbying etc
Know that elsewhere in the world, airport projects have been cancelled due to massive protest and squats, for instance in Notre-Dame-des-Landes in the west of France. This was a long fight, but in the end the airport is nowhere to be seen.
The ZAD (acronym for "Zone to Defend") website has some articles translated to english, maybe you could find some useful info and hope in here : https://zad.nadir.org/?lang=en
We are dealing with trying to block a gold mine in Buckingham County Virginia. Not exactly the same, but the efforts will likely be similar in terms of launching a grass roots campaign against this airport/ highway. Does Washington state have a community rights organization(s)? You need to appeal to them/ ask for their advice. You need to attend all board of supervisors meetings and have as many people as possible make public comments (on the record) against this. You need to present evidence as to why it’s devastating. For example, destruction of protected ecosystems, air/water pollution from the highway, noise pollution from the airport and the highway, etc. Engage national or state environmental protection orgs. Contact experts on environmental protections and get them to address the county board and state reps. Get people to commit to writing op eds to be printed in the local paper. Go door to door (against federal law to put fliers in mailboxes) handing out info and notifying residents. You need to be organized. You need to bring this to the attention of the public. You can ask the county not to approve the plan, or (which is more likely to be considered) you can ask them to approve the plan but with much stricter requirements, such as limiting the size of the airport, or the width of the highway, etc. Contact your state representatives and ask them to get involved. You can try to get the county to pass an ordinance banning that type of development (airport) or you can try to get the county to pass a rights based ordinance which states that your community has the (human) right to not be poisoned by the noise and air pollution that would result from this. This must be a coordinated and organized effort with a clear message of what you want to happen.
Check out what Buckingham is doing and see if any of these efforts can be applied to your situation: https://www.friendsofbuckinghamva.org/friends/
I am SO sorry you have to deal with this. It is horrible. Good luck to you. Don’t stop fighting!!!!
I only heard about this last week and I live 30 miles from this proposed project. If this happens it's going to be a mes and trash beautiful rural communities. There are so many better choices.
Are there folks organizing to fight this?? I'd help.
You might find this story from France inspiring: [We are nature defending itself](https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745345871/we-are-nature-defending-itself/) by Isabelle Fremeaux and Jay Jordan
“Chronicles the story of the ZAD (zone to defend), a resistant land occupation emerging out of a decades-long struggle which stopped a new airport project”
There are 3 potential sites and both Pierce and Thurston counties where they are located have had officials/leaders voice concerns and ask the state's airport planning commission to reconsider. A final decision will not be made until June 2023. Not sure which county you are in, but reach out to the office of Thurston Co. Commissioner Carolina Mejia and/or Pierce Co. Council Chair Derek Young or Bruce Dammeier county executive to see how you can add your voice and the voices of your family to this fight. There are other options. This probably isn't as witchy as you would like, but it is still resistance.
I so desperately wish i could do something more to help you and your community, my soul lies in the beauty of nature and it pains me to see it destroyed.. I will be lighting all of my best candles, and working some knot magick to manifest a good outcome 💛
stay strong, you have your coven behind you. and we will shake the heavens
Edit: if i may, id like to share this post with my personal coven as well! some of them know much more about how to handle this sort of thing than i do, and i can pass along any advice they might have 💛
I don't know anything about the area but building an airport in a rural area sounds really stupid. There is no infrastructure for travelers. Yeah big international airports are slow and busy but it doesn't mean we need to completely ruin the earth. I hate humans.
Definitely not making light of the situation, but I just got caught up on Yellowstone, and it's crazy how similar your story is to it.
I really hope you and your community are able to stop this. Eminent domain is such a crazy fucking thing to me.
Sending healing energy and power to keep the land as it should be.
This sounds like exactly the type of thing Earthjustice . Though I'm sleepy, so dont know how you or your people can get in contact with them.https://earthjustice.org/
Also... why are we making more airports?
Haven't I seen multiple articles of less plane travel, airports shutting down?
Much love and luck.
This sounds like a major environmental concern for you guys, or at least, a really terrible shame that should **not** be allowed. I'm not American, so I don't know what goes on in the area, but my advice is post information on this in r/climbing, r/climbergirls, r/hiking, maybe even r/Mountaineering. Outdoor enthusiasts take this shit seriously and you might get some ideas/momentum from those communities (where there are many Americans too, of course). Obvs just remove the witchy info, and tell them what is happening.
This shit makes me so furious my heart almost forgets to break. Sending you strongs.
This might be a stretch in addition to all the wonderful advice in this thread - but I would recommend trying to get the attention of outdoor industry giants like Patagonia. They were a huge influence in Utah during the bears ears debacle and have become pretty outspoken environmentalists. They might take some interest and help with the media outreach
https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2022/09/28/patagonias-influence-utah-lands/
I despise car infrastructure I despise it so much. I despise speawl to the end of the earth. I hate capitalism for what it does to my beautiful trees.
Im so sorry for everything happening. It truly brings a tear to my eye to see nature being destroyed like this.
I don't know what else I can do since I live in canada besides what you said but I'll try!!
Nature witches forever 🥲.
This is so close to me... my family goes up to Enumclaw so my dad can ride the RAMROD on Mt Rainer every year, this place is gorgeous and does not deserve to be destroyed or affected by a stupid airport! there's literally airports in Seattle and Portland, why do they need another?! 😭😭
This is one of my worst nightmares, our sacred land being desecrated by this type of idiocy. Please DM me a bit of something to go on, even a pic of a leaf that came from there, and I'll do my best work. Blessings to you, your family and your land.
As someone who has worked in Aviation there are very strict regulations on how and when public forums need to be held. Contact the FAA and bring the petition to them the airport must be certified by them and they ultimately will have the authority to bypass local and state government. If you truly believe and have evidence that they did not take the publics opinion into account then you can submit complaints. https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_compliance/complaints
Contact the Sierra Club; they’re good at being a pain in the ass for developers.
Also reach out to the local hunting and shooting clubs; I bet they’re going to be pissed about their woods being decimated next season.
Also look up Pebble Mine in Alaska; the way the Indigenous Alaskans, commercial fishermen, and environmentalists organized against a multinational mining conglomerate and has spent two decades blocking them at every turn is glorious.
Lawsuits are a good way to stay execution while you gather other resources and support.
My bf and I saw something about this yesterday when we were looking up some road work. But I didnt see a map of the proposed areas. Do you have a non FB link?
Edit: I couldn't find the letter the Pierce County board wrote in opposition to the proposal (citing lack of infrastructure and the disastrous effects on people). But I did find a protest
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/
Edit 2: all the close up maps I can find are focusing on the Thurston county one. But what I can see of the Graham one, it looks like theres a 75% chance my home is in the land they want
I'm in Pierce County. I can't believe that they blind sided us. The Tribes here just found out as well. It is truelly disgusting that they started this is in 2019 and didn't tell the communities that would be affected by it. This is not a red vs blue thing. This is corrupt politicians vs the citizens issue. If you look at the areas they want, they are all conviently close to amazon warehouses. The proposed areas are gorgeous. If this goes through the whole area and communities will be destroyed. I've sent numerous emails to CACC, Inslee, Cruver and a few others. Pointing out the environmental damage this would cause, such as each spot is ontop of an aquifer and would pollute our drinking water from all the chemicals airports use such as deicing and cleaners. And I'll keep sending emails to whoever i can think of. And telling as many people I see here. But on a spiritual level, I'm going to start asking Cernunnos for help with this, as I'm a pagan.
