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Residents tell council to keep wetland buffers, say local creeks have been filled
Summary
At the April 1 administrative session, a wildlife biologist and conservation committee chair urged Snohomish County to retain current wetland buffers and pointed to recent filling of a ravine and loss of stream habitat as evidence the county must protect critical areas.
Martha Jordan, a wildlife biologist and longtime resident, told the Snohomish County Council on April 1 that reductions to wetland buffer zones would harm local streams and wildlife.
“It's just science,” Jordan said, recounting years of local changes she described as the filling of a ravine that used to be a creek, loss of intermittent streams and loss of salmon in a section she identified as North Creek. Jordan said she has lived in the area about 30 years and offered to take council members on a neighborhood tour to show what she described as destroyed habitat.
Alan Gibbs, chair of the conservation committee for Goodshard Hollow, thanked the council for the April 1 meeting and referenced a March 18 Snohomish County Critical Areas panel discussion where he said a representative of Pacific Ridge Homes reported not being aware of updates to the best available science and wetland management. Gibbs said that information from the Washington Department of Ecology, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and tribal partners has since been made available to the public and county staff.
Both speakers urged the council to maintain wetland protections and to consider science and regulatory updates when reviewing development proposals. Their comments were delivered during the public comment portion of the administrative session and did not trigger formal votes.
Why it matters: Changes to wetland buffers and critical‑areas regulations can alter development review requirements, flood and drainage outcomes, and fish and wildlife habitat protection. Residents told the council they have observed local stream loss and hydrologic change that they say demonstrate the need to retain protections.
