Commission Briefs

Owners can opt out of spraying

Herbicide spraying will start in April, the Mason County Department of Public Works announced. Property owners who want to opt out can enroll in Public Work’s Owner Will Maintain program by calling 360-427-9670 Ext. 450.

Property owners who have already enrolled and designated their land “no spray” do not need to contact Public Works.

A detailed list of roads being sprayed is available on the Public Works Herbicide Spray Program webpage at http://www.masoncountywa.gov.

Harstine timber sale postponed

The state Department of Natural Resources sent Harstine Island landowners a letter saying the Harstine Flats timber sale has been postponed indefinitely.

“As with anything, there are times when plans change, and that is the case in DNR’s timber sale program,” DNR Hood Canal District Manager, South Puget Sound Region, Nathan McReynolds wrote in the letter.

“In March 2023, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) sent a letter and factsheet regarding plans for a timber sale named ‘Harstine Flats’ near your property. Following those letters, DNR staff had very informative and beneficial conversations with several nearby landowners regarding DNR management, including details on the extensive field reviews and environmental protections DNR State Trust lands implements as part of the planning and design of any timber sale, in addition to areas set aside for conservation,” McReynolds wrote.

He said the sale is halted for now, but DNR may revisit harvesting timber there in the future.

Harstine Island landowners and community members have been sending letters to the Mason County commissioners requesting cancellation of the timber sale.

Harstine property owner and part-time resident Raleigh Watts told commissioners in a letter the forest included 100-year-old trees.

“This is not a forest that has been groomed for resource recovery in the forest industry. If it were, I would be OK with the proposed timber sale and resulting cut,” Watts wrote.

Kate Evans, writing on behalf of a group of Harstine and Mason County residents, told commissioners her group was not opposed to sustainable logging on DNR land, however the unique characteristics of Harstine Flats should be conserved.