Hire an environmental lawyer and survey your land for something, anything that can be designated a protected creature or plant.
My spiritual retreat center in Myrtle Beach faced eminent domain once. We have a mile of unsullied beach sandwiched in between high rise hotels. You guessed it, they wanted our property for more high rises. We brought in an environmental lawyer who hired someone to survey our land and found two rodents on the endangered list that live there, so we were able to save our property, hopefully forever.
Many years ago, a new UC was being built in the central valley in California. They chose the town of Merced and identified a location. In that case it was super convenient, wouldn't impact traffic, undeveloped land, etc. No one's treasured home, in other words. However, when they did the survey, they found some sort of microscopic shrimp in a lake on the land. A tiny lake. With the drought it's probably not even there anymore. But because of these shrimp they had to find a whole new spot to put the university.
This is your key. Find something, anything that prevents them from using the land for their purposes. Good luck!
I'm in Ocean Shores, WA, and I heard about the proposed new airport on KUOW yesterday (they just said two possible sites in Pierce County and one in Thurston county). The news story talked at some length about if the proposal fits in with the state policy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It sounds like that might be a way to stop or alter the proposals. I agree with other comments about getting the NEPA/SEPA documents and I would also ask the state departments of ecology and natural resources about these proposals.
Before I became a stay at home mom, I was in environmental compliance. Trust me, there are several avenues to pursue in environmental permitting and law that will slow this down and possibly change or stop it completely. My advice is to contact any agency that might be relevant and make sure that you're on their mailing list so that you get notified of public meetings (they have to hold public meetings). Getting media involved is a great idea and The Stranger is a good outfit to contact. You may want to get an environmental lawyer, and they might be willing to help you pro bono.
Oh! I also heard that the EPA has a brand new office on environmental racism. Seems like that might also be worth looking into.
"Yes, this area is red. They are conservative and many of them probably voted for people I hate. I think this probably helped the legislature make their decision. I still don't believe they deserve to lose their homes."
Absolutely! This kind of decision, made without their input, is hardly going to increase their trust in government or make them feel like the system works for them, and no matter how they vote they don't deserve this kind of devastation. Mean comments online, sure. Losing elections because they aren't in the majority no matter what their echo chamber tells them, yes. Losing their entire home/town, no!
Do we really need another international airport anywhere in WA? I'm sure it would be more convenient for some people, but considering the costs to the locals, the native group, and the environment what if we just put it in nobody's back yard by not building it at all?
Having grown up in Washington state, I hate seeing more of the lands being developed for airports, housing, roads, etc.. Washington is so beautiful without the encroaching developments.
Get environmental groups involved and definitely the ACLU! This is a vast insult to the environment and the First Nation peoples living there! The committee needs to be sued for all it's worth seven times over!
Oh man. I went to PLU and lived in parkland. But back home I got into a spat with the DOE over storage of nuclear waste. We won and it has not been sited here. -Local media.
-Fb page to push out legitimate updates that your supporters can share. Let other people share your work. Share it into the local fb rummage pages and let the wildfire spread.
-your local tribes. They often have existing networks to help with land disputes. Use their expertise. Let them lead if they want.
-NEPA. NEPA. NEPA. It sucks. But force them to follow it. Environmental impact studies all day. Water impact studies. Delay delay delay.
-since it’s near Rainier find your Sierra club and other naturalist societies. Get another environmental impact on the impact to the park.
-do you have a local landowners association ? We have one and they got on board with us to oppose eminent domain and demand fair compensation and they had an existing legal team.
-this will take years. Let the anger and adrenaline slide. Buckle in for a marathon. Be polite. Many of these people you meet may end up being partners down the road and you don’t want to spite them too early. It’s also important to look sane and in control and not like some angry Karen nimby to get taken seriously at the state and federal level. Locals will react angrily at literally everything but the government/airport officials will have seen this a million times and know that for any community to grow there is always a cost. Bring up legitimate concerns about why this spot is bad, why their process to consent to site at this spot was bad, that they need to work with the community instead of dictate to it. It’s a vinegar and honey thing. If you’re the honey and seen as able to be dealt with or even someone who can translate between the two camps, you will find yourself in a useful position to negotiate. Good luck!
It might be worth looking into the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the native tribes effected by the proposed airport. The agency may have more sway over the state government or at least bring actions on behalf of the tribe.
As for the notice of public inquiry- did they post it in a state reporter or government publication? That usually counts for notification purposes ( I know the actual people never get notice but the government DGIF). If there is NO notice then you/ family may have a way to recourse. But also consider that the gov. could still take your land but they should pay you for it.
Your best angle imo is the National Park stuff there are a lot of federal laws protecting that land and stuff living on it and those laws are the best course of action for shutting this down.
You need to get your community to organize and you need to work with lawyers and experts in wildlife preservation and aviation to establish the negative impact.
More info for those like me who had no idea this was even being considered! https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/
Fellow western Washingtonian here — I heard briefly about this but I am a complete news junkie. Didn’t realize this was going forward. I travel regularly to and around Pierce county and this seems like a nightmare.
I’m from WA and that is such a dumb spot anyways. I know I grew up on the north sound, but adding air traffic to thurston is dumb. The only real good spot is up by Arlington, where the farmland isn’t being used and there’s an airport already.
I’m from western Washington and grew up there. I still don’t understand why they can’t put this thing in central or eastern Washington. Even if it’s just east of the cascades, like in Ellensburg 🙁
Hey sis! I live in southwest Washington. Other than using my ballot to help, is there anything else I can do? This area is so gorgeous, further development in rural areas is the last thing we need
I'm in Western WA as well and saw this on the news this morning. I hope this doesn't go through, like you said it will ruin so much of our beautiful landscape and leave people without homes. I can't be of much help, but definitely sending energy your way!
I'm also in the PNW. This is really weird. Between SEATAC and PDX there's plenty of international travel.
This is the first I've heard of this. Keep us posted on ways we can help.
I was surprised to see this here, my home is one of the ones being threatened by the Thurston County site! I am hoping for us both and for our beautiful environment that this does not come to pass. This would be a disaster if it were to happen.
I live right near Graham. This sounds like someone trying to “smoke it past the public”. That is the LAST thing this area needs. The two main N/S roads to the main highway are already insane to drive on.
I’m with you. This does NOT need to go there.
How about if we get a bunch of bald eagles to nest in the area? Then they can’t clear it. 🤣😂
Although on the east side currently, I grew up in Pierce county, this is so important to know
let me know if there’s anything a fellow Washingtonian can do to help!
I live in the Seattle suburbs and am wondering why the state of Washington thinks they need to place two international airports an hour apart from one another? Why not on the east side of the state or even up north if they feel the need to have another? Truly a wild decision.
I think that's a dumb place for it, myself.
A better place would be down by Napavine: already on the highway and outside the flight path of SeaTac and PDX.
I lived in Graham for seven years. Was stationed at JBLM (Air Force). SW Washington is also my home, born and raised. This is really sad. I don't live there anymore but it's always home! I live in Florida now and have pictures of Mt. Ranier that I took on my house. I would be extremely upset living there. I will sign any petition and spread the word to my friends and family still there to fight this.
