The DRMT – a citizen-based body?

July 7, 2002

"Because it is an already functioning planning group that has broad representation in the Community, the Dungeness River Management Team has been accepted as the "planning entity" to serve under these newer State processes in 2514 and 5595. That means that planning will continue using the DRMT as the key citizen-based body." (DRMT site, http://www.olympus.net/community/dungenesswc/Overview.htm)

Let’s see how this “broad representation” of the “community” plays out.  Here are the members and their affiliations:

Steve Tharinger, Chairman*  and Andy Brastad, 
Clallam County; 

Ann Seiter* and Sandy Johnson, 
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe; 

Al Moore, Lloyd Beebe, 
Riverside Property Owners;  

Mike Jeldness*, Gregg Stone, 
Dungeness River Agriculture Water Users Association; 

Walt Blendermann, Donald Hatler, 
Sports Fisheries; 

Randy Johnson, Tim Rymer, 
WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife; 

Cynthia Nelson*, John Cambalik, 
WA Dept. of Ecology  Puget Sound Action Team; 

Virginia Clark*, Les Jones, 
Watershed/DQ Planning; 

John Beitzel, Council Member, Bill Thomas, former Mayor, 
City of Sequim; 

Cathy Lucero, Hansi Hals, 
North Olympic Land Trust; 

Eloise Kailin, Steve Koehler, 
Protect the Peninsula's Future. 

Advisory positions include 

David Craig Scott Haggerty, 
U.S. Forest Service, Roger Peters, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and 

Joe Holtrop, 
Clallam Conservation District.

*Executive Committee Members.

The so-called “private citizens” have been carefully hand-picked to join in the consensus process, with possibly the except of Lloyd Beebe.