Editor,

Ala Spit is one of my favorite places on Whidbey Island. I went there with my son and we talked about cool places to build forts for his little green army men. It’s a really cool place, no doubt. But like others, I have noticed that the tides have wreaked havoc on the spit, and if a person is not aware of the tidal directions they could find themselves in a bit of trouble.

What some people may be unaware of is how fast the water overtakes the land.

The land can be dry one moment and covered with water in less than 20 minutes or so. If a person is unaware of whether the tide is coming in or going out, they may find themselves in trouble.

This should be cause for concern.

It was interesting to me, however, in the Whidbey-News-Times article, “Danger Rising at Ala Spit Park,” when it stated, “Some years ago, the county removed 800 feet of rock and crushed concrete from a center portion of the spit in order to restore the area to its natural state.”

Really? How exactly does one return anything to a natural state? I saw the huge, gas-machined excavators out there moving and shoving sand from one area to another.

The fact is, nature adapts, and it’s a bit silly to suppose we can return something to its natural state. I wonder if when they were done, nature took a look and said, “take a look at that, fellows, it’s just like it was before those greedy developers came in and poured cement to build condominiums.” I wonder how much money the county wasted on that project?

Regardless, I hope everyone stays safe and that people are aware that Ala Spit has become more of a liability than a place to walk your dog or spend with your family if one is unaware of the tides. It’s too bad because it was a really great place to go.

Jimmy Sloan

Oak Harbor