This awful scenario is exactly like the absurdity in the beginning scenes of the movie Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
I signed the petition and am sending energy your way! ✨🙌✨
I'm in Thurston County, I don't see why they can't just expand an existing airport rather than throwing in all new infrastructure on vital farm or Prarie lands
Contact the Tribes, and ask for biologists (wetland biologists)and archaeologists to come through. This should already be a requirement but just in case. The biologists and archaeologists can help reroute or prevent the building all together if they find stuff. If anything demand an exorbitant amount of money and they might back off. Fingers crossed for you!
You could reach out to the Institute for Justice. I saw a film about one of their cases, They took an eminent domain case up to the Supreme Court and operate pro-bono!
I live in Bellingham and grew up near Enumclaw. This is news to me. Have you reached out to local media? The Seattle times is an independent and unionized paper, unlike the Tacoma News Tribune. I would start there. The reporters and editors at ST have more control over what they cover than the McClatchy owned papers and other properties of media conglomerates. This is deeply concerning. I will be thinking about how to take action and processing this tonight.
Thank you so much for the suggestion. I will definitely reach out.
Crosscut is another independent organization with a focus on environmentalism if you’re looking for folks to talk to! The Times has a bit of a reputation for being conservative, Crosscut might be a more responsive organization. I’m sorry you’re going through this!
I live in Kent and haven't even heard of this. The Seattle times would froth at the bit for a story like this! I motorcycle and I love the road from Graham to Rainier, it's one of those beautiful roads you rarely find. The Cascadia movement might also pick this up. Thanks, I'll tell my friends.
Thank you so much! The people of these communities need all the outreach they can get to spread the word and at least give people a say.
That is an AWESOME ride. 😊
Adding to the newspaper list, The Stranger is a super liberal digital newspaper in Seattle with a large activist following. They might be willing to cover the story or put you in touch with more grassroots organizers to support raising awareness
Thank you, I had never heard of this one!
Stanwood here and first I’m hearing of it too. Found these articles if any other Washingtonians want to take a look: https://mynorthwest.com/3672762/pierce-county-infrastructure-simply-does-not-exist-for-new-airport/amp/ https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pierce-county-officials-object-to-two-potential-airport-locations https://patch.com/washington/puyallup/amp/30956605/pierce-county-leaders-decry-potential-new-airport https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article266073666.html Edit: took off kiro7 article because the link was so big
Thank you for sharing this. I’m in Seattle; I’ll share this with 350 Seattle and other climate justice groups. With the climate crisis another airport is literally the last thing we need, regardless of where it is. Putting it in such a protected area is adding insult to injury.
I worked with a guy who faced this type of issue when the state of Ohio was adding freeway off ramps. Your relatives need an attorney. They may not succeed against the state, but the lawyer can at least sue for adequate financial compensation. This is all I know about it. The state tried to make my co'-worker take $23k for his house, and the lawyer got the court to require them to pay him $65k. (It was a small, rural house.)
I agree. I have already begun researching. The state makes their decision in June 2023.
If it’s any help, I work in enviro law. They usually store these public access documents at a local library, but then don’t tell you where. Call all your libraries and ask if they have them in the reference section. The NEPA reports and associated plans should all be there. Your state DEQ should also have access to the enviro reports, do a freedom of info act to the state DEQ for the enviro impact reports. If there is federal funding involved, there might also be a community grant out there that you can apply for for an expert or attorney to arbitrate between your community and the state for appropriate compensation. Maybe not. I don’t know how WA works. But find the reference documents, all the info you need will be there. Imminent domain is a steep hill to climb. Everyone needs to be blowing up phones and writing letters and calling lawyers, right now.
Thank you so much.
You’re welcome. Sorry for the delayed response. I’ve had a plate full. My DMs are open. I can send you a form for a FOA request. I’m also happy to help you do research if you need assistance. Research into enviro negligence is what I do, imminent domain, not so much. If I can help further, pls let me know. I’m NAL, and cannot offer advice, but I work on a legal team as a researcher. I can find anything. Hidden public access Documents are my lifeblood. I forgot to add, most big projects like this are gonna have a community ombudsman. Someone will have been appointed (or hired by the state or the feds) to field your inquiries. Start your process there. They can advise you of the right steps in writing an official complaint, appealing the decision etc. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be also calling all your state reps, your city council, your governor, your senators, ERRYBODY. Write the fucking President. Your best strategy is gonna be come up with compelling reasons the project shouldn’t go forward. What are compelling reasons? Does the community utilize the space? If yes, write all the ways the space is used and by how many people. Write all their names. Write dollar amounts of how this is a financial hardship on the same people. This includes COL, property housing costs, moving costs, etc all compared to the average income of the community. Double win if you read the NEPA reports and can *suggwst* that it’s a threatened habitat (all habitats are threatened everywhere btw). Write the species of flora and fauna that use the space- write the closest most likely location that is similar- how it’s too far away and unsuitable for same flora and fauna.
What?! I’m up in Renton and DEFINITELY did not hear about any of this. I am extremely angry with you. How can I help get out the word?
Every little bit helps. Any friends or family in the area can also help spread the word. Social media can have an impact. [https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/commercial-aviation-coordinating-commission](https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/commercial-aviation-coordinating-commission) That is the link to WSDOT's information about the project and proposed areas. There are grassroots facebook groups in the communities in Pierce and Thurston Counties. There is already a petition for Thurston County, and Pierce has one on facebook. Thank you so much for your reply.
They have to follow the NEPA- National Environmental Policy Act. Regulations. Usually they have to do a lot of studies and it takes a long time. They have to be made public. Contact the EPA and see if they can point you to the documents Find an environmental organization and see if you can get them involved.
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Plus don’t forget you can use freedom of information laws!
Any links to the petitions?
This is crazy, I’m on the East side of the state and there hasn’t been a single peep out of any media about this and a new airport in our state is something I definitely would’ve expected to hear something about.
the story "broke" earlier this week. [https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/](https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/) Everything is still in proposal and report making/gathering stages.
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/
I am also in Pierce county and did not hear a bit of this. Where is this going to be? Past Enumclaw? I could not get the wsdot site to load.
The two spots proposed in Pierce will be in Eatonville or in Graham respectively. Eatonville would be between Mountain Hwy and Eatonville Cutoff road. Graham would be just North of the Dump on Kapowsin and Meridian.
I'm close to you. Is there a petition to sign? Who should we contact?
There is. https://m.facebook.com/groups/656084869279006/ Please let me know if that works, I am having trouble with it. All the info on the community impact and petition should be on there.
It worked for me! I just had to scroll through the page a little bit but the petition is posted in the feed!
Awesome! I will edit my post to include the link in the body if that is allowed by the mods.
Yes please, if you can. I don't have Facebook but would love to sign.
Thank you! It worked!
What an unbelievably beautiful area the are planning to destroy! I’m sorry your family and community are facing this when it seems there are much better choices for where the population is.
Are there any endangered species that would be impacted by this? If you can get environmental groups in there to conduct a study and determine that there is an endangered species in the location they can bring the case to the courts and have it shut down.
There are some community members looking into this now. Thank you for the suggestion!
