Help C.L.E.A.R. and Gain an EMF-Safer Island County
Donation protected
Hello citizens of Island County!
As I write this, citizens around the country, including our county, are resisting intrusive cell-tower developers pushing strongly radiating equipment close to residences. Why?
Because local authorities regularly throw up their hands at citizen complaints when close-in towers are suddenly announced. Why?
Because local antiquated codes (like IC's) are toothless against sophisticated developers proposing often un-needed, intrusive antennas and towers anywhere they like.
C.L.E.A.R. is making difficult efforts, given IC's very antiquated ordinance, to challenge such a T-Mobile tower in a lovely area of north Camano. Uncommon? Check the map below, see the trend. Expect a legion, many unnecessary, coming to our poorly defended County in the next decade!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
First a bad :-( Five-year-old C.L.E.A.R.'s small operating grant temporarily dried up in September.
But a good :-) Funding will very likely return before next Spring!
A bad again :-( A funding deficit for needed ACTION is NOW. Finally, a good :-) Your funding will back pressure needed NOW to push the County to modernize its code.
A HAPPY MEMORY: A similar crowd-fund in 2022 was the vital propellant that put in Langley's smart new code!
COUNTY CODE REVISION IS A BIGGER PUSH. It will happen ONLY if a code upgrade is specified FIRST in the Comp Plan whose re-write is NOW UNDERWAY.
The re-write is so complex and multi-fronted that without pressure the small Telecom part could be simply ignored!
Only C.L.E.A.R. is up to speed on this issue and its stages―we've been pushing hard for it! Letting off pressure could doom it. There's currently no other pathway in place to accomplish this!
THIS CROWD-FUND WAS STARTED 90 DAYS AGO. Its 25 donations so far (Thanks! ) will sustain us only into part of December but no further. Then curtains unless you donate for a push through December and early months of 2025! I can't run it out of my pocket at this point! Without your help soon this vital code-upgrading-pathway will likely be lost!
The goal of this fund has been $10,000; we're approaching 40%!
Look below at the trend from the last 10 years! Extrapolate to 10 years hence:
More detail on C.L.E.A.R.― A good number of you have heard of, or experienced directly, the leadership and hard work of local organization Citizen League Encouraging Awareness of Radiation (C.L.E.A.R. at clearwhidbey.org). It has been led by Mark Wahl for over 5 years, with a strong mailing list and many official contacts. It has taken on personal and public safety issues, and counseled locals about radio frequency radiation (RF or EMF) in many complex situations. Under Mark Wahl’s guidance and leadership it has been the sole organized voice of RF safety and careful use in Island County.
C.L.E.A.R.’S OTHER GOALS AND ACTIVITIES BEYOND TOWER WORK MENTIONED ABOVE. These too will be sustained by this stopgap fundraiser ―
• Wireless safety info: how-to's, news, comments in newsletters to our mailing list,
• Maintenance and fees: for the clearwhidbey.org office expenses including webmaster work and content, including online presentations, bulletins and RF-safety info,
• Promptly answering constituents’ emailed questions on their particular RF problems and issues,
• Actively aiding concerned citizens' legal responses to careless antenna projects around them,
• Approaching school districts about thoughtfully limiting RF exposures in our youths' classrooms,
• Interacting regularly with the lively national network of RF tech and legal experts to keep current in this rapidly-developing field.
Thank you in advance for your contribution, whether large or small! You don't have to be a member of C.L.E.A.R. to help our County now!
“As a very electro-sensitive person, I have sought CLEAR advice on safety measures with my electronic devices many times. Having an expert on call is invaluable.” Janet Pingree
“The Langley administration’s strong collaboration with C.L.E.A.R. in 2022 gave us funds and expertise that we needed to put our telecom ordinance revision, one of the most advanced in the U.S., over the top!” Scott Chaplin, former Langley Mayor
A CLOSER POSITIVE RECALL OF THE SUCCESSFUL 2022 GOFUND.ME IMPLEMENTING THE AMAZING LANGLEY CODE! Many of you contributed to that push. Thanks!
STELLAR LANGLEY OUTCOMES:
1) Replacing a vague 1997 1/2-page code, this C.L.E.A.R. action, in hand with patiently informing many Langley officials and coordinating with a top wireless attorney, all in record time.
Now its smart 45 pages are keeping any more recklessly placed or un-needed antennas away from Langley viewscapes, housing, and critical areas!
2) More success came from spreading word of this victory nationally!
Result: The code, is now both consulted Washington-wide AND applauded nation-wide. It has significantly helped some other cities achieve strong wireless regulations!
☝️ Replicating this same type of upgrade action for Island County is one top goal of our crowdfunding drive! By contributing you can proudly play a part in preserving Island County's future safety and character!
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FOR THOSE WISHING MORE INFORMATION ON THE COUNTY'S NEED FOR SAFE TELECOM FACILITIES:
What are the potential problems with of many cell-towers? Why do applications need to be more County-scrutinized?
1) Documented, respected studies confirm many potential harms caused by unneeded, poorly-situated, poorly-operated, cellular/5G antennas.
2) They're coming fast, leading to corner-cutting! See the County map above to grasp the challenge: 22 antennas in 2015 and 228+ now in 2024; a 10-year 850% increase!)
3) Sadly, the County does zero follow-up or inspection of these once installed. Antenna power can be vastly over-increased by operators, even beyond FCC limits.
4) Wiring and circuits degrade in these high-power installations. Aging cell towers are found to be accident and fire-prone. A good ordinance demands more vigilance in advance and during operation.
5) Other important factors needing scrutiny
• Lowered property-values of nearby properties,
• Degraded viewscapes and area character,
• Degraded historical and nature-critical areas,
• Possible constriction and obstruction of local planning goals,
• Health challenges to nearby microwave sensitive residents,
• Degrading effects on nearby flora, fauna, insects, humans.
• Potential fire dangers, especially with now-increasing fire-prone areas and less predictable weather
• A health fact: 1.5% of citizens suffer microwave sensitivity agitated by these towers but most are uninformed and soothed by industry hype about zero harms. It means most have no clue where their various discomforts or ailments might come from.
• Island County's poor tracking: C.L.E.A.R. made a recent, detailed County document-request for permits and info on all antennas and towers. The full response that came back stated it found information on only four of them!
As for CLEAR's County role: This major CLEAR goal will continue to require our regular information flow and negotiation with County authorities from October well into 2025.
The next 10-year Comprehensive Plan is being written NOW. The Telecom section of it must insist that strong wireless regulatory language be placed very soon into the actual Island code. C.L.E.A.R. is the major party pushing for this.
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C.L.E.A.R. is central...
• Without C.L.E.A.R.’s sustained efforts the County Telecom code revision will likely fall off the table for years,
• No one else in Island County knows, and updates on, the detailed tech and legal landscape of all wireless safety!
• No one else advocates any current oversight of over 128 cell towers already in the County.
• No one else can guide homeowners making potential installers of intrusive nearby antennas follow law and safety!
• No one else knows how to coach citizens in a wide variety of RF problems in their unique home configurations!
• No one else keeps tuned to national networks of RF info and safety for citizens!
LIKE MORE DETAIL ON TOWER RADIATION AND HEALTH?
FINAL WORD:
• PROMOTE THIS FUNDING in your own contacts and social media!
• Just click the SHARE BUTTON above for a paste-in link to share with contacts.
Organizer
Mark Wahl
Organizer
Langley, WA