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Point Roberts residents press county and DNR over 3–5-acre clearcut; committee debates next steps
Summary
Residents raised alarm about a 3–5 acre clearcut near Johnson and Mill Road. An email thread read into the record said forestry permits are largely a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) responsibility, but speakers noted recent changes giving Whatcom County some authority inside urban-growth areas; the committee agreed to follow up with county planners and consider inviting DNR to review local conditions.
Committee members and public commenters spent an extended portion of the meeting on forestry permits after residents reported a recent clearcut of roughly 3–5 acres near Johnson and Mill Road in Point Roberts.
A committee member (Speaker 3) read from an email thread (Mark Robbins) that said, in part, “forestry practices are controlled solely by DNR, which issues state logging permits, including clear cut, that are not subject to any local county community zoning, land use, tree retention, or character plan restrictions…,” and asked whether Whatcom County could assert any local control. Speaker 4 clarified a statutory change affecting urban growth areas: “As of 08/01/2022, Whatcom County will be the sole regulatory agency over all forest practices… within urban growth areas…,” noting DNR retains jurisdiction in many other locations.
The email and discussion prompted a motion (Speaker 3) to work with local representatives (Sharon Shumake and Joe Timmons) to lobby the state and DNR for a separate or special local approach; Speaker 3 later retracted that motion in favor of first engaging Whatcom County planning staff and PDS to confirm jurisdiction and process. A public commenter (Speaker 6) said they had read the county encroachment permit and asserted the county granted access that enabled the clearcut; they argued the county could have denied the encroachment and questioned why it issued a permit that allowed a project that may have violated county code.
Committee members agreed to several follow-ups: contact Whatcom County planning staff (PDS) to clarify where permits should be filed, invite DNR or county staff to visit Point Roberts to see the site, and keep the Point Roberts Taxpayer Association and other local stakeholders informed. No legislative or legal action was taken at the meeting; the committee agreed that further fact-finding and coordination with county and state agencies is required before any lobbying or formal petitioning occurs.