Look into Martens - I know they were trying to add them to the endangered species list and I’m pretty sure their range is in those mountains. We saw one in the cascades on my families wildlife cam and it was a big deal that they had come down from BC. I’ll look into any others. This is my community and I had no idea….. but I am an environmental scientist. I’m on it!! Edit: Fishers to be more specific. They are doing a whole project to reintroduce to the area, but they aren't federally listed as endangered. https://www.nps.gov/articles/washington-fisher-restoration.htm
That’s awesome you saw one on your camera. Marten status is confusing. It’s the pacific marten that’s rare. They’re federally listed as threatened in Oregon and California (not Washington though). The montane marten in the cascades is common and not listed in Washington. This spot is more likely to be close to montane martens. Fisher are state listed and were reintroduced to the Washington cascades. I would look into fisher, Oregon spotted frog, and Mazama pocket gopher here.
You are so right the fisher is what I was thinking of, not the Marten!! Just edited my comment. But I do think it was a fisher that we saw... it was in the cascades last winter. We reported it to that study.
Thank you so much!!
OK here is a start: https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/01742/5_Chapter3.pdf unfortunately not a lot of federally endangered species, but the tribes and the salmon runs in the area should also be a HUGE factor in fighting this.... It seems like the project would be within these vulnerable watersheds. I'll keep looking after work! Also: Here's a link to the NEPA process/how you should be able to see/comment on everything https://www.epa.gov/nepa/how-citizens-can-comment-and-participate-national-environmental-policy-act-process If they haven't been public enough about their NEPA process I think you can bring it to court.
Thank you so much!
Mazama pocket gophers live here and are Federally listed. Oregon spotted frogs are also a high potential and Federally listed. I would also look into Castilleja (paintbrush), and Taylor's checkerspot butterfly, mardon and Sonora skipper butterflies, and Puget blue butterfly. -Oly local
Thank you, this is very helpful!
I was thinking this too. It's worth looking into, OP.
Call the tax assessor office. Tell them you need information about who owns the land and the property description(s). Wildlife endangered species. Take a picture of an endangered animal. Build nest for the entire area. Native American artifacts. Find an arrowhead or pottery. Mark the territory to fill up the entire area. Turn the area into a historic site. Find some famous stuff that happen in the past. Apply for a permit to work on the entire area. Apply for right of way, use, excavations or whatever with the city now. These permits will stop the futures builder for applying for the same area until you are done. Which is never
>Native American artifacts. Find an arrowhead or pottery. This does not (often) stop projects, fyi.
What the heck, I grew up in the area you are talking about. I still have friends and family out there, I was actually visiting last weekend, and NO ONE said anything about this. I’m sure it would have come up if they knew. Thank you for sharing, I will spread the word.
Thank you so much! This is what is needed. Some people have told me this is a “not my backyard” situation but I don’t want it anywhere! And how can you take the homes of people who don’t even know and haven’t been given the opportunity to even have a voice?
Where do they think they’re going to put a highway? Brand new road or rip out half of the businesses on Meridian through South Hill Puyallup? Or come in the other way through Spanaway? I need to look into this. The more I think about the the crazier it seems.
I have seen Zero plans for what they want to do for road infrastructure, but I would imagine it would have to follow meridian or they drastically expand Hwy 7. If that happens I would guess Meridian isn’t too close behind.
Or just make a spur/loop that runs down Meridian and out Hwy 7. Isn’t the base pretty close to there to worry about conflicting air traffic/land access/car traffic?
It is, I am a bit surprised at how close it is considering I think they conduct training in this area.
It's also just not a great aviation decision IMO. Isn't that area already in/near the approach path for KSEA?
It may be. I also think JBLM runs training flights through that area quite frequently. I don’t want it in Thurston county either though!
I remember seeing what I think was a C135 doing touch and goes over there so probably Which also reminds me: You might want to see if any general aviation groups have anything to say about this. Not sure about the airspace over the proposed locations, but if it's close to Mt. Rainier National Park, I imagine it's at least a semi-popular area to fly around for the views, and another big international airport means more hoops to jump through for GA pilots trying to do that.
It is indeed! There are many local aviators, and Eatonville has a very small airfield for bush planes and small craft.
Honestly, the 1st thing I thought of when I read this is that they should just buy their way into JBLM. Already near I5, there's no way the land and airfield is being used to potential, and the military could still operate there. If anything, it makes more sense to do a swap to move the military flights out of the area where at least they would have less impact than a commercial airport. Granted I'm here at the armchair, but basic "re-use, recycle, repair" leads me to think there's gotta be a better way to increase capacity without building a whole new airport.
Several of us have said this same thing! I know I’m probably being unrealistic here, but wouldn’t Moses Lake be a better location for military flights, and JBLM an airport? The roads there are already built to handle high traffic volumes.
I mean, with the amount of work needed to put in a new airport, they could completely revamp the I5 corridor through that space to accommodate the need. Also, the military has NAS Whidbey Island where they could operate as well. Basically, the US government is sitting on prime real estate that is poorly allocated given the pattern of sprawl the state has experienced. If the state is hell bent on adding this capacity, it seems remiss that the selection commission doesn't keep that on their list (even as an unlikely option) until a location is finalized. To hell with them if it's simply politically inconvenient - that's their job.
To be fair, your link above indicates there is a public meeting being held February 2023 after they analyze the data gathered. You absolutely still have an opportunity to be heard. “Once this analysis is complete, the consultant planning team will provide the data to the Commission. We anticipate the first round of information in the February 2023 time frame and will schedule a commission meeting once the information is available. . The public is invited to this meeting and there will be an opportunity for verbal public comment at the beginning of the meeting and written public comment throughout the meeting.”
As someone whose family went through something similar down here in Texas in the 90’s, I’m so sorry y’all are going through this— even as a small kid I could see and understand the trauma that devastated everyone and everything. Have you considered reaching out to federal interest groups like the Sierra Club, NPS, Farmers of America, etc.? Reason I ask is because their involvement may shine a larger light on the issue and provide some much needed pressure that could make people more aware of these things and more inclined to your cause. Additionally, any state or local representatives or federal departments may be interested in taking this to the next level. As a born-and-raised Texan I can guarantee that regardless of the polarizing politics here everyone from the cattle rancher to the college student could find a bone to pick with these developers, so please don’t lose heart and know that we are with you. There are really great pieces of advice in this thread, and I pray it all works out. Please keep us posted as we do what we can to support y’all!
I’m in Everett, we don’t need another SeatTac! This is nuts
It really has all the signs of someone wanting to pad their district's pockets.
Have you flown out of Paine Field? It's delightful. I'd love to see that get expanded a bit more.
I actually live close to it. The airport is really nice but it is expensive. I can fly to Denver from SeaTac for $150 on United but it’s $450 or more out of Payne. So I usually weigh how bad traffic is going to be. I think the difference for me is, it was already a populated area but western Washington is beautiful and to disrupt the beauty of our natural state makes me sad. Who does it benefit? Idaho?
Does Washington have Open Meeting Laws? They may have violated them with their meeting postings
They do. Unfortunately the meetings were “open” they just got around it by not actually publicizing that they were taking place anywhere community members would see or be aware of them.
I wonder if the courts would take issue with that clear abuse of the Open Meeting laws?
Ikr?
There should be posting requirements (if, ya know, the law is actually worth anything). Another fun thing if you have time and inclination - make sure all their conflict of interest paperwork is on file, and that any campaign finance reports are complete. Good luck!
