Peter Goldmark will protect our public lands

Washington's breathtaking public lands are our pride and joy. We often think of them as just places to camp and play but there's more to them than that. They also provide the state trust revenue, jobs and fish and wildlife habitat. Their management is a hefty responsibility and if he is elected lands commissioner, farmer Peter Goldmark will "make sure that serving the public's interest is the top priority of our state's Department of Natural Resources each and every day."

That's right, the public interest, not the timber industry interest.

The Seattle PI has just added to Goldmark's impressive list of endorsements which includes Senators Cantwell and Murray and Governor Gregoire. The PI expects Goldmark to be bolder and more innovative than the eight-year incumbent.

Here's an excerpt from the PI's endorsement:

Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark is the clear choice for state Commissioner of Public Lands. Goldmark, an Eastern Washington farmer, offers a good bet for more careful environmental stewardship, especially on timber lands, a willingness to spur clean-energy production and a good sense for the fiduciary responsibility to earn money from timber, leasing aquatic lands and other activities...

Neither Goldmark or Sutherland, who is heavily supported by the timber industry, is likely to try to make a big shift from logging. But we think Goldmark would be much more open to stricter conservation practices, extensive marketing of timber as green-certified to the highest standard and moving rapidly in new directions. His enthusiasm for clean energy, for instance, suggests he is also likely to spur conservation groups, businesses and others into partnerships that will make for a healthier environment and economy.

I think Goldmark's own words from his website can tell you where his priorities lie better than I can.

We need to take a more thoughtful approach focused on long-term sustainability--for trust revenues, jobs, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and ecological protection rather than sell off our future for short term profits.