Note found suggests ecoterrorists behind arson of new homes

By Christopher Schwarzen, Emily Heffter and Peyton Whitely
Times Snohomish County bureau

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Peter Lance can't understand why anyone, much less a group claiming to support the environment, would try to set fire to the homes he is building north of Monroe.

According to Snohomish County development codes, the Storm Lake Heights development is considered environmentally friendly, with only 40 acres of the 100-acre site set aside for homes. The remaining land has been reserved as open space or protected wetlands.

But the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said combustibles found yesterday morning in one of the unfinished homes at Storm Lake Heights appear related to incendiary devices used to burn down two homes Tuesday at a development east of Snohomish and incendiary devices found the same day at a housing development in Maltby.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirmed yesterday that a note found Tuesday at the Cedars Crossing development in the Maltby area of Snohomish County attributed the act to the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), a group that has claimed responsibility for numerous acts of ecoterrorism. However, ATF officials said no one has publicly claimed responsibility for the acts.

The ELF — considered a domestic terrorist group by federal officials — usually sends a communiqué claiming responsibility for its actions, as was the case when the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture was destroyed by arson in May 2001.

While the incidents yesterday and Tuesday caused no injuries, damage to the unoccupied homes at the Lobo Ridge development east of Snohomish has been estimated at $1 million, ATF officials said.

It's unclear whether one or more persons are involved, but federal officials said yesterday they are investigating "good leads."

"Nobody's been arrested yet, but we have some very good information," said ATF spokeswoman Julianne Marshall.

Lance said he was shocked to learn a flammable liquid in bottles was found in his Storm Lake Heights development.

"I'm surprised they'd target my neighborhood because it's about as environmentally sensitive as the county laws require," Lance said. "We changed the development several years back to make it more environmentally sensitive."
 
Snohomish County officials said Lance's development falls under county guidelines for cluster projects. Instead of building the 2.5-acre lots initially designed, Lance clustered the homes on 40 acres and protected 60 acres for open space and sensitive areas.

County officials said none of the three housing developments were overly controversial when proposed but were built in areas dense with trees.

"They all had about the same amount of neighbor opposition to them," said Snohomish County Development Review Manager Tom Rowe, who characterized the opposition as small. But in a county where dozens of projects are under construction, many in rural areas, the incidents have prompted developers to take extra measures to ensure security.

Trevor Berring, project manager for Cedars Crossing, where homes sell for between $400,000 and $500,000, said he planned to add surveillance cameras and extra lighting while the remaining homes are unoccupied.

On Tuesday, Berring found six 2-liter bottles partially filled with a flammable liquid along with a plastic bag containing a note and explosives. They were placed far enough away from homes to ignite a fire, making law-enforcement officials suspect the motive was a warning to other developers.

Similar bottles were found at the Storm Lake Heights subdivision, and officials suspect the same devices were used to start fires at Lobo Ridge, said Snohomish County Sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen.

"It makes us leery, but we're not going to stop what we're doing," Berring said.

At Lobo Ridge, where homes under construction are priced in the upper $300,000 range, two homes were destroyed by a fire reported about 1 a.m. Tuesday. Firefighters quickly put out a small blaze in a third house and found evidence the arsonists had tried unsuccessfully to light a fire in a fourth house.

Snohomish County Sheriff's officials said they're trying to allay developers' fears. "We're trying to increase patrols around these areas," Jorgensen said. "But we obviously can't be everywhere at once."

The ELF is similar to the Animal Liberation Front in that it conducts acts of environmental sabotage, which, the group claims, are in support of the environment.

The Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for last August's release of 10,000 mink from a farm in Sultan.

In recent years, the ELF has gained notoriety by its high-profile acts of sabotage and destruction. It often targets building developments, high-priced vehicle lots and construction equipment.

According to the group's Web site, ELF cells have claimed responsibility for numerous events across the nation, including last year's fire at a five-story apartment complex under construction in San Diego.

"If you build it, we will burn it," said a 12-foot banner found at the scene with the initials ELF. The fire caused $50 million in damage, making it one of the costliest acts of destruction by the group.

The fire at the UW's Center for Urban Horticulture targeted the office of Toby Bradshaw, who had been doing genetic research on fast-growing poplars grown commercially. Damage was estimated at $3 million.

The latest action claimed by the group was the February destruction of construction equipment at a building site in Charlottesville, Va. The 30-acre site was slated for the development of 300 duplex-apartment units, a bank, a Target store and some restaurants.

The group said in a news release after the event that it was stopping "large-scale developments going up at the expense of what little green space is left in North America."

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com

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