Proposed amendments of University Place shoreline plan ready for public input

University Place’s proposed update to its Shoreline Master Program is ready for public comment now through Sept. 1, 2016. The proposed amendment provides consistency with the Growth Management Act’s mandate that local governments use the best available science in their critical areas ordinances. This type of amendment is not unusual.

What’s a Shoreline Master Program?

Shoreline Master Programs are local plans developed by cities and counties to manage shoreline use. These local programs protect natural resources for future generations, provide for public access to public waters and shores, and plan for shoreline uses and development.

University Place’s shoreline plan

University Place’s new amendments are related to wetland buffers and mitigation, as well as geological hazardous areas and their associated buffers. 

To schedule a time to read paper copies of the proposal, contact the City of University Place, or contact Ecology Regional Planner Michelle McConnell at the address below.

All comments should be sent to Michelle McConnell. There are four ways to do it:

By email:             michelle.mcconnell@ecy.wa.gov

By mail:               Southwest Regional Office

                             PO Box 47775

                             Olympia, WA 98504-7600

In person:            300 Desmond Drive

                              Lacey, WA 98503

By phone:            360-407-6349

Ecology must receive comments no later than 5 p.m. Sept. 1, 2016.

Comment summaries and the city’s response will be posted to the University Place Shoreline Master Program page on Ecology’s website.

By: Dave Bennett, Southwest Region communications manager

Throwback Thursday: 620 cyclists raised litter awareness in 1974 with a ride across the state

By Devin Felix, Ecology web content specialist

Just over 41 years ago, a group of 620 men, women and teenagers struck out to the east on bicycles from Lake Sammamish State Park on a trek sponsored by the Department of Ecology. Four days and 260 miles later, they arrived in Spokane for the 1974 World’s Fair with only a few people having dropped out along the way.

Their journey was intended to “prove that litter, a very visual and ugly form of land pollution, can be prevented through education and motivation,” said Chuck Cross, an Ecology public affairs consultant at the time who organized the trip.

The bike trip came just a few years after the passage of the state’s Model Litter Control Act. Every rider carried a bag for litter, and publicity materials surrounding it emphasized that the bikers’ campsites were left spotless every morning when they departed.

The voyage started June 17, 1974, and ended June 21. Most of the voyage ran along I-90, which required planners to get special permission from the Washington State Highway Commission. At night they camped at state parks, and meals were provided by sponsors and the Washington State National Guard. The bikers ranged in age from 16 to 57.

As you might expect, a phalanx of more than 600 cycling along the interstate didn’t go unnoticed. The group was led by a pace car and followed by a car with lights to divert vehicle traffic into the left lane to pass. A report reviewing the event said that attempts to keep the bikers away from the center line of the interstate “proved futile” because of their large numbers. The report said “problems encountered during the tour were minimal,” but only because of “good fortune, the Washington State Patrol and the good Lord.”

Despite these challenges, nearly everyone who started the bike tour completed it. Publicity materials and news reports after the event praised it as a great success that did a lot to raise awareness of litter problems.

The Washington State Archives recently posted several dozen photos from the event, as well as documents from 1974 about the trip.