Submitted Electronically via eRulemaking Portal

As the Board of the Blackhills Community Soccer Complex, we are concerned about the listing of prairie species as endangered and the impact this will have on our ability to maintain and operate our current system of play fields in Thurston County. Our organization serves 1500 boys and girls, ages 7 through 19, year round. We play soccer on our own soccer fields, owned and operated by the Blackhills Community Soccer Complex. Our soccer fields were constructed on land in Thurston County that was reclaimed from scotch broom. The Blackhills Community Soccer Complex address is 2832 93rd Ave. S.W., Olympia, WA 98512. If the Mazama pocket gopher and other prairie species are finally listed as threatened or endangered as proposed, and critical habitat for those species is designated as proposed within Cities and Urban Growth Boundaries, then consideration should to be given to expand the proposed exemptions by special rule under section 4(d) to include normal, ongoing activities on soccer fields and grounds in Thurston County. We must keep fields and grounds in safe, playable condition or students will be injured and the ability to provide the opportunity to area residents will be undermined. Since the soccer fields already exist, maintenance is unlikely to injure any prairie species. For the same reasons stated in the proposed Section 4(d) rule for the other exempted activities (agricultural and residential activities), exempting in the Blackhills Community Soccer Complex’s maintenance activities is not likely to adversely affect the species’ conservation and recovery efforts. Please see attached letter for a list of the Blackhills Community Soccer Complex activities that should be included in the exemptions in the 4(d) rule.