Basin Mountain, Approaching Storm, 1973
Central Arches, Wells Cathedral, 1980
Circular Chimney, Antelope Canyon, 1980
Houston 1986
The Mountain Loop Highway in Washington is one of only seven roads within the state, and one of only a hundred nationwide, to be designated as a National Scenic Byway. It is the access road to a spectacular portion of the North Cascade Mountains studded with steep, glacier covered peaks, pounding rivers, dense forests, and three designated wilderness areas.
Today, the beauty of the scenic byway is in imminent jeopardy. Proposals for two enormous gravel quarries immediately adjacent to the road have been presented to local politicians who support them because they offer tax dollars.
The two gravel pit projects would remove 90,000,000 tons of rock from two square miles of land, produce 700-1,000 gravel truck trips per day, and continue unabated for 33 years. The scenic byway now faces a choice: preserve its spectacular natural beauty and its recreational attractiveness, or industrialize it and sacrifice its natural beauty. The decision will be made in 1997.
In 1992 1 co-founded the Stillaguamish Citizens' Alliance (SCA) to help preserve the watershed of the Stillaguamish River, where both projects are located. One of our concerns was the county's efforts to permit such projects. We have successfully stopped the first (and larger) of the two proposals for four years. That one, which would be the largest open pit mine in Washington has the strongest political support. In June, 1995, Associated Sand & Gravel Co. released its Environmental Impact Statement for that project, a 2,100 page document that avoided issues, contradicted itself repeatedly, and minimized or ignored major impacts on the land and the people. SCA challenged its adequacy, and convincingly won our case in a three week hearing that ended with a ruling that the EIS was inadequate on 10 grounds. But Associated (part of an Australian multi-national corporation, CSR) launched a fusillade of court appeals, obviously hoping to financially undermine our opposition. Having failed, they finally announced the writing of a new EIS.
I cannot express how emotionally draining this entire battle has been for me, personally. I live on the Mountain Loop Highway. The projects would affect me daily. If you have been to this area you know how magnificent it is, and how devastating it would be to see it ruined. If you haven't, it would be impossible to imagine how much would be lost. The ongoing battle has cost me hundreds of hours that I should have poured into photography, thousands of dollars, and many sleepless nights working against the projects and the politicians. As the EIS for each project is released and the battles begin anew I will again lose valuable photographic time working to uncover their many deceptions. Ultimately we expect to go to court to appeal the adequacy of both documents, and to fight permitting each project. It will be as trying, and every bit as costly, as it was last time.
I appeal to you for support in our battle against these projects. Please help us save the Mountain Loop Scenic Byway by sending a tax-deductible check for as much as you can to: SCA legal fund, P.O.Box 148, Granite Falls, WA 98252.
Also, if you know someone who can offer us expertise in the realm of publicity/public relations, please forward the name on to me. It would help us get the word out about these pending disasters. To offer further assistance, write or phone me directly. I truly thank you, in advance, for your interest and your help.