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Bailey bill corrects
oversight, adds Strawberry Island
to Island County
How does one "lose" an
island? Apparently, when it comes to state government, it’s possible.
Strawberry Island is located just east of the Deception Pass Bridge, off
the coast of Whidbey Island. It’s visible from the bridge. However, the
tiny 4-acre island was apparently overlooked when the Oregon Legislature
first created Island County on January 6, 1853, before Washington became
a territory or a state. The oversight continued when the Washington
Territorial Legislature formed the county boundaries in 1867, says
Rep. Barbara Bailey. The statute was modified four other times, the last in
1891, two years after Washington became a state – and Strawberry Island
was still omitted.
"All these years, people have assumed Strawberry Island was part of
Island County. A constituent discovered, however, that Strawberry Island
was a part of no county – it was an island unto itself. It was not
included in the original legislation that formed Island County. So for
153 years, we’ve essentially had a ‘lost’ island which has never been
designated by Washington law to be in a county," said Bailey, R-Oak
Harbor.
Bailey, who has introduced legislation correcting the oversight, says
Coupeville resident Roger Sherman discovered that Strawberry Island was
omitted from Washington’s RCWs (Revised Code of Washington) while doing
some research last April on local maritime history.
"He also discovered that the law creating Island County had an erroneous
name of another local island. Ben Ure Island, also located in the
Deception Pass area just south of Strawberry Island, was incorrectly
named ‘Ure’s Island’ in the 1867 statute," noted Bailey.
On Monday, Bailey introduced House Bill 2908. The measure includes
Strawberry Island within the boundaries of Island County. It also
correctly names Ben Ure Island as one of the other land masses within
Island County.
According to the Washington Department of Parks and Recreation,
Strawberry Island is owned by the state of Washington and is a part of
the Deception Pass State Park used as a natural reserve for wildlife.
Although Skagit County has its own Strawberry Island west of Anacortes,
officials in both assessors’ offices of Skagit and Island counties say
the Strawberry Island in Deception Pass is not theirs. Bailey said her
legislation will finally officially put this island on the Island County
map.
"We’ve found Strawberry Island after all these years and we’re giving it
the recognition it deserves. It’s been a lonely little island out in the
bay. This legislation gives it lots of company to finally be listed with
our other islands within Island County," concluded Bailey.
The measure has been referred to the House Local Government Committee
for consideration.
# # #
For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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