Dear Jennifer Belcher,
I am sitting here late at night looking out over Lake Union. It is gusty and raining, the boat is gently rocking. The view of Seattle is breathtaking, and I cant help but to think of you Jennifer. How you so willfully set forth to destroy a community that was active in voting for you and that you would help us in protecting the waters and shores of Seattle.

We are so lucky to experience the other part of Mother Nature. Us, the liveaboards as we proudly call ourselves have chosen this lifestyle because of our love and respect for the water. We are self appointed " Forrest Rangers " that keep the lakes and waterways clean and user friendly. We report spill, monitor other boats in our Marinas. The Ladies make sure the docks are splashed with colored bloom. Prospective boaters are welcomed by us and conversations flow, children playing and woman talk just like any other neighborhood. Many new friendships are made, they bring their children, grandchildren or, sometimes just themselves to sit on the docks and fish or just meditate. The public enjoy the clean and well kept docks, waters free of wood, garbage and other debris. A place where children learn to swim, and at the same time learn the history of the boating community.

We have no crime or break-ins thanks to the watchful eye of a liveaboard that happens to be home. We scan the water with our binoculars and monitor ch. 16 for anyone in trouble, if that happens we are the first responders. A dingy is on its way in seconds, and many lives have been saved by liveaboards here on the lakes alone. We are the ones that carry the message to future generations to preserve and respect our waterways and shores, or they will cease to exist and all life in it. You and I have a mission in life, and we are living it.

Jennifer you should be so lucky to have 1/3 of the love that we have for the water that you say we have no right to be on. You would thank us for the outstanding job that we do. We are very much a part of why water tours are so popular here in Seattle Our friends who would not think of giving up their comfortable and stressful lifestyles respect us for our simple but meaningful lives. Asking us to abandon what is one of the most important things that we can pass on to generations to come is wrong. Maybe one day one of your grandchildren would like to have the choice to live on the water, I wonder what you would think or say, well, it was just a thought.

Meet with us and you will hear the love for Mother Nature, and you will know in you hart of harts that we are an investment. There is an urgent need for you to understand that we must be allowed to stay, and to continue to protect the waters on the behalf of the people in The State of Washington.

I am looking forward to a possible Q & A meeting between you and the Liveaboard Assoc. thank you,

Eva Ellison