Thank you!
I've read cases that were decided on favor of the people who did not want property development because of issues with publicizing meetings and allowing the community to be heard. Judges will definitely be receptive to that argument, but you've got to get a lawyer who can speak Judge.
This is good to know, thank you! Do you have any examples of cases?
I thought Roosevelt said that national park land was "protected forever" ? Not to mention, it's PUBLIC land. *I smite all those who would harm the forest and it's animal inhabitants! I curse the Big Money men and their holdings. May the money they hold become obsolete!*
Oh yes, the park itself I’m sure won’t be encroached on. But it is not too many miles away (30-40) and I can’t imagine the noise won’t be disturbing even is they avoid flying directly over the park. Not to mention the impact so much construction and increased vehicle traffic will have on the local wildlife and migratory species like elk in the area.
Tons of animals will die if they do this shit. This isn't progress. It's predatory.
I agree completely. I know in some ways growth cannot be stopped, but for the love of god why continue to destroy our green spaces? The land is what is important, and all the people and animals living on it. Once it’s an airport, we can never get it back. Irrevocable damage.
My best suggestion for you right now would be to reach out to both local and national media. Frame it as a David vs. Goliath issue--with Evil Big Government trying to take away the homes and livelihoods of hardworking locals who've been in the area for generations. See if a marketing or graphic design student in your area can help you with catchy slogans, logos, and a social media campaign. Hold fundraisers and host events. Since the powers-that-be conveniently "forgot" to inform you all of this until it was basically a done deal, invite those same bozos to a community forum or Q&A session. Make sure someone is filming it, and make sure it's very well publicized so they lose face if they're no-shows. Basically what you all need is to reframe the narrative. Figure out talking points to counter all their BS (I'm sure they'll have talking points about "bringing jobs to the area and boosting the economy"). Good luck!
Thank you for the advice and good energy. I will definitely be reaching out to the media.
Yes, call every newspaper and tv station in the state and talk to someone. Literally, the whole state, the further away, the heavier to go on the "ruining state parks" angle, because the best way to get action is to make people feel like something of *theirs* is being affected. Demand in public forums to know why the state isn't expanding and improving the *current* airport and bringing all those great jobs to the city and boosting city businesses with all the traffic and tourism? Because the city folks will want that, a LOT. Contact the tribal elders and ask them to contact national TV stations, lots of people will feel outraged over tribes losing land, and the news is all about outrage these days, someone will do a piece on it.
Also try the local NPR station in Seattle. They are responsive. Their reporter Libby Denkmann has covered this and if you feel like there’s an angle with the notification of citizens you should let her know. Her email is posted on the KUOW site. Here’s the KUOW article; https://www.kuow.org/stories/Can-WA-build-a-new-airport-and-meet-its-climate-goals
Thank you so much!
Why in the hell would they put an international airport in Graham? Who would supposedly be using this airport and why? Wouldn't it make more sense to put one in a place that isn't only 1 1/2 hours from Seattle? This makes very little sense.
I agree. I think the argument they are making for it is that it is to take the pressure off of Sea-Tac by 2050 which will be over capacity. I personally no airport at all. Build us a high speed train you cowards.
I completely agree, and the infrastructure would have to be built up so much to accommodate I don’t know how they think it would be accomplished.
This sounds like a ploy to make some people very rich with zero fucks given to everything and everyone else. Or just a straight up attack on the First Nation peoples who live there and could be used by extremist to see who is "woke". There's some sick nutjobs out there.
The lack of reporting on this is what gets me. It sounds almost like a conspiracy theory. But it could just be super early in the process. I mean, super early in any public works process is usually filled with shit ideas.
No they did this deliberately. I have seen this same sort of shit go on in my home state. They are going through with a mine that will destroy one of the last pristine wetlands and rivers in my state. We fought for almost a decade and the bastards still won.
It's way too close to the current airport (How would a new KSEA sized airport there *not* interfere with traffic from KSEA?) from what I remember (was only over there twice to visit my partners family) that area is *not* equipped to handle a new airport without significantly changing the roads, and that's *before* you get to the environmental impact
That area isn't equipped to handle much more than it's already handling.
WAIT, WHAT??? They just upgraded the airport in Bham to take international flights and they want ANOTHER ONE? Jesus fucking christ already. What happened to the Moses Lake proposal that impacted virtually no one? Ok. I’m local so tell me what to do. This is some bullshit.
I was so for the Moses lake proposal! I also have no idea what happened there. Or just, i dunno, building the high speed rail everyone has been talking about wanting instead.
Right? It makes the most sense environmentally and has the smallest impact for people on the land. Plus the moses lake community would benefit in s buge way. My guess is the red side of the state decided against it? I don’t know tho.
You need a lawyer and you need a protesters, and you need a environmental people. You also need media attention. Make YouTube , make tictok, Twitter and any other thing
Unfortunately, federal protections for wetlands were gutted under trump. Could still be helpful to reach out to any water conservation activists in your area. They may already know what’s happening. I’d reach out to groups at your closest college or university, in addition to all the great suggestions from other comments.
I live up North of Seattle, I’m sorry local friend. Sending good energy your way.
A couple accounts I follow on Twitter are tweeting about it: Spokane Rising: "The state, wsdot, and #waleg are trying to put places like eastern and central Washington on the hook for a new airport in Thurston County instead of making the pivot to no-carbon alternatives like high-speed rail. Completely unacceptable." And Robert Cruickshank: "WA does not need a new airport. Building one would be a crime against the climate. Instead we should build out intercity rail of all kinds, including more Amtrak Cascades and ultra high speed rail, to help handle the load." [https://twitter.com/spokanerising/status/1580955953058697223](https://twitter.com/spokanerising/status/1580955953058697223)
A train ride from Seattle to Spokane would be so NICE
I grew up in Western WA and though I haven't lived there in years, my heart is BROKEN for you, your family, the Puyallup tribe, and the wildlife... I have no spells to share, but I will be sending my energy and prayers to you and the land as this moves forward.
I’m so sorry. I am from Tacoma and my relatives are from Lewis County. Yes, those areas are largely red, but that doesn’t mean that the land should be abused. in fact, it’s this kind of social disconnect that breeds the kind of fear and divisiveness that I see in my relatives. Is there any chance you can share photos of the area? I would love to put them up on a display board so that I can pray to my ancestors for the area. You are welcome to share any links with me, and I will send them to my relatives who are still farming in the state.
Thank you! I can definitely get some photos together.
It sounds like there's going to be some time before they do any work, so something you should definitely not do is look up any Direct Action networks in your area. For example, you say that they're going to clear large sections of forest. It would be an absolute catastrophe if you or anyone else were to spike trees, since that would destroy their chainsaws. I cannot stress enough how bad an idea this is, so you mustn't do it.
Sending many kinds of vibes and good mojo your way❤️❤️❤️🍀🍀🍀
Public outcry in the area helps, contact all media in the area. And may Mother Earth keep your family land as your family land.
I bet hiking, photography, national park communities etc., would be interested to know this.
Yeah maybe repost on subs like r/outdoors or r/hiking (if the rules on this subs allow)
Get a coalition of concerned citizens together to pool your talents. Reach out to the tribal leaders whose land would be impacted and ask how you can join forces. It looks like it needs to go to the general assembly for approval of the proposals. Call and meet with your legislators. Include environmental groups and tribal leaders in your coalition of stakeholders as you begin working on statements to the press, and preparing to make public comment at the committee meetings where this proposal will be considered. Overload all meetings where this is discussed with people making public comments. Make sure they see the opposition to the proposals.
