La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Who is stealing and vandaliz-ing?

Who is jeopardizing our fragile eco-system?

Who is doing this to trespass in sweet La Conner?

You might have walked the beautiful beach along the Swinomish Channel thinking it was public property. It is an idyllic place for children and dogs to run, swim, and enjoy nature.

In fact, almost all that land is privately owned. A tiny stretch of tideland, close to town, is public property. The only way to access it without crossing private property is by boat.

What’s been happening? Nobody has been injured. Nobody has been bitten by dogs. Trespassers are being aggressive. Trespassers are stealing and vandalizing. Someone is lighting fires. This is not a campfire by the tideland to enjoy the sunset. The fires are by the field surrounded by dry grass.

Now, someone has destroyed vegetation and carved into the embankment of the actual dike at the inlet. The dike that protects our town from flooding. Who feels so entitled to trespass that they would resort to destruction of this extremely delicate eco-system? Who cares only about themselves and not preservation of this pristine area? If you cross this area you will be adding to the destruction.

Good citizens of La Conner help identify who did this to the dike. If you see people maneuvering down the steep slope of the dike call 911. If you have information about who damaged the dike, is starting fires, or being aggressive, please report it to the sheriff’s non-emergency number, (360) 428-3211.

Tammy Swanson-Toyama