Thurston County Hearing Examiner remanded the determination of nonsignificance of environmental impact for the proposed Verizon Wireless Smith Farm cell tower on Vail Road last Wednesday.

Further environmental impact studies must be performed before the decision on whether or not to grant a special use permit will be made.

The Deschutes Neighborhood Group, formed by people who live in the area of the proposed tower, appealed the decision by the county to grant the determination of nonsignificance after it was approved, stating the tower would have no major environmental impact.

Under the State Environmental Policy Act the public can appeal determinations of nonsignificance within two weeks of their approval.

The group argued the tower was within a 1,000-foot radius of wetlands. Under county code, wireless communication towers like the one proposed must be farther than 1,000 feet away from a wetland to protect wildlife.

The group said the wetlands within the 1,000-foot radius are used by birds that travel between that location and Lake Lawrence, which is located nearby. The proposed tower would be directly in the flight path between those two locations.

Jeffery Jones, a consultant hired by Verizon to determine environmental impacts, argued the wetlands within the 1,000-foot radius were dominated by cattails making them unappealing to migratory birds that prefer open water environments. Those environments are located outside the 1,000-foot radius.

“Wetlands are valuable despite their condition and that there is plenty of published literature on the subject,” said Darric Lowery, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife habitat biologist, in an email.

The WDFW provided analysis of environmental impacts to the county as part of the initial approval and during the appeal process.

Wetland reconstruction is currently underway in the 1,000-foot radius of the proposed tower. This reconstruction will attract more birds and wildlife to the area, Lowery said.

The group argued that because of the proximity of the wetlands to the tower, birds would collide with the it, which could lead to several bird fatalities.

Dr. Albert Manville, retired federal wildlife biologist, in written testimony said birds collide with towers more than 50 feet higher than the surrounding trees, especially in bad weather or at night.

Manville authored the current guidelines used by the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife Service for communication tower placement and operation. Those guidelines state towers should not be placed in the facility of wetlands or in flyways used by birds.

“Disturbance can result in effects to bird populations, which may cumulatively affect their survival,” the guidelines state.

Jones argued birds could avoid the tower even at night or in bad weather the same way they avoid trees.

The hearing examiner found the proposed tower is within a 1,000-foot radius of wetlands. The county also determined Verizon did not provide enough evidence to support their claim the tower would not have an impact on the environment.

Based on these findings the hearing examiner granted the SEPA appeal. Because of this the determination of nonsignificance was remanded. Further environmental impact studies must be performed before a special use permit decision can be made.