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<p>Hi,</p>
<p> I'd like to report from a 'historical perspective'. I grew up
in Anacortes and left there to go to</p>
<p>SF State ... way back in the fall of '63. I still had family
here in Washington but until just 5</p>
<p>years ago I hadn't -lived- in the PNW.</p>
<p> The population growth in the PNW - specifically on the West
side of the Cascades - is</p>
<p>extremely noticeable. Even here in Skagit County (pop. 125,000
and growing) the change is</p>
<p>huge. Houses and roads everywhere, roads going from 2 lanes (old
Hwy 99) to 4 or even 6 </p>
<p>(I-5) lanes ... and crowded. The number of cars literally
anytime you want to name on 20</p>
<p>between Anacortes and Mt.Vernon/Burlington is nearly at
capacity. "At capacity" means</p>
<p>that if you add more volume of traffic you go over the capability
of the road to handle the</p>
<p>same average speed.</p>
<p> Population growth also means 'loss of habitat' (food and
nesting sources). Even the <br>
</p>
<p>pandemic didn't slow down the growth here in Skagit County (one
of the most rural</p>
<p>counties on the West side of the Cascades).</p>
<p> We don't have the right perspective when we are discussing
things if we aren't taking</p>
<p>a longer view of 'history'. What's happened in the last 5 years
isn't important - what's</p>
<p>important is what's happened in the last 50 years!</p>
<p>
-
rant over ... Jim <br>
</p>
<p>P.S. BTW - the PNW is hugely better than Californicatia!<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 7/24/2024 12:04 PM, via Tweeters
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:mailman.779.1721847894.4423.tweeters@mailman11.u.washington.edu">
<pre>RE Decline in swallow numbers</pre>
</blockquote>
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