Well, folks, it seems we may have taken a few creative liberties with the draft letter ourselves. On March 27, 2023, at the commissioners’ meeting, the commissioners instructed Commissioner Hoover to use the letter from Chelan County as a template to draft Okanogan’s response. Ah, plagiarism – the sincerest form of flattery, or is it just plain laziness?

One can’t help but wonder if our esteemed commissioners have taken the time to gauge the opinions of Okanogan County’s constituents or even bother to educate themselves on the issue. Instead, they appear to have chosen the path of least resistance, borrowing heavily from another county’s work. Can we truly trust the objectivity of commissioners who merely parrot the words of others and rely on news articles rather than engaging in thoughtful discussion?

For your amusement, we have crafted two distinct versions of the Okanogan Board of Commissioners’ response to the grizzly bear reintroduction plan: one satirical, and one that emulates the actual letter. The satirical version employs biting wit and sarcasm to convey a subtle, yet poignant critique of the proposed plan, while the “actual” version closely follows the template of the Chelan County letter, expressing strong opposition to the reintroduction of grizzly bears.

Both versions offer unique perspectives on the issue, with the satirical approach providing an amusing commentary on the potential consequences of the reintroduction plan, and the “actual” version giving a more straightforward representation of the commissioners’ genuine concerns. Keep an eye out for the final product and let’s see how close our tongue-in-cheek rendition comes to the actual submission. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when it comes to representing the interests of Okanogan County residents, perhaps it’s time for our commissioners to find their own voice.

I’ve also attached my letter to the commissioners requesting comments about the county’s process on the Grizzly issue.