Forks man vies for Conservation District position

"Let keep the Conservation District from becoming another tool of the "green movement," said Brett Johnson of Forks. He is running for the position of Conservation District supervisor, and believes he can fairly represent Clallam County. The election will take place on March 17.

"The [Conservation] District recently released a Long Range Plan which reads very much like the American Heritage Rivers Initiative and the Coastal Corridor Master Plan," Johnson states. "It oversteps its applied authority involving the district in issues such as cultural heritage and air quality issues, stakeholders councils, etc...How about just assisting private property owners when requested," he said.

Johnson is presently serving as Executive Director of the Washington Commercial Forest Action Committee in Forks. Born in Salmon, Idaho, he's lived most of his life in Washington state, moving from Redmond to Forks in 1992. "After moving here, I became aware of the Seattle media misinformation on forest health issues," he said. He has been actively involved in his community ever since.

Johnson decided to run for the Conservation office after attending several of the meetings and noticing areas of concern. He says there appears to be little or no supervision of current staff or grants process by the Board. As a private property rights advocate, he believes that his presence on the Board will bring the focus back toward the people.

Johnson said his opponent, the current Board member, once moved to investigate the concerns raised by the public regarding the board's involvement in the Dungeness River Management Team (DRMT.) "He then stuck his head in the sand, unwilling to investigate anything. Part of the problem? I believe so, and that is why I have put my name forward," he said.