Save Appletree Watershed from Development Damage

APPLETREE COVE, an important fish-bearing estuary in Kingston, WA., is threatened by a nationwide developer. Arborwood, a massive 751-unit complex is being built within its watershed - a Critical Aquifer supplying water for North Kitsap County. The watershed includes Crabapple Creek, a Coho salmon stream, and extensive WETLANDS for deer, bears, and other creatures. We need your help to minimize damage to this valuable watershed.

This land (~340 acres) was recently sold to two national development corporations, splitting it into North and South halves. We have already witnessed the transformation of the upland forest in the South section (next to Whitehorse) into a barren MOONSCAPE. The North developer is now eager to build, but its plan impacts the streams and wetlands feeding Appletree Cove. Problem? Not if you do a Critical Area Buffer Reduction maneuver and just FILL IN those pesky wetlands that support wildlife, recharge the aquifer, and filter stream water.

As if clear-cutting the forest and completely regrading steeply sloped hillsides into flat terraces (like the South half) weren’t destructive enough, they want to FILL inconveniently located wetlands to build a roadbed. They just need to “BEND THE RULES” a bit, and who will complain - the wildlife?

That’s when we, two humans who live near and frequently hike this forest and valley, OBJECTED by filing an APPEAL to get this permit variance denied. To do that we needed legal representation and a way to pay for it. That’s where you come in – we can’t fight this asymmetrical battle alone - we’re building grassroots support and are now nearly 25% of the way to our $35,000 goal; we desperately NEED YOUR HELP to take our case to a hearing for a fair decision.

We’re not against housing and certainly can’t outspend a behemoth development corp, but we can insist they RESPECT our environment and ABIDE by the laws that protect it. Otherwise, they’ll continue to steamroll over everything until there is nothing left.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Help us defend our streams, forests, and wildlife by saying “NOT SO FAST” to big developers paving over paradise (literally).