City Council

January 15, 2024 TO: Medical Lake City Council ATTN: City of Medical Lake Safety Board REGARDING: Increased Traffic and Speeding Along North Stanley St To Whom It May Concern, My name is Mike Bowman and I live at 520 North Stanley Street. I addressed the City Council last February about the increased traffic and speeding along our street. So far nothing has been done to try and prevent this from happening. We now have increased traffic due to construc�on being done in the Gray Fire areas with large equipment moving up and down Stanley St. The constant speeding is causing a severe safety problem for the people who live in this area as there are a lot of families that walk on the street and numerous kids that make their way to school via Stanley Street. There are many ci�zens of Medical Lake that are ge�ng increasingly frustrated with this problem. We are having issues with backing out of our driveways due to the constant speeding, traffic will not stop to let people cross and issues with people passing drivers that are doing the 25 MPH speed limit. This is unacceptable as this is a residen�al neighborhood and these behaviors are eventually going to result in a severe accident, or somebody is going to get killed. To get people to slow down I am sugges�ng installing 4 way stops and crosswalks on these intersec�ons: North Stanley and Percival St – 4-way stop with crosswalks. North Stanley and Barker St – 4-way stop with crosswalks. E Fellows St and E Spence St where they cross N Stanley St – crosswalks. This will help slow down traffic and give residents and school children a safe place to cross the street on their way to the school. Thank you in advance for your considera�on in this mater. Regards, Michael Bowman  2024 World Wetlands Day (WWD) “SHORT” Crash Course 101 (1st) Comments -- City Council Meeting 16 Jan 2024 (As of: 16 Jan 2024) EVERY WETLAND MATTERS. EVERY EFFORT COUNTS. WETLANDS AND PEOPLE. WE NEED EACH OTHER. Good evening, City Council Members and City Officials. Did you know that every year on February 2nd, World Wetlands Day (WWD) joins folks around the globe in celebrating the value and beauty of our planet’s wetlands? It calls nations and each of us to act on behalf of these highly productive natural environments whose existence is interlaced with our own. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world. It runs from 2021 to 2030. 2024 WWD Theme is “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing.” Humans are destroying wetlands – the Earth’s most threatened and most vulnerable ecosystem. Did you know that wetlands are a major, planet-wide habitat that makes life on Earth possible – essential for human life? I am so praying the City of Medical Lake is gaining some critical knowledge about these precious wetlands which are slowly disappearing here within City limits due to encroachments by development (i.e., reasonable use exceptions, buffer averaging, incomplete/inaccurate wetland ratings/delineation 1 reports which produces lower wetland ratings and requires less buffer distances or mitigation which by the way is controlled by the City and not Ecology). As stated previously, Ecology only has regulatory authority over the “waters of the state” – the wetland waters. The City is in control of the buffer which is there supposedly to protect the wetlands. Did you know the poster for World Wetlands Day 2024 includes an illustration of a hummingbird? These fascinating creatures are found only in the Western Hemisphere and wetlands are critical to their survival. Many are endemic to specific wetlands. 1) Wetlands play a vital role in retaining water on the landscape, in maintaining local climate (microclimates) and water cycles, and in reducing extreme temperatures. (Taken from Ramsar Policy Brief #1: “Wetlands for disaster risk reduction: Effective choices for resilient communities”; Ramsar Briefing Note #10: “Wetland Restoration for Climate Change Resilience”; and www.worldwetlandsday.org) a) Stores water from precipitation and slowly releases it to the surrounding environment, which can also recharge groundwater aquifers and maintain atmospheric water cycles. b) Evaporation and the transpiration of water from vegetation have a local cooling effect. c) Draining wetlands reduces local water storage and can lead to increases in local daytime temperatures. 2) Wetlands are a natural defense against wildfires. (Taken from “Wetlands – natural defense against wildfires” by Cathy Vaughan, 23 Oct 2023 and “Low-Tech Restoration Improves Forest Resilience” dated 20 Feb 2023 by Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE)) a) “When wetlands are healthy, they are natural sponges and soak up a huge amount of water. A wetland can act as a natural fire break and reduce the intensity of a wildfire.” b) Moisture-laden wetlands help prevent fires and can act as natural barriers to the spread of forest fires. c) Wet soggy soil does not burn so well. d) Besides helping to prevent or slow down the spread of fires, “Wetlands can reduce the severity of flooding and drought, holding excess water during wet periods and slowing releasing it during dry periods. They also store carbon and provide essential habitat for migratory and threatened species.” e) “Fighting wildfires is pricy. Protecting our wetlands is priceless.” EVERY WETLAND MATTERS. EVERY EFFORT COUNTS. WETLANDS AND PEOPLE. WE NEED EACH OTHER. Thank you. --- Tammy Roberson 2  2024 World Wetlands Day (WWD) “SHORT” Crash Course 101 (2a) Comments -- City Council Meeting 16 Jan 2024 (As of: 16 Jan 2024) EVERY WETLAND MATTERS. EVERY EFFORT COUNTS. WETLANDS AND PEOPLE. WE NEED EACH OTHER. After finishing my comments in regards to the 2024 World Wetlands Day Campaign, I had asked