To the editor:

I am really shocked that the commissioner who is supposed to be representing our best interests (Kelly Emerson) would propose the discontinuation of a program that has been in place for decades. I don’t pay that much in taxes, however, this Conservation Futures program and what it stands for is very dear to my heart. A push to discontinue it would propel me to pay more just to ensure that all of Island County continues to participate.

Ask the former shellfish farmer in Holmes Harbor or the shellfish farmer in Samish Bay what they feel about owners of lands that don’t feel they are  one of an entire healthy community.

Even closer, ask Penn Cove Shellfish and their struggle to educate the public about one man’s thinking that he had the right to anchor a derelict fishing boat in pristine water.

The Conservation Futures program could be renamed to reflect what the program’s true endeavor is — the saving of the natural resources that we find so much in abundance in Island County. We may not have the large farms now; however, we have hundreds of citizens in the county who use the land. Visit any farmers market and talk with those people. Ask them to send a message to district1@co.island.wa.us to let Commissioner Helen Price-Johnson know this is one bone that many dogs will fight for.

Maddie Rose

Coupeville