TO THE WASHINGTON STATE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS, HILARY FRANZ, AND TO THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, AND TO THE WASHINGTON STATE BOARD OF NATURAL RESOURCES, AND TO THE COMMITTEE ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES, AND TO THE FAMILY OF HARRIET A. SPANEL:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, Blanchard State Forest is located on the Skagit-Whatcom county border, in an area represented in the Legislature by the Senator and Representatives from the Fortieth District; and

WHEREAS, Blanchard was donated to the State of Washington after a major fire in 1925 and slowly restored over the next half century through the hard work of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources; and

WHEREAS, Today, many residents of northern Skagit County and southern Whatcom County routinely use the trails through the forest for a variety of recreational activities; and

WHEREAS, The working forestlands at Blanchard Forest create wealth that benefits organizations and schools in the surrounding areas; and

WHEREAS, Harriet Spanel served the Fortieth District in the Washington State Legislature for twenty-two years, from 1987 until her retirement in 2009. Altogether, Harriet Spanel served three terms in the House of Representatives followed by four in the Senate; and

WHEREAS, Harriet Spanel showed a committed interest to environmental stewardship throughout her career, serving on the Bellingham Planning Commission and Bellingham Parks and Recreation Board prior to her election to the House. While in the Legislature, Spanel was known for her advocacy for environmental and natural resource preservation; and

WHEREAS, While Senator Spanel had many legislative accomplishments, her work to protect the Chuckanut, Blanchard, and Lake Whatcom forestlands for multiple uses by future generations was of particular importance; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature has previously memorialized Senator Spanel for her many contributions to both the Fortieth District and the State of Washington; and

WHEREAS, Harriet A. Spanel passed away on February 2, 2016, surrounded by her friends and family at her home in Bellingham;

NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray, subject to the Legislature approving funding for the name change, that the Washington State Board of Natural Resources rename the Blanchard State Forest as the "Harriet A. Spanel-Blanchard State Forest" in honor of Harriet Spanel for her many years of committed service to the region.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to Hilary Franz, the Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands, the Northwest Region Office of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the Washington State Board of Natural Resources, the Committee on Geographic Names, and the family of Harriet A. Spanel.

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