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Ocean Shores planning commissioners weigh changing long-standing ban on trapping after property damage complaints
Summary
Commissioners and residents debated whether to amend a 1976 city ordinance that currently prohibits trapping “of any nature whatsoever” inside city limits after multiple residents reported beaver damage; staff recommended collecting incidence data and consulting Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife before forwarding a proposal to the City
Ocean Shores Planning Commission members and residents spent the bulk of their March 11 meeting discussing whether to revise a decades-old city ordinance that bans trapping within city limits after several homeowners reported beaver-related property damage.
The commission heard that the current municipal code — originally adopted in 1976 — states the city’s “policy is city to prohibit trapping of any nature whatsoever within the city limits.” Commissioner Dan Bricker said he and staff reviewed Washington statutes and identified RCW language they believe allows trapping where wildlife threatens “human safety or causing property damage.” Bricker said he recommended striking the word “whatsoever” and adding an exception for those circumstances.
Why it matters: Residents described repeated damage to docks, trees and…
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