PORT ANGELES — Should Clallam County spend $14,721 for an environmental study on former county land managed by the state Department of Natural Resources for a proposed shooting range at Sadie Creek?
That question on the decades-debated issue of a shooting range dominated the discussion in the Clallam County commissioners’ work session on Monday.
A local shooting range committee wants to build a $225,000 rifle range on the Sadie site near Joyce. Before it can, the county needs DNR to approve reconveyance — the transfer of a title back to its original owner.
With the help of a consultant, Clallam County Public Works Director Craig Jacobs and his staff revised an agreement with Port Angeles-based Westech Co. to do the study.
“This is initial data that will be useful in the process later on,” said Bradford Shea, senior scientist and research director for Port Angeles-based Westech.
“If the project keeps going forward, this is information that will be necessary and useful.”
Contamination issue
The study would determine whether the project would include dealing with lead contamination or loss of wetland habitat, among other issues.
The agreement with Westech was discussed in last week’s commissioners work session and continued Monday.
“Our staff and myself felt like we should have this information to verify these parts of the project through an independent consultant rather than just going with our knowledge,” Jacobs said.
“We feel we could present a more fair case to the DNR if we have that information.”
With Commissioner Mike Chapman dissenting, Commissioners Mike Doherty and Steve Tharinger said they supported the study.
No vote is expected in today’s board meeting.
Chapman, independent from Port Angeles, said he would like to work with the stakeholders to come up with a better study.
Of the dozen people who spoke during the public comment period of the work session, about half supported a gun range at the Sadie Creek site. Most found fault with contracting for a new study.
Don Roberts, a shooting range proponent from Port Angeles and a member of the shooting range committee, said elements of the study should be done in-house.
The state Department of Ecology has already tested for lead at Salt Creek, Discovery Bay and other places in the county and has the equipment to do the testing at Sadie Creek, Roberts said.
“And the DNR has stated there are no marbled murrelets in the area,” Roberts said, referring to a protected species that may be affected.
“Here we’ve got a study to do it. Why do we do it when the bird is not there?”
Roberts said there are no wetlands in the proposed shooting range parcel itself. He said optional studies can be done by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department.
“I think we’re way ahead of time on this contract. So again, I go back to the point, let’s table it. I’m not saying do way with it.”
Scientific information
Tharinger, D-Dungeness, asked Roberts if the shooting committee was willing to assemble the scientific information and make the presentation to the Department of Natural Resources.
“You are the proponent of this proposal,” Tharinger told Roberts.
“The next step in this proposal is to get the reconveyance. Our staff feels these issues need to be addressed. What I’m hearing you say is you’re willing to do that work and make that proposal to DNR.”
“Well, I think that the staff has to do their part, too,” Roberts said.
Later on Monday, Roberts said he would like to see closer coordination between the range proponents and the county.
“We will build the range,” Roberts said. “We will pay for it.”
Josey Paul, an opponent of the Sadie Creek shooting range, expressed concerns about lead contamination.
“My objection to the study is that this is the wrong study at the wrong time,” Paul said.
Paul said the county should find another site among the 90,000 acres of trust land.
“That’s were the consultant’s money should go,” Paul said.
“We have ‘best management practices’; we know what’s involved in the controversy about that. We know that lead pollution at shooting ranges is a major issue.”
Paul cited a state Department of Ecology study at a shooting range near Sequim confirmed massive lead contamination that spread to neighboring properties.
“That lead has accumulated in the food supply, and children are playing in areas where there is lead,” Paul said.
Marv Chastain of Port Angeles disagreed.
“If you’re concerned about lead in streams, the streams are filled with lead already from all the sinkers that have been lost by fisherman in the last couple centuries. So a few bullets are not going to affect it. . . .
“Lead is a very safe substance, and the notion that a few bullets in the ground are going to clash with salmon is pure superstition,” Chastain said.
But Colon Byrnes, who lives near Salt Creek, said lead contamination at the Sadie Creek site would be a detriment to salmon.
“I think any study that has to be done has to really seriously look at salmon,” Byrnes said.
“I hope that there is a shooting range, but I’m just skeptical about this location.”
13 possible sites
The county parks department came up with a list of 13 possible sites for a shooting range last March and selected Sadie Creek as the best choice.
Jacobs said the DNR is aiming for a public hearing on the site sometime in May.
“It seems to me that the issue really in front of is whether this site is suitable and whether we’re in pursuit of reconveyance,” Tharinger said.
Chapman was less open to the study.
“We’re into this now. We’re not getting out of it for less than $100,000.
“We’re starting this step and we’re going to run into the EIS [environmental impact statement], zone permitting, and I’m just totally not comfortable allocating those kinds of dollars for property that’s not under county control at this time.
“We don’t even know the specific questions that DNR wants answered.”
Chapman said the DNR should hold its public heading before the county spends money.
“We’re running way ahead of this deal,” Chapman said.
For 40 years
Doherty, D-Port Angeles, directed staff to look for ways to cut the cost of the study. He said he’s seen the issue kicked around for at least 40 years.
“We’ve got hunter safety programs where kids have no place to go to learn safety,” Doherty said.
“We’ve got people shooting in river bottoms, gravel pits, all over the county. Lead is going into the water.
“So sooner or later, a county of this size, with every political philosophy in the world out here, should have, among other things, a gun range of some sort.
“I just personally think there’s got to be a place,” Doherty said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
