Our mission is to protect the habitat of Puget Sound tidelands from the underregulated expansion of new and intensive shellfish aquaculture methods. These methods were never anticipated when the Shoreline Management Act was passed. They are transforming the natural tideland ecosystems in Puget Sound and are resulting in a fractured shoreline habitat. In South Puget Sound much of this has been done with few if any meaningful shoreline permits and with limited public input. It is exactly what the Shoreline Management Act was intended to prevent.

Get involved and contact your elected officials to let them you do not support aquaculture's industrial transformation of Puget Sound's tidelands.

Governor Inslee:

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thurston County on Diminished Property Values from Geoduck Farms



"Affected property owners may request a change in valuation for property tax purposes."
Thurston County's Resource Stewardship Council, in recommending approval of three geoduck farm permits in Henderson Inlet, states to property owners impacted by these geoduck farms, that reducing the value in their property is how to achieve the "balance" between geoduck farming and its impact on adjacent property values. For full staff reports on the Arcadia Point Seafood and Taylor Shellfish permits, click here (Note: Files are each ~35mb in size.)
 
To get a sense of what impact this reduction in property values will have on Thurston County's property taxes collected, and budget, see below. At the end is an example of "representation without taxation" where an existing geoduck farm and upland property are valued at $85,000 (taxes = $1,150) and adjacent properties are valued between $581,000 to $893,000 (taxes = $5,620 and $5,440, respectively). Another geoduck farm is proposed on the Wheeler owned property, adjacent to the existing geoduck farm.

There was no analysis of what this recommendation will result in. It presents another clear example of why a cumulative impacts analysis should be required before these permits are issued.
 
Existing Geoduck Farms
in Thurston County
(As reported by shellfish growers in 2006)
 
Nisqually Reach
(existing geoduck farms)
  
Henderson Inlet
(existing and currently proposed geoduck farms)
 
Totten Inlet, Carlyon Beach Area
 
Eld Inlet
(existing geoduck farms, south of proposed "Xia" geoduck farm)
 
Values of existing geoduck farm
and adjacent properties
(Note: Wheeler property/proposed Xia geoduck farm 
is valued at $82,000.  Taxes collected = $446)
 

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