Dear Cortes Community Members,

Thank you to the approximately 125 people who came together with 48 hours notice to have a civil & productive discourse relating to runway renovations on the island and the potential impacts on the local community, ecology, and economy. It was wonderful to have a place for every voice to be heard. During the meeting we shared known information and worked to dispel rumors and collaborate on questions, concerns and ideas.

The themes that emerged out of the small groups were wide ranging, but the top ones were as follows:

Communication - A lack of direct communication and community engagement from both parties is elevating concerns due to a lack of clarity on the intentions and use:

Environment & Safety - A list of potential environmental and safety concerns were raised, from stormwater run-off, noise and fire risks related to airplane fuels. There was a desire to understand what steps are being taken to address the concerns and the local resources that may be required to meet them in case of an emergency.
Long Term Consequences - Chip sealing the runway opens up the access to different aviation crafts and a level of ease that could cause downstream consequences around housing, affordability, and lack of community integration from seasonal buyers. Concerns that this was taking Cortes toward a resort community instead of a living community.

The petition that was made available for signature at the meeting has been shared with Martine Rothblatt and Michael Ching and we are awaiting a response.

Updates Since Town Hall:
We have begun dialogue with Micheal Ching via a representative. He has since responded to an email that was sent a few weeks ago responding to some of our questions.

Two points of note from the response are:
1) the runway operates as a private facility with access for landing granted strictly with permission (no clarification was offered on what the perimeters of those permissions will be). 2) The airstrip will be made available to medical services whenever possible.

It is great to know that it will be available in emergencies.

As promised at the town hall, the concerns and questions that were raised, along with the petition have been sent to Martine Rothblatt and Micheal Ching’s representative. The core questions we seek to gain clarity on are:

- What are the broader intentions and frequency of use of the runway from both parties?
- What are the parameters the owner is considering for providing approval to requests, such as: volume allowances, private contracts for tourism,flight schools etc.
- What environmental and safety measures are being considered?

We reiterated our request that they hold-off on chip sealing, and asked for clear agreements on anticipated use to minimize the disruption and potential consequences to our community.

After what we hope felt like a productive community meeting, it may be safe to say that the issue of the airstrip improvements has been the catalyst for Cortes Island to start the discussion on the future of our Island.

Where do we want to be in 10, 20, 30 years? How do we want to shape and influence the change underway? How can we work together? And how do we get the message out beyond Cortes Island our collective expectations for newcomers? These are some questions we hope to continue hosting dialogue around in the months to come.

Warmly,
Sadhu (on behalf of the working group)