Today I went for a jog on Tiger Mountain near Issaquah.

I have thoroughly enjoyed its footpaths this summer, together with many others: families, daycare children, high school students, handicapped persons, seniors and tourists.

I have also met an assortment of wild animals including birds, chipmunks, snakes and deer. I even managed to see a black bear with cubs the other day – an experience I will never forget! Contrary to what some may fear, they are tame enough and keep their distance, as did I.

We are truly blessed to have access to such wonderful nature so close at hand. It is why more and more people come to stay.

At the same time I have observed how the edges of this small wilderness are slowly being eroded. There are several new ‘development’ projects scraping away at the mountain’s sides. If it’s not the actual trees and animals that are disappearing, it’s the serenity being pierced by the noise of construction/destruction machines.

I hear the conservative heckles already, ‘Oh, it’s all in the name of development!’ Granted, some of these projects are for the common good. There is a water conservation project along the I-90 corridor at one end of my path. There is construction being done on the Issaquah High School at the other.

In acceptance of the status quo I have ignored these eyesores. I was able to escape their disturbance further up on the mountain. But today, near Poo-Poo Point, my path was blocked by what I can only assume were workers employed by the electrical company. They were spraying a putrid cocktail of chemicals on the vegetation, including wild flowers and blackberries, under the already monstrous row of power lines that rip through the forest.

I had actually enjoyed this particular spot only the day before. The fragrant scent of wild flowers and the sweet-sour taste of blackberries was a special treat.

But now that’s gone too. Something just broke inside of me. I thought of all the small little critters and maybe even some big ones that would be harmed or killed by this work.

As I squeezed my way past the truck parked blatantly in the middle of the path I decided to write this little poo-pooing piece. I, for one, want my children and their children’s children to experience the ‘ah-ha’ of seeing wild animals in their natural habitat, taste wild berries, and enjoy fragrant flowers, rather than encounter a ruined landscape.

The spraying of chemicals in the wilderness may seem insignificant when compared with the scale of problems we face today. But as my mother often says, ‘every little bit counts.’ My hope is that this little story reaches the electrical company and those in ‘power’ who might realize more middle-ground approaches that can coexist not only with natural environments but also our common future.

Peter Lutz

Issaquah