(OLYMPIA, WA) – A recent decision by the Department of
Natural Resources Board to lock up more than 620-thousand acres of public lands
to protect an endangered coastal seabird could be challenged by state
lawmakers.
Representative Jim Walsh of Aberdeen says Option D chosen by
the DNR Board to protect the marbled murrelet could cripple local economies
along Washington’s coast. Walsh and 11 bipartisan state lawmakers asked the
Board to choose Option B, which would have provided 590 thousand acres of
conservation habitat on public lands.
Walsh says the option chosen by DNR effectively locks up
significantly more acreage from timber harvest.
