Election approaching for conservation district supervisor

By Jami Makan

The deadline is approaching to request a mail-in ballot for the election of a Whatcom Conservation District (WCD) supervisor.

Residents of Whatcom County have until 4 p.m. on February 8 to request a mail-in ballot for the election which takes place on Tuesday, March 26.

Ballots can be requested in person at the WCD office, located at 6975 Hannegan Road in Lynden, or alternatively by filling out a request form online at whatcomcd.org.

Residents who do not obtain a mail-in ballot can still vote in person at the district’s Lynden office on election day, when polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The election is for one seat on the WCD board of supervisors, which is made up of five supervisors who are all local residents. The term of office is three years.

The current supervisors are Larry Davis, chair; Heather Christianson, vice chair; Suzzi Snydar, secretary-treasurer; Theresa Sygitowicz, supervisor; and Alan Chapman, supervisor.

The election is for the position currently occupied by Sygitowicz, who is running for re-election. The other candidate in the election is Valeri Wade.

According to her online bio on the district’s website, Sygitowicz is a lifelong county resident who was raised on dairy and beef farms. She “strives for open and transparent government that respects civil and individual rights,” and she “feels that sound farming practices are a benefit to the environment.”

Her opponent, Wade, is a U.S. army veteran and an environmental advocate who has lived in Whatcom County for 30 years. “The land-use choices we make today are our gift to future generations,” Wade said in her candidate statement. “We must honor this responsibility as we improve conservation practices.”

The Whatcom Conservation District was formed in 1946, and its mission is to help land managers with their conservation choices. There are about 3,000 conservation districts nationwide and about 45 in Washington state, according to Aneka Sweeney, the district’s education and outreach coordinator.

The district provides free and confidential services to landowners to help manage and protect their resources. This includes offering education, technical assistance and connection with financial services, to help people best steward their land.

The district’s overall goal is “to protect soil, land, air and water,” according to Sweeney, who said that while most of their services are provided to rural landowners such as farmers, many services are provided to urban audiences as well. “For example, we work closely on the protection of the Lake Whatcom watershed for drinking water for Bellingham, and we work closely with Lynden on storm water education,” she said.