Whidbey Environmental Action Network

Planning Commission Passes Findings Of Fact, WEAN Has Concerns

Video of the Island County Planning Commission Public Hearing

on the Comprehensive Plan held on May 20, 2026.

On May 20, the Island County Planning Commission held a public hearing on the final drafts of the Comprehensive Plan and the County's Development Regulations. The room was packed with community members who gave public comments calling for substantive changes to aspects of both the Comprehensive Plan and the Development Code.

WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson and Engagement Director Amanda Bullis both gave public comments sharing their concerns, including lack of mitigation sequencing in the Comp Plan, the current rural cluster code, lack of funding in the 6-year capital improvement plan for implementation of sewer alternatives, and the County's agreement with Oak Harbor to allow annexation of lands before contending with the "donut hole" areas that lack municipal amenities surrounded by city limits. In addition to a line-by-line analysis of the plan draft, WEAN submitted an analysis of the rural cluster development schema in writing to the County.

Deliberation continued on May 27, when the Planning Commission voted to approve the findings of fact for both the Comprehensive Plan draft and the Development Code.

Read the latest WEAN blog post to learn more about the public hearing and the organization's concerns as the Comp Plan moves into its final hearing before adoption.

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WEAN Report Reveals Mitigation Shortcomings In Island County

Map of mitigation projects in Island County analyzed for WEAN

by Environmental Data Administrator Violet Bluemer.

"The results indicate that monitoring is the main hindrance to the success of mitigation amongst the dataset, with nearly half of the projects lacking monitoring altogether."

Violet Bluemer, WEAN Report on Island County Mitigation Records 2014-2024

In 2024, WEAN submitted a public records request asking Island County for documentation associated with mitigation projects on the shorelines of Island County from 2014 to 2024. The purpose of the inquiry was to determine how effectively Island County was complying with mitigation requirements when land development affected critical areas. Among WEAN's concerns was how non-compliance might be contributing to habitat loss.

WEAN's Environmental Data Administrator, Violet Bluemer, compiled and analyzed a dataset of 163 mitigation projects active in Island County in the last decade. Her findings suggest that widespread lack of monitoring is negatively impacting the procedural success of the County's mitigation program, making it difficult to understand the actual scope of net loss occurring as a result of development in the county.

This month, WEAN published Bluemer's findings, "WEAN Report on Island County Mitigation Records 2014-2024," which can be found below or on the issues page of the WEAN website.

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Langley Council Rushes Toward

Land Use Agreement In Coles Valley

Screenshot of the parcel at issue on Coles Road from Island County Geomaps,

Critical Areas Layers. The blue/gray line represents a fish-bearing stream,

and the red areas represent steep slopes.

The City of Langley is considering entering into a land use agreement with Bob Libolt of South Whidbey LLC, which would replace or supersede the current annexation agreement that limits development on a much-contested parcel on Coles Road. The agreement in question was proposed by Libolt as a condition of sale of the property to Habitat for Humanity and would increase the development potential of the site exponentially.

Many community members are concerned about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project, which has prompted a petition requesting further review before an agreement is signed.

WEAN is particularly concerned that the city council is considering entering into an agreement negotiated to benefit a seller who won't be developing the land and maintains that the land itself has serious development limitations that have not changed since the formation of the original annexation agreement in 2005.

The Langley City Council is set to vote on this proposed agreement during an upcoming meeting, date to be announced. Keep track of the agenda center here.

See WEAN's concerns below in a letter written to the City of Langley by WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson.

WEAN'S CONCERNS

Thank Cantwell For Championing

The Roadless Area Conservation Act

Image of Artist Point in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest by Jeff Gunn.

“We need to redouble our efforts to permanently preserve the benefits these public lands provide our nation and future generations.”

Senator Maria Cantwell, WA

Did you know that our very own Senator Maria Cantwell has been a champion of the Roadless Area Conservation Act (RACA) since she first introduced it as a bill in Congress in 2002? In fact, she's reintroduced the bill in the Senate ten times, including this past year.

