Letters to the Editor

Developing destruction
The Editor:
I am writing this letter to express my concern over the unrelenting piecemeal destruction of wildlife habitat in the Birch Bay/Blaine area. Two recent newspaper articles are good examples of how uncoordinated development of the land is affecting the area.
I am referring to an article in the Bellingham Herald published on October 19 and titled “Plans boost Birch Bay boom” by Kari Shaw and a piece on October 31 in The Northern Light regarding problems with Trillium’s logging at Birch Point.
The article in the Bellingham Herald describes two new developments planned in Birch Bay. One development (the Baycrest for 131 houses on Bay and Jackson roads) had been approved. The other development for 120 to 360 houses, planned by Malibu Associates at the corner of Point Whitehorn and Grandview roads, is yet to be approved. The proposed development would require the clearing of a heavily wooded area next to the state park. This destruction of wildlife habitat would have an adverse impact, since the state park by itself provides only a relatively small area of territory. The developer wants to start logging as soon as he gets the permit, even though he does not plan to start building until sometime next year. (Across the road, Trillium Corporation logged large tracts of land two years ago to sell the lumber and these fields still are empty.)
The piece in The Northern Light reports that Trillium Corporation got approval from the state Department of Natural Resources to log over 500 acres across the bay at Birch Point. One hundred and forty-two acres were cleared before neighbors were able to stop the logging, because of erosion concerns and lack of adequate environmental review.
While these events are reported at different times and places, their combined effect is substantial. At this rate the trees in the Blaine/Birch Bay area will disappear in a very short time. The consequence will be a much degraded environment and our future generations will be the poorer for it.
Kay Schuhmacher
Blaine

The boy down the street
The Editor:
Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Icelandic. My name is John Edvalds. My father’s name was Dui Edvaldsson. He made his name shorter to Edvalds upon arriving to the mainland from Iceland. Born in Iceland in 1898, he died in 1977. I was the youngest of the boys. My father worked in Anchorage a lot during the Second World War. He was a very, very kind man. He was a hard worker, always a giver and loved to help the underdog.
Our grandfather was one of the pioneers of Point Roberts, Washington, Arni S. Myrdal. His wife was Sarah.
I was born in Blaine November 24, 1941. We later lived in the house on Portal Bay with the spiral tower, a victorian looking house, about two doors from the Oartell family.
We lost my sister Lillian a few years ago. She died a premature death after several strokes. She was a paralegal and did some mortgage business.
My sister Lorraine lived near her and is the major caregiver, and she is in a secured rest home for her safety. Frederick is still alive and travels with his wife, Joan. Harold is still living and is often frequenting the Icelandic reunion on the Point or at the Peace Arch. My mother, Elin, is still living, she lives in a rest home, in Snohomish Washington. She is 95-years-old, suffering greatly from Alzheimers’ Disease.
Leslie (Les) was a councilman for 12 years in Shawnee, Kansas. He is retired in Washington state.
My wife, Win, and I, travelled to Europe a few times. We lived in France for a while. We did stop over in Iceland. But someday we would like to travel to Iceland as a destination vacation.
One of our sons Steve, is a pilot for Alaska Airlines, his wife is a pilot for Horizon Air (owned by Alaska Airgroup). We have another son, David, who is in financial management with the Boeing Company. Our daughter Lani, is a vice principal of a grade school. We have six grandchildren and one more on the way.
I used to run a chain of menswear stores in the Seattle area. I eventually ended up owning my own store. I retired after that and took up selling for someone else for a while.
I have multiple sclerosis. I am retired due to that disease. One of my favorite friends as a boy was Johnny Sanders, from Point Roberts. He is now a psychiatrist, as I understand it, in Bellingham?
So, be assured that Point Roberts, and Blaine, Washington have a very warm spot reserved within my Icelandic heart.
I trust that this will find its way to someone who would be interested to what happened to the little boy down the street in the Victorian House on Portal Bay Road.
God bless you all.
John Edvalds
Tacoma

Livid with liberals
The Editor:
It truly amazes me that the people of this state can show great signs of intelligence by soundly defeating Referendum 51, and then turn around and shoot themselves in the foot by sending those empty headed liberals back to Olympia to find a new way to find another way to stick it to us now that the election is over.
I would have thought that you all would have been lied to and hoodwinked enough by now, but I guess you’ll have to watch your wallets get thinner in the next two years, and hope by then the lightbulb will go off in your heads so that you say enough is enough!
I predicted nine months ago that they would try and hit you with a state income tax if they get back in, so watch and see if I am right again.
The new Democrat motto is, get in, sit down, shut up, and hold!
Deepest sympathy.
David White
Blaine

Friends, not brothers
The Editor:
I guess your readers must know what a “landed immigrant” status is (November 7 edition), but I do not. So without knowing the background, let me say that requiring a passport to enter the U.S. does not seem like a major issue to me. I would certainly hope that this requirement would not be “truly a slap in the face” to Canada as Mr. Boos indicated. Indeed, it seems strange to me that people could “land” in Canada without a passport, but then what Canada chooses to do with its borders is not up to the U.S.
I am sure Mr. Boos could explain all this, perhaps you need to write more on this issue.
Tom Long
Blaine

(Ed note: Similar to a “resident alien” or “green card holder” in the United Staes, a “landed immigrant” in Canada has been approved by Canadian authorities to emigrate to Canada and can live and work there permanently)

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Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com

Letters Policy

The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com