Leavenworth weighs in on local environmental risks during third community visioning session

LEAVENWORTH – The third community visioning night hosted by the City of Leavenworth on Sept. 23 focused on accountable environmental stewardship.

“We know that what draws a lot of us here is the beauty that we see and experience. [We] like rock climbing, and we like rivers, and we like the trails, and like anything, it's in danger of being loved to death. So tonight is a chance to explore some of those areas and concerns,” said Mayor Carl Florea.

Approximately fifty attendees split into about eight groups began their discussion with the question, “What drew you here? What kept you here in terms of the natural environment?” Alpenglow, dark night skies, and nature-adjacent jobs were listed in addition to the most common answer, outdoor recreation.

“Half of us [at this table] weren't familiar with the Leavenworth area, and moved here for either jobs or other reasons, and then stayed here because of the amazing proximity to things like skiing, both downhill and Nordic, the wild rivers, hiking, and backpacking. So, we feel a sense of pride living here,” said resident Rachel Hansen.

Next, attendees explored the questions, “What have you seen change? What’s at risk?” Some attendees listed positive changes, such as more champions for the environment and more strategic recreational planning. However, most groups answered with overcrowding in public spaces, resource depletion, climate change affecting rivers and snowpack, increased fire risk, and pressures on wildlife, such as salmon.

“The rivers, I mean they were busy, but they were never so early, so late, so packed, so overrun with people…”It's a little mad. It feels a little like Venice Beach sometimes,” said resident Anna Dougherty.

Following the group discussion, attendees were allotted ten minutes each to ask local experts questions about zero waste, water, fire safety, trails, public lands, and green transit. Attendees had the chance to speak with representatives from Fire District #3, Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, TREAD, Chelan PUD, Wenatchee River Institute, Link Transit, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, the U.S. Forest Service, and Waste Loop.

The city hosted three community visioning sessions throughout September, focusing on housing, tourism, and the environment. A final meeting to consolidate the collective input will be held on Oct. 14 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Fire Station 31, located at 228 Chumstick Highway.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media