Earlier this year, WEAN staff attended a panel at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, where we learned about the history of the Roadless Rule, the Roadless Area Conservation Act, and the path toward better protections for our roadless areas.

Read WEAN's blog to learn more about the history of the rule, Cantwell's advocacy, and what we can do to help codify protections for our remaining wild places.

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Attend Island Conversations:

Pacific Salmon At A Crossroads

Image of coho salmon spawning on the Salmon River from Timeless Moon archive.

Pacific salmon require cold and clean water to thrive, but our streams are trending in the opposite direction. Coho salmon and steelhead trout are dying in unprecedented numbers in our urban watersheds, and until very recently, the cause of this urban mortality syndrome was unknown. Researchers across Washington state have now identified the cause, and it's not what you think.

When: June 4, 2026, from 6 pm to 8 pm

Where: 804 3rd St, Langley, WA

Guest speaker Amirah Casey, a graduate student in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, will outline the issues facing salmon and trout in the Pacific Northwest and what we can do to ensure their survival.

LEARN MORE

March With WEAN

At South Whidbey Pride!

Image of WEAN's honorary mascot, Melvin the miniature donkey,

who longs for the sea. Photo by Marnie Jackson.

WEAN staff, board, and our honorary mascot, Melvin the miniature donkey, will be marching at South Whidbey Pride on June 20th. Show your pride for WEAN and support the Whidbey LGBTQIA+ community by taking to the streets of Langley with us.

RSVP to march with us on June 20 at the link below.

Give A Gift To WEAN

Give before June 13 to contribute to our Summer Benefit campaign.

GIVE TO WEAN

From Audubon: Protect The Seal River Watershed

Image of Blackpoll Warbler from Audubon.

The Seal River Watershed Alliance, an Indigenous collaboration of four First Nations; the Manitoba Government; and the Government of Canada have proposed to conserve the Seal River Watershed through multiple layers of protection and stewardship. The entire watershed will be an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area that will include a new national park and a new provincial park.

The Government of Canada is now requesting public comment on the shared proposal, so you have a chance to speak out.

The deadline to submit your comment is June 2.

COMMENT

From EarthJustice: Don't Let Trump Admin Undermine Wolf Recovery

Image of a wolf sprinting courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Gray wolves are native to Colorado, where they once roamed freely. But, decades of trapping, shooting, and poisoning eradicated gray wolves in the state. That is until Colorado voters passed a resolution in 2020 requiring the state to reintroduce gray wolves to their historical range by the end of 2023.

Since then, Colorado’s nascent gray wolf population has seen the birth of new pups in the wild – some of the first wolf pups born in Colorado in several decades. But just as wolves are starting to regain a foothold in the state, the Trump administration is trying to obstruct efforts that would bring this endangered species back from the brink of extinction.

The Fish and Wildlife Services is asking the public to submit comments about Colorado’s wolf recovery program. We need you to show this administration that the public supports the recovery of wolves in Colorado.

COMMENT

From Endangered Species Coalition: Grizzlies Need Your Help

Image of a grizzly bear from the Endangered Species Coalition.

H.R. 281, the Grizzly Bear State Management Act, would legislatively remove Endangered Species Act protections for Yellowstone-area grizzly bears by forcing the reissuance of an old delisting rule that courts already rejected. Its Senate companion, S. 316, would do the same. These bills would also block judicial review, shutting the courthouse doors to any challenge.

In January 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that grizzlies in the lower 48 should remain protected as threatened while recovery continues. Politicians should not override that science just to score points or satisfy special interests.

Act now: Tell your members of Congress to oppose H.R. 281 and S. 316 and defend science-based protections for grizzly bears.

