There is a lot of misinformation in that article. I happen to know about this situation from the inside, and what WDFW is proposing is not to flood the land with saltwater and render it useless, it is to replace the existing and failing tide gates with tide gates that can be set to maintain the same water elevation that is in the existing ditches, they just remain open until this water elevation is reached so that juvenile salmon can enter the ditches on an incoming tide and use them for rearing. These self-regulating tide gates work pretty slick on the east coast where they have been used for years, it's just that not many people have seen them over here so they are afraid of them. That and farmers are afraid that if they let salmon in their ditches they are then going to be regulated as fish habitat. Well, their whole farm is already fish habitat, it was once an intertidal wetland after all before the dikes were built, and a strict interpretation of the law that requires fish passage would indeed result in their being totally returned to wetlands in order to be in compliance. This is NOT what WDFW is proposing, only to provide passage to existing habitat while allowing existing uses - it is a compromise position and entirely reasonable.

And the habitat in these ditches is indeed valuable to juvenile fish - it is protected, warmer than the open waters of the Sound in early spring when they need these sheltered, warm, and highly productive areas and the enourmous amounts of insects they provide. And a bunch of these insects are mosquitos that could potentially carry the West Nile virus, so it makes a lot of sense to let fish in there to eat them all. Also, daily influx of saltwater will kill off mosquito larvae, which require stagnant freshwater to breed, exactly like the conditions presently behind the dikes.

So please keep in mind that, in spite of the hue and cry to the contrary, WDFW is not proposing to take anybody's farm away. Done right, providing fish passage using SRTs will not affect farmland at all. These gates can be set to close at any elevation, and since fish passage only needs to be provided in the spring and early summer they can be set to close immediatly during winter high tides and high flows. They also are much more efficient at draining land during heavy runoff periods than the undersized and heavy flap gates presently in place. This new technology would actually keep the land drier.

You want to see some SRTs in action just visit Cosmopolis some time. The Corps installed the first SRTs in the state about 10 years ago to protect the city of Cosmoposis from flooding while still providing fish passage to Mill and Alder Creeks, and they work quite well. As you head across Hwy. 101 from Aberdeen look to your left. And bring some Skagit bulb farmers with you. Education is the best way to conquer fear.