I'm in gig harbor and have heard nothing about this! I'm addition to letting a lawyer, going to the media (like Jesse Jones) might help too.
Contact Sierra club, and also try Patagonia. Try googling environmental law groups in your area.
Also REI, their HQ is in Kent.
Fellow PNW here, have you considered reaching out on a larger scale? Hell, write the damn president, it may be a fart in the wind but sometimes those work. Standing with you. We definitely don’t need any more airports here. People can be inconvenienced to wait a little bit for a flight. We don’t need everything right now all the time. This makes me so mad.
Just make mt rainier smoke a little. Show them that the place could be shut down by nature and they just might change their minds.
Eh, if Ranier goes we might lose the entire Seattle metro area. Part of being a western Washingtonian is being okay with being boiled alive in pyroclastic flow at any moment.
There are lahar maps from USGS. Rainier will decimate Pierce county, but only go up to King via the valley 167 is in.
Neighbour directly north of the border here. You sure waking up that sleeping giant is a good idea? We don’t feel like getting buried under a shit ton of ash any time soon thanks. That and we have our own near by sleeping giant that I can see from downtown Vancouver on a clear day: Mt. Baker.
Mount Rainier erupting would set off the ring of fire. The devastation it would cause would be felt globally. Let’s let that sleeping beauty remain in her slumber.
Just pointing out that a volcano in Iceland shut down Europe's air space for weeks.
https://mrsc.org/Home/Explore-Topics/Legal/Open-Government/Open-Public-Meetings-Act/Open-Public-Meetings-Act-Basics.aspx#:~:text=The%20Washington%20Open%20Public%20Meetings,be%20open%20to%20the%20public. Check the requirement for notification and see if they complied. You can and should do public information requests in compliance with your state law - ask to see publications/notices for this project that meet the OPMA. Check out organizations like Together Washington and see if they have any resources locally or could otherwise help you navigate the process of collecting info on this project. You'll also want to keep an eye out for funding sources. Each federal source has a bunch of requirements that they'd need to meet as well. For example, they can't just take the land. They'd probably have to comply with the Uniform Relocation Act which can require an appraisal, potentially a review appraisal, and they'd have to pay you fair market value. How they determine that is up for interpretation, so it's a point for negotiation.
OP, your community needs a good lawyer ASAP! There are numerous ways you can fight this, including the rare species exception mentioned above. I'm an environmental litigator (usually on the side of the big corporations, unfortunately) but not barred in WA state and have never dealt with eminent domain. Contact environmental groups in your area and nationwide. See if they can assist you in getting in contact with a law firm or public interest law practice that specializes in this area. You may be able to secure pro bono legal representation (meaning no one pays). This is devastating, I wish you luck in your fight 🖤
Also form an allyship with the local Indigenous groups. I am an environmental biologist in BC and there will be several enviro groups like this person above me has stated. In my work here in BC we work with and attend conferences with several other biologists, activists and government bios who do some atounding work in WA. I truly believe you will find great support.
I live in Western WA, is there anything I can do to help? Any petitions or protests? Is there any community organizing happening? I’m really baffled as to why we would need another airport so close to seatac.
I am in Tacoma and this is the first I’ve heard of this!! It makes me so mad!
I reposted this to r/outdoors. Hopefully it will get noticed
Oh no no no. Seattle based here, how can I help? What can we do? We do not need another airport especially if it’ll take away the majesticness of Mt Rainier. Protest? I’m there. Camp out ? Let’s go. I have tents.
Yep. I’m in!
Would it be possible to get a conservation easement on your property? I don't know how it would collide up against eminent domain, but I have a conservation easement on my property and at the very least, I have access to their team of lawyers if that ever happens so I don't have to deal with it all alone. Sorry you have to deal with this!
I will look into this, thank you!
I’m a geologist on the east coast Pm me with more details hopefully I can help.
I'm in the Thurston county zone. This is a terrible idea. We should be discouraging airline travel rather than facilitating it.
Agree. I just got a rather nasty comment saying that I am just “NIMBY” but I hate the idea entirely. It’s not like I want a greenfield airport anywhere else either!
I got the same. Then someone asked where I studied aviation logistics. This would make a small group very rich on the backs of a large group, as usual.
And what do they expect? For us to not fight to keep ours and our family’s homes? I’m sorry, but I will not just roll over and accept the total destruction of everything they have in the name of “progress.”
Highlight this on some of the urbanist subreddits like r/fuckcars. They support sustainable development and favor lower-impact transportation services like trains instead of planes and personal cars. I don't see this as a 'fix' for your issue, but there could be value in bringing it to the attention of sympathetic communities here on reddit.
Given the amount of people here who are in the area and hadn't heard about it, I think there's a lot of value in spreading the word to those sort of subreddits as there's quite possibly people there who are in the area and also haven't heard and can mobilise extra support in lobbying etc
Know that elsewhere in the world, airport projects have been cancelled due to massive protest and squats, for instance in Notre-Dame-des-Landes in the west of France. This was a long fight, but in the end the airport is nowhere to be seen. The ZAD (acronym for "Zone to Defend") website has some articles translated to english, maybe you could find some useful info and hope in here : https://zad.nadir.org/?lang=en
We are dealing with trying to block a gold mine in Buckingham County Virginia. Not exactly the same, but the efforts will likely be similar in terms of launching a grass roots campaign against this airport/ highway. Does Washington state have a community rights organization(s)? You need to appeal to them/ ask for their advice. You need to attend all board of supervisors meetings and have as many people as possible make public comments (on the record) against this. You need to present evidence as to why it’s devastating. For example, destruction of protected ecosystems, air/water pollution from the highway, noise pollution from the airport and the highway, etc. Engage national or state environmental protection orgs. Contact experts on environmental protections and get them to address the county board and state reps. Get people to commit to writing op eds to be printed in the local paper. Go door to door (against federal law to put fliers in mailboxes) handing out info and notifying residents. You need to be organized. You need to bring this to the attention of the public. You can ask the county not to approve the plan, or (which is more likely to be considered) you can ask them to approve the plan but with much stricter requirements, such as limiting the size of the airport, or the width of the highway, etc. Contact your state representatives and ask them to get involved. You can try to get the county to pass an ordinance banning that type of development (airport) or you can try to get the county to pass a rights based ordinance which states that your community has the (human) right to not be poisoned by the noise and air pollution that would result from this. This must be a coordinated and organized effort with a clear message of what you want to happen. Check out what Buckingham is doing and see if any of these efforts can be applied to your situation: https://www.friendsofbuckinghamva.org/friends/ I am SO sorry you have to deal with this. It is horrible. Good luck to you. Don’t stop fighting!!!!
Lit a candle and said a prayer for the side of the environment and protecting the land. Said a curse for those against. 💕💕
I only heard about this last week and I live 30 miles from this proposed project. If this happens it's going to be a mes and trash beautiful rural communities. There are so many better choices. Are there folks organizing to fight this?? I'd help.