COMMENT

From Let Our Salmon Come Home: Testify At The Pacific Fishery Management Council

The Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet in person in Spokane, Washington, for its 288th Session, with live-streaming and remote options for participation available, including opportunities for public comment.

It’s critical that the Council hear directly from the people its members are appointed to represent—not just agencies and industry interests.

Attend virtually or in-person to testify, or submit a written comment online.

TESTIFY

Words What We're Reading on image of lichen

Las Vegas Company Abandons Plans For Luxury Resort Near Joshua Tree National Park, From LA Times

Why This Tribe Is Buying Up Hundreds Of Acres Of Farmland — And Flooding It, From NPR

Obituary: Nancy Skinner Nordhoff, From Recompose

WEAN’s Engagement Director Heads To Law School, From Whidbey News-Times

First Salmon Ceremony — A South Fork Success Story, From Salish Current

‘Iconic’ Humpback Whale Returns To Washington State. Who Is Big Mama? From Bellingham Herald

Skamania County Commissioner Wants Mile-Wide Fuel Breaks In Gifford Pinchot, From Columbia Insight

New Tool Helps States Quantify Benefits Of Coastal Wetlands, From Pew

Hearing Examiner Approves Controversial Rochester Battery Energy Storage System After Successful Appeal, From The Chronicle

Trump Administration Order Cost WA Coal Plant $20M, Company Says, From The Seattle Times

A Hemispheric Crossroads For Bird Migration And Bottomland Forest Conservation, From Audubon

Study Says Trees Counter Half The World’s Urban Heating, But Not In The Places That Need It Most, From AP News

WA Forest Parcel Saved By A Unique Effort, From The Seattle Times

Ecological In The Deepest Sense, From Conservation Works

Apartments Are the Climate Solution Hiding In Plain Sight, From Sightline Institute

Coupeville School District Receives Solar Grant, From South Whidbey Record

Columbia River Contaminated By Longview Mill Chemical Implosion, Officials Say, From The Seattle Times

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Regional News

Conservation Groups Hail Ruling That Halts Old-Growth Forest Logging At The Blue And Gold Timber Sale In Oregon

Image of a WildCAT volunteer and Cascadia Wildlands' comms fellow inspecting a 250-year-old

western red cedar stump that was logged in the Blue and Gold timber sale. Photo by Cascadia Wildlands.

This May, the US District Court ruled the Blue and Gold timber sale project on Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-administered land west of Yoncalla, Oregon, violated a suite of bedrock environmental laws and halted any further logging. Conservation organizations have vociferously opposed the 3,200-acre logging proposal, which contains many old-growth forest units, for more than six years.

“Concerned community members worked tirelessly to document in detail the old-growth present in these forests and, in doing so, saved this unique area from the chopping block,” said Nick Cady, Legal Director at Cascadia Wildlands. “The Court’s recognition of their contributions and condemnation of the BLM’s dismissal of these efforts is an enormous relief and is also a reminder of the critically important role the public plays in the oversight of these outstanding public forestlands.”

Text adapted from Cascadia Wildlands.

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The Science Behind Drought Declarations In Washington

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) installs, operates, and maintains an extensive automated system called SNOTEL (Snow Telemetry). SNOTEL is designed to collect snowpack and related climatic data in the Western U.S. and Alaska.

Image courtesy of NRCS.

When the Washington Department of Ecology issued a statewide drought declaration on April 8, there were a lot of questions, and even some skepticism, about the analysis that informed the drought emergency.

Is it really an “emergency”? Did Ecology issue the declaration too early? Was a drought declaration even necessary, given that a wetter-than-normal winter left many of our state’s reservoirs full?

Questions are perfectly normal. It obviously can feel a little weird to be talking about drought during spring when the rivers are high and everything is green and growing.

Drought declarations, however, are guided by Washington state laws, and informed by a lot of very detailed science, so it’s important to understand the work that goes on behind the scenes before an emergency is declared.

Text adapted from the WA Department of Ecology blog.

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