Since elk area 6013 was established by the WDFW commission in 2010, both elk numbers and elk damage have rapidly increased on the Buckley-Enumclaw plateaus.

In June of 2012, I sent letters to Sen. Pam Roach, Rep. Christopher Hurst and Rep. Cathy Dahlquist, asking for their help to solve the elk problems.

Sen. Roach promptly called me and voiced her concerns. Last April 8, Sen. Roach organized a meeting attended by about 50 very concerned landowners, as well as the Farm Bureau and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The WDFW region manager, along with three conflict specialists, were also in attendance. Meetings have since been held between WDFW and the Muckleshoot Tribe and progress is being made to resolve the elk issues.

Conversely, I received no reply from either Rep. Hurst or Rep. Dahlquist. In January of 2013 I sent each another letter saying: “I am certainly disappointed that you failed to respond to my June letter, but please let me know if you would like to receive a copy of my next letter.” That has been over a year and a half ago and neither Rep. Hurst nor Rep. Dahlquist have shown enough interest to give me the courtesy of a reply.

If you want something accomplished, the choice is clear: please vote to re-elect Sen. Pam Roach.

Bill Sylvester

Buckley