One Voice Lewis County has announced that Bob Guenther, a longtime advocate for labor and responsible environmental practices in Southwest Washington, as the newest member of its board of directors.
One Voice is composed of local residents seeking a basinwide solution to chronic flooding in the Chehalis River Basin. It has supported the proposal for a flow-through dam on the Chehalis River near Pe Ell.
A founding member of the East Lewis County-based Pinchot Partners, Guenther is familiar with coordinating talks between stakeholders of natural resources. The Pinchot Partners have often facilitated conversations and eventual progress between tribes, governments, environmental activists and citizens.
Guenther was also a former president of the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council, and is familiar with lobbying, policy and advocating for his community. He has already put this experience into action on the One Voice board.
Guenther, in a letter to Gov. Bob Ferguson, wrote: “Organized Labor stands strongly behind the proposed flow-through dam for flood control on the upper main stem of the Chehalis River; this project is under both state and federal EIS review. We support the Office of Chehalis’s Basin work, which is backed by the Chehalis Tribe and Quinault Nation to help restore salmon habitat and at the same time seeking solutions to flood damage.”
In a news release, Guenther said he is excited to join a process that continues to be a win-win for economic development and the welfare of the region.
“The Chehalis Basin process has accomplished more than 130 local flood and habitat projects on time and on budget,” Guenther said. “The flood projects include the China Creek project, a dike protecting the Pe Ell sewer treatment plant, Adna levee rebuild, additional settling ponds in the Boistfort Valley water system, a strengthened Centralia/Chehalis airport levee, Bucoda water intake system and flood pumps and support for the North Shore levee in Aberdeen and Hoquiam, flood protection for the Montesano mill and water treatment plant, plus dozens and dozens of others. And our volunteer organization advocates for a basinwide flood protection facility that will lower the catastrophic flood peaks all the way down the river while allowing fish and sediment passage every day except when the huge floods hit.”
Learn more about One Voice at https://onevoicelc.com, or follow the group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OneVoiceLC.
