By PETER MORTON

The election is over. Many of us are in shock. It’s not just liberals/Democrats in despair; there may be Republicans/conservatives who also were surprised, though more on the delighted side of the spectrum. The vital part especially for the readers of the South Whidbey Record is “what’s next?” And here I hope to speak for the entire political spectrum and will choose my words carefully in hopes of connecting about our common interests.

We all have a stake in the future of the planet, the country, the island, our neighborhood and in our personal lives. Whether by the fluctuations of nature or by the emissions of mankind, we have solid evidence that her (nature’s) fluctuations are becoming more violent, more frequent, and more impactful on humans, animals and many plants. People are migrating like never before. They may be fleeing drought, environment, governments or pogroms of one sort or another. Many are attempting to cross borders, and perhaps more are moving inside their nations from one place to another in what can be called local climate-induced migration.

And, speaking selfishly about our wonderful island, there is evidence that even in a decreasing-population U.S.A., Washington state in general, the Northwest as a focus and Whidbey Island in particular are climate destinations.

So my message to my fellow Whidbey residents is to become a political pragmatist, at least as far as climate is concerned, do everything in our power to make our island more resilient, influence our local governments to help us address the preservation and purity of our future water supply, support the multitude of local organizations and farmers who are advocates and activists of climate-related conservation.

Our local municipalities are working on updated comprehensive plans; over the next decade these plans can be precursors to new practices, rules and laws that must be enacted to meet our needs and those of the new populations of residents who will want and need the hospitality and capacity we are challenged to extend. About comprehensive plans, by the way, they will only be useful if we treat them seriously through activism, participation, and attendance at commissioner and council meetings.

This is a letter extending good will and love in what I hope will be taken as an inclusive message to my fellow residents of The Rock. That nickname is interesting; I just got back from our Whidbey Climate Action Conversations event which featured a lecture and discussion on farming, on the carrying capacity of Whidbey, on the criticality of treasuring and preserving our aquifer which is replenished only by rain. One thing I learned tonight is that the top soil that produces our local agriculture is the thinest veneer covering our Rock, and there are many ingenious ways like regenerative agriculture that can enhance and preserve its productivity for a long time, just as there are many ways we can protect our source of water through policies and codes that allow sensible management, like appropriate use of grey water. We can be a positive force in organizations, as families, and as individuals in making the right things happen!

Let us now set aside adversarial politics sometimes manifested in the past few months of this Opinion Page and agree (figuratively) to hold hands and vow to focus on our common interests; channeling all that energy to our common good and that of our successors on The Rock!

Peter Morton is a former Langley city council member and a current member of Whidbey Climate Action.