the City Council members the following City Council Policies & Procedures question (taken from 7.3 “Manner of Addressing the Council – Time Limit): What does the following statement mean actually? -- “Agenda items “Interested Citizens” shall be limited to a total of thirty (30) minutes each unless additional time or less time is agreed upon by the Council.” Yes, I know the prior sentence to this statement states, “… shall limit the person’s remarks to three (3) minutes.” The Council was confusing somewhat to me when they replied back to this question and I was not given the time to go into further detail. Thank you for your time. Tammy M. Roberson, MBA SMSgt USAF Retired Disabled Veteran (100% service connected) Concerned ML Resident/Wetland Owner and Advocate 1  2024 World Wetlands Day (WWD) “SHORT” Crash Course 101 2nd Comments -- City Council Meeting 16 Jan 2024 (As of: 16 Jan 2024) EVERY WETLAND MATTERS. EVERY EFFORT COUNTS. WETLANDS AND PEOPLE. WE NEED EACH OTHER. Good evening everyone (again). A continuation from where I left off earlier with “Wetlands are a natural defense wildfires.” NOTE 1: As everyone knows, on Medical Lake’s south east side, there use to be a lot more wetlands before the Silver Hills development came through. In fact, wetland critters (i.e., snakes, frogs, etc.) were initially found inside the elementary school building since it is so very close to the wetland. These poor critters were only trying to go back to their homes (habitat)… If one does not believe this, just talk with some of these teachers, volunteers, staff, etc. I wonder if the parents at that time knew about this? Interesting to ponder on… NOTE 2: As one is already aware of, Medical Lake’s south and south east side took a major hit from the Gray Fire. 1) Wetlands are our natural guardians (“super power ecosystems”) against climate change. (Taken from Ramsar Briefing Note #10 “Wetland Restoration for Climate Change Resilience”; Ramsar Policy Brief #1 “Wetlands for disaster risk reduction: Effective choices for resilient communities”; Ramsar Convention on Wetlands “Wetlands restoration: unlocking the untapped potential of the Earth’s most valuable ecosystem”) and www.worldwetlandday.org (Wetlands and Climate (Infographics)/MS PowerPoint (PP) presentation)) 1  Wetlands are natural water infrastructures, which can help to mitigate the physical impacts of hazards – climate change is increasing (at an unprecedented rate) the frequency of these extreme weather events causing droughts, floods, and storm surges. • Disasters and the associated fatalities, losses, and damage often result from poor decisions and actions that make hazards more severe and communities more vulnerable to their impacts. • Studies have shown that it is often more cost-effective to invest in the conservation of these ecosystems than in constructing hard infrastructures to enable resilience. • The value of wetlands in countering disasters is seldom understood, and they are too rarely considered in disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies. 2) Wetlands provide resilience to natural hazards. (Taken from “Wetlands and resilience to natural hazards” and Ramsar Policy Brief 1 “Wetlands for disaster risk reduction: Effective choices for resilient communities”) a) Well-managed ecosystems can reduce the impact of many natural hazards, such as fire, flooding, droughts, landslides, and storm surges. b) The extent to which an ecosystem can buffer against extreme events depends on the ecosystem’s health and the intensity of the event. c) Fire – wetlands can act as a natural barrier to the spread of fires, regulating the frequency and magnitude of the fire events. d) Droughts – healthy and well-functioning ecosystems can provide a degree of protection from extreme weather events. Wetlands can store water which provides a buffer against droughts. 3) Wetlands provide a connection to nature that contributes to improved mental health and wellbeing. (Taken from www.worldwetlandsday.org (Wetlands and Culture (Infographics)/MS PP Presentation)) a) Wetland landscapes positively impact mental wellbeing research shows. b) The connection to nature that wetlands provide promotes mindfulness and a sense of emotional balance, contributing to improved mental health. Campaign’s Overriding Message: (Taken from www.worldwetlandsday.org (Campaign Toolkit)) 1) Human wellbeing is irrevocably tied to the state of the world’s wetlands. 2) We are dependent on these life-sustaining ecosystems. 3) But they must be healthy if they are to continue to provide us with water and food, support biodiversity, provide livelihoods, protect against extreme weather events, and mitigate against climate change. 2 Campaign’s Key Takeaway: (Taken from Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: “Wetlands restoration: unlocking the untapped potential of the Earth’s most valuable ecosystem”) ** Prioritize the protection and restoration of wetlands by removing the stressors and pressures on wetlands is the best practice for preventing further loss and degradation. ** NOTE 1: Restoration is NOT a substitute for protecting and ensuring the wise use of wetlands. NOTE 2: The potential to restore a wetland is not a justification or a suitable tradeoff for the continued degradation of wetlands. EVERY WETLAND MATTERS. EVERY EFFORT COUNTS. WETLANDS AND PEOPLE. WE NEED EACH OTHER. “I enter the swamp as a sacred place – a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength, the marrow, of Nature.” -- Henry David Thoreau Thank you for your time. May God’s grace and protection be with the City’s wetlands. Tammy M. Roberson, MBA SMSgt USAF Retired Disabled Veteran (100% service connected) Concerned ML Resident/Wetland Owner and Advocate 3