Dear Sammamish City Council:

I wanted to write to you regarding the article in the Sammamish review “Should Sammamish have urban Farms?, by J.B. Wogan. I must admit I was a bit shock after I read the article that some of you are actually considering giving credence to legislation that would ban “Farm” animals from the City of Sammamish.
How well do any of you know the history of the City of Sammamish. Sammamish started out as a collection of small family farms. I fully realize this is not the landscape we find ourselves in today, however the link between our past & our future is much more closely related than you can believe.
How often have you considered where your dinner comes from? Safeway or Costco are just the purchase point. Neatly wrapped deli chicken, and packaged potato salad are far removed from the genesis of your meal. Family farms provide a link not only to our past, but ensure you have healthy local food on your table. They reduce the stress on the animal, provide income, purpose, entertainment, and pride to many families. My own hens are the talk of our street, and I’m proud to say so.
I would not try to raise horses, or goats on my land, as my lot though large for a development is only 12k -sqft. However I can raise a small healthy flock of hens, that provide eggs, fertilizer, entertainment & yes pride to myself & my family. Intelligent legislation can maintain a healthy balance between our history & our future. For example, raising chickens is currently allowed if you have ½ acre or less, but must be limited to 3 chickens. For a ½ acre or more you can have 2000. This does not make any sense. In Seattle, you can have 3 chickens on a standard city lot ( I believe that is 5k-sqft), with one additional chicken for every 1000-sqft. over that. This is a much saner ratio, but I would amend it to say, hens instead of chickens. Hens produce eggs, and unless you want a chicken farm, hens are all you need, and they make far less noise that any neighborhood dog. I would invite any of you to walk my street anytime of the day or night & hear one of my hens.

This is what is ruining out country. People try to be self sufficient, but someone has to complain and ruin it.

If I lived in the area I would definately file a complaint.

DONT GIVE UP ON THE FARM!! YOU CAN DO IT!!

This makes me feel ashamed of The City of Sammamish which resides in King County. Hello? Don’t you know about Horses for Clean Water and King County Conservation District’s Farm Plan? Any responsible horse owner living in King County knows of Alayne Bickle and her nationally recognized work through Horses for Clean Water. http://www.horsesforcleanwater.com/. We are lucky to have Alayne right here in our backyard teaching us how to keep horses responsibly while protecting our land. This includes manure management.

In addition we have King County Conservation District’s Farm Plan available to us. From their website: “Anyone who wants to keep livestock on their land can get a FREE consultation! A farm plan is a document developed by King County Conservation District the farmer or landowner. It is a series of actions developed to meet a farmer’s goals while protecting water quality and the natural resources. Some of the things considered in a farm plan are farm size, soils type, slope of the land, proximity to streams or water bodies, type of livestock or crops, the farmer’s goals, resources such as machinery or buildings and finances available. An important point to remember is you don’t have to be a commercial operation to have a farm plan developed for you – the King Conservation District works with farms of all sizes, from backyard horse owners to dairy and beef operations!” Read more here: http://www.kingcd.org/pub_far_wha.htm

As far as chickens are concerned, even the City of Seattle allows three chickens per standard lot, with an additional one bird allowed per additional 1,000 sq. “As with any animal (and people), chickens can be “dirty” if they are not properly cared for. A chicken that is properly cared for is just as clean as a dog or house bird.” Read more here: ft.http://www.seattletilth.org/learn/resources-1/city-chickens/citychickensfaqs

It sounds like the Monsons did everything right including being permitted by King County Conservation District.

As for the Monson’s neighbors, please live and let live and trust that the Monsons will be responsible animal keepers. Talk to them, find out their plans. Work it out together. Be a good neighbor and communicate. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to enjoy some fresh Monson eggs!

Horses are incredible responsibility and relationship teachers for children, for anyone really. And as Alice Walker said, “Horses make the landscape more beautiful”. Having animals living with us and in our neighborhoods is a gift. Manure from vegetable eating animals such as horses and goats is not smelly, is only recycled grass and can be composted to smell like sweet earth. It can also yield some pretty amazing vegetable gardens. And in these economic times, more and more people are growing their own food. What a wonderful thing to teach to our children.

I recently learned from my director at the YMCA where I teach fitness classes that Sammamish has very high teen suicide statistics. Now there’s something to focus our energies on. I certainly hope that The City of Sammamish decides to put its energy and our tax dollars into more important social issues and allows the Monsons to create and live their dream.