Talking Points
Talking Points
Change the default to protecting the park, not building the road.
Change the default to protecting the park, not building the road.
The existing trail network will be erased: The mile-long extension road bisects the forested parkland already bisected by the Morse-Merryman Reservoir Access Road. The proposed road will sever existing trails at 10 separate points. Most of these impacted trails traverse relatively flat terrain and are especially suitable for people with limited mobility. LBA Woods is the only Olympia City park with such an abundance and diversity of trails for all fitness levels.
The existing trail network will be erased: The mile-long extension road bisects the forested parkland already bisected by the Morse-Merryman Reservoir Access Road. The proposed road will sever existing trails at 10 separate points. Most of these impacted trails traverse relatively flat terrain and are especially suitable for people with limited mobility. LBA Woods is the only Olympia City park with such an abundance and diversity of trails for all fitness levels.
Remove the Road from the City's Comprehensive Plan and Capital Facilities Plans.
Remove the Road from the City's Comprehensive Plan and Capital Facilities Plans.
The longer the project is in the plans, the more investments will be made assuming it will be built and more difficult to stop.
The longer the project is in the plans, the more investments will be made assuming it will be built and more difficult to stop.
Traffic planners need to start planning for a world with no road through LBA Park. As Thurston Regional Planning Council Director, Marc Daily, said during a Sept. 15, 2020 meeting of the Thurston County Transportation Policy Board, “We cannot build our way out of congestion.... Adding capacity temporarily helps things but in the long term, it induces demand therefore it gets more people out on the roadway."
Traffic planners need to start planning for a world with no road through LBA Park. As Thurston Regional Planning Council Director, Marc Daily, said during a Sept. 15, 2020 meeting of the Thurston County Transportation Policy Board, “We cannot build our way out of congestion.... Adding capacity temporarily helps things but in the long term, it induces demand therefore it gets more people out on the roadway."
Use the project's $8.6 million for green transportation projects.
Use the project's $8.6 million for green transportation projects.
The value of the park increases as our population becomes denser.
The value of the park increases as our population becomes denser.
We now know that building more roads induces (encourages) more driving.
We now know that building more roads induces (encourages) more driving.
This road is moving us in the wrong direction. The goals of the new Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan and Thurston Climate Adaptation Plan clearly state that in order to meet the ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, our community must move aggressively in the direction of preserving urban forests, reducing reliance on GHG-emitting vehicles, shifting to zero-emission modes of transportation such as biking and walking.
This road is moving us in the wrong direction. The goals of the new Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan and Thurston Climate Adaptation Plan clearly state that in order to meet the ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, our community must move aggressively in the direction of preserving urban forests, reducing reliance on GHG-emitting vehicles, shifting to zero-emission modes of transportation such as biking and walking.
Should conditions ever show that the public prefers a road through the park, that option is still available.
Should conditions ever show that the public prefers a road through the park, that option is still available.
Makes Log Cabin Road and North Street less safe for school children.
Makes Log Cabin Road and North Street less safe for school children.
It will destroy the contiguity and connectivity of wildlife habitat.
It will destroy the contiguity and connectivity of wildlife habitat.
The Road will replace peace and quiet with pollution and traffic noise.
The Road will replace peace and quiet with pollution and traffic noise.
The road harms a valuable eco-system, wildlife road kills, noise, exhaust and light pollution.
The road harms a valuable eco-system, wildlife road kills, noise, exhaust and light pollution.
The landscape has changed—literally and figuratively. When the Log Cabin Extension first appeared on regional transportation plans in the 1990s, the LBA Woods was slated to be cleared for 800-1000 homes. Now, instead of moving automobile traffic through a heavily developed landscape, the proposed transportation corridor would move traffic through the heart of 133 acres of mature upland forest that is now public parkland.
The landscape has changed—literally and figuratively. When the Log Cabin Extension first appeared on regional transportation plans in the 1990s, the LBA Woods was slated to be cleared for 800-1000 homes. Now, instead of moving automobile traffic through a heavily developed landscape, the proposed transportation corridor would move traffic through the heart of 133 acres of mature upland forest that is now public parkland.