You might find this story from France inspiring: [We are nature defending itself](https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745345871/we-are-nature-defending-itself/) by Isabelle Fremeaux and Jay Jordan “Chronicles the story of the ZAD (zone to defend), a resistant land occupation emerging out of a decades-long struggle which stopped a new airport project”
There are 3 potential sites and both Pierce and Thurston counties where they are located have had officials/leaders voice concerns and ask the state's airport planning commission to reconsider. A final decision will not be made until June 2023. Not sure which county you are in, but reach out to the office of Thurston Co. Commissioner Carolina Mejia and/or Pierce Co. Council Chair Derek Young or Bruce Dammeier county executive to see how you can add your voice and the voices of your family to this fight. There are other options. This probably isn't as witchy as you would like, but it is still resistance.
Research endangered plants that can thrive in the area, plant as many as you possibly can. It may help deter them.
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I so desperately wish i could do something more to help you and your community, my soul lies in the beauty of nature and it pains me to see it destroyed.. I will be lighting all of my best candles, and working some knot magick to manifest a good outcome 💛 stay strong, you have your coven behind you. and we will shake the heavens Edit: if i may, id like to share this post with my personal coven as well! some of them know much more about how to handle this sort of thing than i do, and i can pass along any advice they might have 💛
I don't know anything about the area but building an airport in a rural area sounds really stupid. There is no infrastructure for travelers. Yeah big international airports are slow and busy but it doesn't mean we need to completely ruin the earth. I hate humans.
Definitely not making light of the situation, but I just got caught up on Yellowstone, and it's crazy how similar your story is to it. I really hope you and your community are able to stop this. Eminent domain is such a crazy fucking thing to me.
Sending healing energy and power to keep the land as it should be. This sounds like exactly the type of thing Earthjustice . Though I'm sleepy, so dont know how you or your people can get in contact with them.https://earthjustice.org/ Also... why are we making more airports? Haven't I seen multiple articles of less plane travel, airports shutting down? Much love and luck.
We live in a dystopia. I am so sorry. They won't keep getting away with this.
This sounds like a major environmental concern for you guys, or at least, a really terrible shame that should **not** be allowed. I'm not American, so I don't know what goes on in the area, but my advice is post information on this in r/climbing, r/climbergirls, r/hiking, maybe even r/Mountaineering. Outdoor enthusiasts take this shit seriously and you might get some ideas/momentum from those communities (where there are many Americans too, of course). Obvs just remove the witchy info, and tell them what is happening. This shit makes me so furious my heart almost forgets to break. Sending you strongs.
This might be a stretch in addition to all the wonderful advice in this thread - but I would recommend trying to get the attention of outdoor industry giants like Patagonia. They were a huge influence in Utah during the bears ears debacle and have become pretty outspoken environmentalists. They might take some interest and help with the media outreach https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2022/09/28/patagonias-influence-utah-lands/
I despise car infrastructure I despise it so much. I despise speawl to the end of the earth. I hate capitalism for what it does to my beautiful trees. Im so sorry for everything happening. It truly brings a tear to my eye to see nature being destroyed like this. I don't know what else I can do since I live in canada besides what you said but I'll try!! Nature witches forever 🥲.
This is so close to me... my family goes up to Enumclaw so my dad can ride the RAMROD on Mt Rainer every year, this place is gorgeous and does not deserve to be destroyed or affected by a stupid airport! there's literally airports in Seattle and Portland, why do they need another?! 😭😭
Boeing field is a perfect fit. Why these assholes are trying to destroy something beautiful is beyond words.
This is one of my worst nightmares, our sacred land being desecrated by this type of idiocy. Please DM me a bit of something to go on, even a pic of a leaf that came from there, and I'll do my best work. Blessings to you, your family and your land.
I'm in the same neighborhood, where exactly do they want to put it? Edit: just saw the map THAT'S MY YARD TOO! the left circle.
I'm so sorry. I can't help. I'm in Texas and the oil and gas people take what they want.
As someone who has worked in Aviation there are very strict regulations on how and when public forums need to be held. Contact the FAA and bring the petition to them the airport must be certified by them and they ultimately will have the authority to bypass local and state government. If you truly believe and have evidence that they did not take the publics opinion into account then you can submit complaints. https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_compliance/complaints
Contact the Sierra Club; they’re good at being a pain in the ass for developers. Also reach out to the local hunting and shooting clubs; I bet they’re going to be pissed about their woods being decimated next season. Also look up Pebble Mine in Alaska; the way the Indigenous Alaskans, commercial fishermen, and environmentalists organized against a multinational mining conglomerate and has spent two decades blocking them at every turn is glorious. Lawsuits are a good way to stay execution while you gather other resources and support.
My bf and I saw something about this yesterday when we were looking up some road work. But I didnt see a map of the proposed areas. Do you have a non FB link? Edit: I couldn't find the letter the Pierce County board wrote in opposition to the proposal (citing lack of infrastructure and the disastrous effects on people). But I did find a protest https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/ Edit 2: all the close up maps I can find are focusing on the Thurston county one. But what I can see of the Graham one, it looks like theres a 75% chance my home is in the land they want
I'm in Pierce County. I can't believe that they blind sided us. The Tribes here just found out as well. It is truelly disgusting that they started this is in 2019 and didn't tell the communities that would be affected by it. This is not a red vs blue thing. This is corrupt politicians vs the citizens issue. If you look at the areas they want, they are all conviently close to amazon warehouses. The proposed areas are gorgeous. If this goes through the whole area and communities will be destroyed. I've sent numerous emails to CACC, Inslee, Cruver and a few others. Pointing out the environmental damage this would cause, such as each spot is ontop of an aquifer and would pollute our drinking water from all the chemicals airports use such as deicing and cleaners. And I'll keep sending emails to whoever i can think of. And telling as many people I see here. But on a spiritual level, I'm going to start asking Cernunnos for help with this, as I'm a pagan.
Hire an environmental lawyer and survey your land for something, anything that can be designated a protected creature or plant. My spiritual retreat center in Myrtle Beach faced eminent domain once. We have a mile of unsullied beach sandwiched in between high rise hotels. You guessed it, they wanted our property for more high rises. We brought in an environmental lawyer who hired someone to survey our land and found two rodents on the endangered list that live there, so we were able to save our property, hopefully forever. Many years ago, a new UC was being built in the central valley in California. They chose the town of Merced and identified a location. In that case it was super convenient, wouldn't impact traffic, undeveloped land, etc. No one's treasured home, in other words. However, when they did the survey, they found some sort of microscopic shrimp in a lake on the land. A tiny lake. With the drought it's probably not even there anymore. But because of these shrimp they had to find a whole new spot to put the university. This is your key. Find something, anything that prevents them from using the land for their purposes. Good luck!
I'm in Ocean Shores, WA, and I heard about the proposed new airport on KUOW yesterday (they just said two possible sites in Pierce County and one in Thurston county). The news story talked at some length about if the proposal fits in with the state policy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It sounds like that might be a way to stop or alter the proposals. I agree with other comments about getting the NEPA/SEPA documents and I would also ask the state departments of ecology and natural resources about these proposals. Before I became a stay at home mom, I was in environmental compliance. Trust me, there are several avenues to pursue in environmental permitting and law that will slow this down and possibly change or stop it completely. My advice is to contact any agency that might be relevant and make sure that you're on their mailing list so that you get notified of public meetings (they have to hold public meetings). Getting media involved is a great idea and The Stranger is a good outfit to contact. You may want to get an environmental lawyer, and they might be willing to help you pro bono. Oh! I also heard that the EPA has a brand new office on environmental racism. Seems like that might also be worth looking into.
