Lots of coordinating. Lots of people. Lots of tasks. My oh my. Looks like I have a third job besides my two paying ones right now.

The State Assistant Archaeologist at the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) was very nice, helpful, and willing to answer all of my questions. Surprisingly, her immediate records did not know much at all about the Swinomish cemetery next door. She recommended keeping DAHP in the loop as needed and providing them with any completed archaeological reports. She also provided me with contact info for a planner with the Swinomish tribe, and recommended that I proactively contact him (which I did).

I also tried to contact several people at Island County government: a land use planner who had worked with the seller’s subdivision application several years ago, a shorelines / enforcement planner (since archaeological and burial sites are at or near the shoreline), and a lady in the planning department familiar with the building permit requirements of properties located within Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. Nobody was in, probably due to the holidays, but I’ll continue trying to contact them.

A local experienced land use and permitting consultant was informative to briefly speak with, and he may be a good help in our eventual building permit process.

I have been a member of the Northwest Natural Resource Group / Northwest Certified Forestry organization for several years. They are an excellent resource for landowners with forest, whether for preservation or timber harvesting. I have taken some very informative classes through them, learning about maintaining and improving forest health, and even learning about income opportunities from forest land beyond just timber harvesting. Their e-newsletters are also very good resources with links to many relevant sources of information elsewhere. I have been in contact with a knowledgeable and helpful director there for a while, and he provided advice on consulting foresters and some next steps. He also said that the state DNR Forest Stewardship Program will actually provide a free onsite visit to assess and provide helpful inputs for maintaining forest health and long range planning.  However, I have to own the property first,  So, I will need to do this after I purchase the land.