When the site was to be used for an 800-unit development, the road was valuable. A “plus sign” in terms of value. But now, because the people taxed themselves to buy the site as a Park, the road is a huge “minus sign” subtracting from the value of the Park.
When the site was to be used for an 800-unit development, the road was valuable. A “plus sign” in terms of value. But now, because the people taxed themselves to buy the site as a Park, the road is a huge “minus sign” subtracting from the value of the Park.
We need healthy urban forests. This road will destroy a mile-long swath of closed-canopy forest and degrade the integrity of a mature upland forest ecosystem in the LBA Woods. Forests function best in large contiguous blocks, not in isolated fragments created by roadways and clear-cuts and other major disturbances. Recent scientific studies by the National Audubon Society show that refuges for migratory birds, such as the LBA Woods and other urban forests, are critical for maintaining global biodiversity. This transportation corridor, no matter what size, will bisect existing contiguous habitat and result in the loss of a closed-canopy forest and degrade a healthy urban forest that is an increasingly important refuge for wildlife in our region.
We need healthy urban forests. This road will destroy a mile-long swath of closed-canopy forest and degrade the integrity of a mature upland forest ecosystem in the LBA Woods. Forests function best in large contiguous blocks, not in isolated fragments created by roadways and clear-cuts and other major disturbances. Recent scientific studies by the National Audubon Society show that refuges for migratory birds, such as the LBA Woods and other urban forests, are critical for maintaining global biodiversity. This transportation corridor, no matter what size, will bisect existing contiguous habitat and result in the loss of a closed-canopy forest and degrade a healthy urban forest that is an increasingly important refuge for wildlife in our region.
Thought Experiment: Suppose we made an offer to the private sector to build and maintain the road and they could charge a toll for those using it? How much would you pay to drive Log Cabin Extension to save time from driving on slower routes? Would you invest your own money in the LCE LLC?
Thought Experiment: Suppose we made an offer to the private sector to build and maintain the road and they could charge a toll for those using it? How much would you pay to drive Log Cabin Extension to save time from driving on slower routes? Would you invest your own money in the LCE LLC?
The City cannot be serious about addressing the impacts of climate change if they support this road. Planners and policy makers must consider the environmental impact of clear-cutting and paving a swath of native forest, of rising levels of C02 from automobile emissions, of the ecosystem services lost, and of the opportunities for carbon sequestration squandered.
The City cannot be serious about addressing the impacts of climate change if they support this road. Planners and policy makers must consider the environmental impact of clear-cutting and paving a swath of native forest, of rising levels of C02 from automobile emissions, of the ecosystem services lost, and of the opportunities for carbon sequestration squandered.
What Moves You is the title of the 2045 Thurston Regional Transportation Plan. To answer this literal question figuratively, what really “moves” our community through the LBA Woods are trails—not roads. Trails move us beneath the closed tree canopy, around wetlands, and among wildflowers. They connect us to nature, not to traffic circles. They provide peace and tranquility. Trails are for wandering and exploring, not for spoiling with a car. They are safe for wildlife and do not cause road kill. Trails provide mental and physical health benefits and contribute to the well-being of our community. Sadly, there is no metric to gage the contribution a forest makes to our community’s health and wellbeing.
What Moves You is the title of the 2045 Thurston Regional Transportation Plan. To answer this literal question figuratively, what really “moves” our community through the LBA Woods are trails—not roads. Trails move us beneath the closed tree canopy, around wetlands, and among wildflowers. They connect us to nature, not to traffic circles. They provide peace and tranquility. Trails are for wandering and exploring, not for spoiling with a car. They are safe for wildlife and do not cause road kill. Trails provide mental and physical health benefits and contribute to the well-being of our community. Sadly, there is no metric to gage the contribution a forest makes to our community’s health and wellbeing.