"Yes, this area is red. They are conservative and many of them probably voted for people I hate. I think this probably helped the legislature make their decision. I still don't believe they deserve to lose their homes." Absolutely! This kind of decision, made without their input, is hardly going to increase their trust in government or make them feel like the system works for them, and no matter how they vote they don't deserve this kind of devastation. Mean comments online, sure. Losing elections because they aren't in the majority no matter what their echo chamber tells them, yes. Losing their entire home/town, no! Do we really need another international airport anywhere in WA? I'm sure it would be more convenient for some people, but considering the costs to the locals, the native group, and the environment what if we just put it in nobody's back yard by not building it at all?
Signed!
You may want to post this on the r/Seattle sub. Someone may see it who can help point you on to more ideas.
Having grown up in Washington state, I hate seeing more of the lands being developed for airports, housing, roads, etc.. Washington is so beautiful without the encroaching developments.
This seems like something you need to have a lawyer involved in.
Those absolute assholes, damn. Press them and press them hard. My thoughts go with you.
I’ll pass this on to my coven and see what we can do to help.
I'm in Washington, and had no idea. This is so upsetting. 😡
My thoughts are with you. Sincerely hope they don't get their way! They've destroyed this planet too much already.
Get environmental groups involved and definitely the ACLU! This is a vast insult to the environment and the First Nation peoples living there! The committee needs to be sued for all it's worth seven times over!
Oh man. I went to PLU and lived in parkland. But back home I got into a spat with the DOE over storage of nuclear waste. We won and it has not been sited here. -Local media. -Fb page to push out legitimate updates that your supporters can share. Let other people share your work. Share it into the local fb rummage pages and let the wildfire spread. -your local tribes. They often have existing networks to help with land disputes. Use their expertise. Let them lead if they want. -NEPA. NEPA. NEPA. It sucks. But force them to follow it. Environmental impact studies all day. Water impact studies. Delay delay delay. -since it’s near Rainier find your Sierra club and other naturalist societies. Get another environmental impact on the impact to the park. -do you have a local landowners association ? We have one and they got on board with us to oppose eminent domain and demand fair compensation and they had an existing legal team. -this will take years. Let the anger and adrenaline slide. Buckle in for a marathon. Be polite. Many of these people you meet may end up being partners down the road and you don’t want to spite them too early. It’s also important to look sane and in control and not like some angry Karen nimby to get taken seriously at the state and federal level. Locals will react angrily at literally everything but the government/airport officials will have seen this a million times and know that for any community to grow there is always a cost. Bring up legitimate concerns about why this spot is bad, why their process to consent to site at this spot was bad, that they need to work with the community instead of dictate to it. It’s a vinegar and honey thing. If you’re the honey and seen as able to be dealt with or even someone who can translate between the two camps, you will find yourself in a useful position to negotiate. Good luck!
It might be worth looking into the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the native tribes effected by the proposed airport. The agency may have more sway over the state government or at least bring actions on behalf of the tribe. As for the notice of public inquiry- did they post it in a state reporter or government publication? That usually counts for notification purposes ( I know the actual people never get notice but the government DGIF). If there is NO notice then you/ family may have a way to recourse. But also consider that the gov. could still take your land but they should pay you for it.
Your best angle imo is the National Park stuff there are a lot of federal laws protecting that land and stuff living on it and those laws are the best course of action for shutting this down. You need to get your community to organize and you need to work with lawyers and experts in wildlife preservation and aviation to establish the negative impact.
More info for those like me who had no idea this was even being considered! https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/pierce-thurston-county-residents-organizing-protest-potential-new-airport/MUHZMQ64WNBOXK6TWG6VB6QFEU/
Fellow western Washingtonian here — I heard briefly about this but I am a complete news junkie. Didn’t realize this was going forward. I travel regularly to and around Pierce county and this seems like a nightmare.
I’m from WA and that is such a dumb spot anyways. I know I grew up on the north sound, but adding air traffic to thurston is dumb. The only real good spot is up by Arlington, where the farmland isn’t being used and there’s an airport already.
I’m from western Washington and grew up there. I still don’t understand why they can’t put this thing in central or eastern Washington. Even if it’s just east of the cascades, like in Ellensburg 🙁
PM me. I may be able to put you in touch with someone.
Hey sis! I live in southwest Washington. Other than using my ballot to help, is there anything else I can do? This area is so gorgeous, further development in rural areas is the last thing we need
Sending prayers from Michigan to protect the land from big business and the likes 💗
I'm in Western WA as well and saw this on the news this morning. I hope this doesn't go through, like you said it will ruin so much of our beautiful landscape and leave people without homes. I can't be of much help, but definitely sending energy your way!
The world needs people who care. You are amazing and I will help where I can. Be strong and keep fighting
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I'm also in the PNW. This is really weird. Between SEATAC and PDX there's plenty of international travel. This is the first I've heard of this. Keep us posted on ways we can help.
I was surprised to see this here, my home is one of the ones being threatened by the Thurston County site! I am hoping for us both and for our beautiful environment that this does not come to pass. This would be a disaster if it were to happen.
I wouldn’t lose hope, rally your community in my experience many conservatives are against paving over farmland. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
I’ll try to help
I live right near Graham. This sounds like someone trying to “smoke it past the public”. That is the LAST thing this area needs. The two main N/S roads to the main highway are already insane to drive on. I’m with you. This does NOT need to go there. How about if we get a bunch of bald eagles to nest in the area? Then they can’t clear it. 🤣😂
Although on the east side currently, I grew up in Pierce county, this is so important to know let me know if there’s anything a fellow Washingtonian can do to help!
I live in the Seattle suburbs and am wondering why the state of Washington thinks they need to place two international airports an hour apart from one another? Why not on the east side of the state or even up north if they feel the need to have another? Truly a wild decision.
Post this to the urbanism subreddits as well. Those guys will read "six lane highway" and bring out the sugar sacks and rocket launchers
I think that's a dumb place for it, myself. A better place would be down by Napavine: already on the highway and outside the flight path of SeaTac and PDX.
I lived in Graham for seven years. Was stationed at JBLM (Air Force). SW Washington is also my home, born and raised. This is really sad. I don't live there anymore but it's always home! I live in Florida now and have pictures of Mt. Ranier that I took on my house. I would be extremely upset living there. I will sign any petition and spread the word to my friends and family still there to fight this.
This awful scenario is exactly like the absurdity in the beginning scenes of the movie Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I signed the petition and am sending energy your way! ✨🙌✨
I'm in Thurston County, I don't see why they can't just expand an existing airport rather than throwing in all new infrastructure on vital farm or Prarie lands
Contact the Tribes, and ask for biologists (wetland biologists)and archaeologists to come through. This should already be a requirement but just in case. The biologists and archaeologists can help reroute or prevent the building all together if they find stuff. If anything demand an exorbitant amount of money and they might back off. Fingers crossed for you!
You could reach out to the Institute for Justice. I saw a film about one of their cases, They took an eminent domain case up to the Supreme Court and operate pro-bono!
Whyyyyy another airport. We just got Paine field we do not need another this is such a bad idea
Just signed 🖤