BY PEPPER FISHER
Sequim – Should the City of Sequim ban fireworks displays? That’s the question that taken up by the City Council on Monday, and there was abundant public comment, pro and con, on the matter.
It might seem to some that Sequim has hosted a Fourth of July fireworks show for many years, but the tradition, at least in modern times, started in 2021.
On that Independence Day there were no other activities in Sequim to mark the holiday due to the pandemic. The following year, in 2022, the event expanded to include live music, vendors, and family activities.
Now there’s a rising movement among Sequim residents to ban fireworks displays, and the reasons to do so include the fire danger, the noise factor, the effects of the chemicals they release on the environment and its citizens and, maybe most importantly, the effects a fireworks show may have on a nearby eagle’s nest.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, established in 1940, provides legal guidelines for the protection of eagles within the US. Under these regulations, it is unlawful for people to “disturb” bald eagles. “Disturb” is defined as agitating an eagle to the degree that it would cause injury, a decrease in its breeding productivity, or nest abandonment.
There are recommendations specifically for fireworks, which include limiting fireworks to areas at least a half mile from an active nest. In this case, no one seems to know for sure how far the supposed eagle’s nest is from Carrie Blake Park, and whether it’s active.
Here’s Public Works Director Paul Bucich addressing the council on Monday.
“What I’m understanding right now is, no final decision on 2025 fireworks. We would like to come back in about a month’s time and get a final decision on that before we make another payment and we lose that money if we decided to cancel it. But we’ll also give you an information on how far away the eagle’s nest is, to the best of our ability. Because sometimes it’s really hard to get WDFW to tell us where the nest is, because they don’t want anybody harassing it. We will try and see what we can do to find it for sure. And then we will also do additional research to tell you what we are finding from others, by other scientific research that’s been done on the potential impacts or fireworks on eagles, in particular.”
Bucich mentioned the financial aspect of this issue because the City has already put down a deposit of $4,750 on the $19,000 fireworks display, and stands to lose that deposit if they fail to cancel the show within 30 days of the holiday.
He promised to try to have answers by the April 21 council meeting.