The Log Cabin Extension Road is a bad investment. The longer the road remains in the plans, the more money will go into projects to connect to this proposed transportation corridor. In 15 to 20 years, the weight of these “investments” and the foregone opportunities for alternative roads will make it nearly impossible to stop the road through the LBA Woods. It is time to stop funding this $8.55 million road and to use our transportation dollars elsewhere.
The Log Cabin Extension Road is a bad investment. The longer the road remains in the plans, the more money will go into projects to connect to this proposed transportation corridor. In 15 to 20 years, the weight of these “investments” and the foregone opportunities for alternative roads will make it nearly impossible to stop the road through the LBA Woods. It is time to stop funding this $8.55 million road and to use our transportation dollars elsewhere.
A Broken Promise? Preserving the LBA Woods was a premiere argument for passage of the Olympia Metropolitan Parks District, a tax increase for the money used to buy the LBA Woods.
Advocates such as Councilmember Cooper wrote,"...preserving open spaces like LBA Woods" at the top of their list to vote YES on Proposition 1. Even the official voter’s guide showcased LBA Woods as the first argument for passage. It read, “Broad community support exists for conserving LBA Woods”. The overwhelming majority of the public who taxed themselves and fought for the Woods believe that they were going to preserve the Woods, not build a road with trees on either side. So when the current politicians talk about how the "road was always in the plan", remind them that is not what they said when they were selling us on a tax increase to buy the Woods.
A Broken Promise? Preserving the LBA Woods was a premiere argument for passage of the Olympia Metropolitan Parks District, a tax increase for the money used to buy the LBA Woods.
Advocates such as Councilmember Cooper wrote,"...preserving open spaces like LBA Woods" at the top of their list to vote YES on Proposition 1. Even the official voter’s guide showcased LBA Woods as the first argument for passage. It read, “Broad community support exists for conserving LBA Woods”. The overwhelming majority of the public who taxed themselves and fought for the Woods believe that they were going to preserve the Woods, not build a road with trees on either side. So when the current politicians talk about how the "road was always in the plan", remind them that is not what they said when they were selling us on a tax increase to buy the Woods.
**** Countering City's Arguments ****
**** Countering City's Arguments ****
The City says, "It doesn't matter if its the plan, we won’t build it until we need it". If that were true and the city and surrounding jurisdictions are doing nothing differently because it is in the plan then the opposite is also true. Remove it from the plan and if the need for a road really arises, the City still owns the property and can still build it. Except then the need will be self-evident and public support will exist. Thus taking it out of the plan would cause no harm. To argue otherwise, means leaving it in the plan does have an impact and that the city would make different decisions.
The City says, "It doesn't matter if its the plan, we won’t build it until we need it". If that were true and the city and surrounding jurisdictions are doing nothing differently because it is in the plan then the opposite is also true. Remove it from the plan and if the need for a road really arises, the City still owns the property and can still build it. Except then the need will be self-evident and public support will exist. Thus taking it out of the plan would cause no harm. To argue otherwise, means leaving it in the plan does have an impact and that the city would make different decisions.
The Growth Management Act requires it. Transportation planning for future does not require building a road. In fact, more planners are now seeing that building more road capacity “induces” more driving in an endless cycle of congestion, build, congestion, build… Transportation demand management and other transportation are recognized solutions that are not in contradiction with our climate and livability goals is the right direction.
The Growth Management Act requires it. Transportation planning for future does not require building a road. In fact, more planners are now seeing that building more road capacity “induces” more driving in an endless cycle of congestion, build, congestion, build… Transportation demand management and other transportation are recognized solutions that are not in contradiction with our climate and livability goals is the right direction.
People knew it was in the plan when they voted on the funding to acquire the Woods. No they did not. The voter’s guide and statements by the advocates that included Councilmember Cooper never mentioned building a road through the very land they highlighted for use of the funds.
People knew it was in the plan when they voted on the funding to acquire the Woods. No they did not. The voter’s guide and statements by the advocates that included Councilmember Cooper never mentioned building a road through the very land they highlighted for use of the funds.