Kicking off American Wetlands Month by securing $4.5 million in federal conservation grants

Skookum Valley wetland acquisition site in Mason County. We secured a $564,000 federal grant to help our Squaxin Island Tribe partner acquire, restore and permanently protect wetlands and shorelines along Skookum Creek that drains to Puget Sound. Photo courtesy Doug Ridenour.

To help celebrate Washington’s wetlands during May—American Wetlands Month—we’re delighted to share we have secured five National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants worth $4.5 million.

This year, the federal grant program will help local partners including tribal governments and nonprofit land trusts acquire, restore, and enhance about 400 acres of coastal wetlands in Clallam, Mason, Pierce, and Thurston counties. All five projects will help recover salmon that Washington’s endangered Southern Resident orca whales depend on for survival.

The program is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and funded in part through taxes paid on equipment and fuel purchases by recreational anglers and boaters. Established in 1990, the federal conservation program provides up to $1 million for individual wetland projects in coastal and Great Lake states as well as U.S. territories.

Wetlands essential for Washington economic, environmental health

Washington’s wetlands are essential for sustaining the state’s economic and environmental health. Wetlands act as a natural sponge, helping control flooding and erosion by catching and slowing down melting snow and surface water runoff from storms. They purify water by filtering sediments and trapping excess nutrients and pollutants such as heavy metals. Wetlands also hold much of the surface water that trickles through the soil and recharges our underground drinking water aquifers.

If communities had to replace the flood control and water treatment functions Washington’s wetlands naturally provide, the costs could far outweigh the expense of preserving them. A 2008 independent study by Earth Economics found fresh water wetlands in the Puget Sound regional alone could be worth more than $10 billion to the state economy.

Productive ecosystems rivaling rain forests and coral reefs

Our wetlands also offer important refuge for wildlife and fish, including salmon, and places for people to boat, fish, and enjoy other recreation activities. Wetlands bordering or close to the marine waters of Puget Sound and Pacific Ocean can be among the most productive ecosystems in the world, rivaling rain forests and coral reefs. Wetlands also help mitigate climate change by absorbing greenhouse gases.

Although only states can apply for National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants, we work closely with land trusts, local and tribal governments, and other entities to identify conservation projects in Washington and develop wetland restoration and protection proposals for consideration by USFWS.

Since 2008, we have helped secure federal funding and provided technical assistance for acquisition and restoration projects totaling more than $100 million to conserve more than 11,000 acres of Washington’s coastal wetlands.

This year, Ecology received 22 percent of the total $20.3 million in coastal wetlands grants USFWS awarded nationally. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also received a $1 million USFWS grant to restore a coastal wetland in lower Hood Canal.

Washington’s 2019 coastal wetland conservation projects

Working with local partners, the 2019 federal grants Ecology secured will be used to help fund the following coastal wetland enhancement and restoration projects:



Baird Cove site in Thurston County. Photo courtesy Eric Erler.

Baird Cove Acquisition ($995,000)—Working in partnership with the Nisqually Land Trust to acquire an 88-acre estuarine complex in Thurston County on the east side of Johnson Point in southern Puget Sound, including more than 4,200 feet of intact estuarine shoreline, pristine coastal wetlands and mature forest.






Elwha Estuary Place site, Clallam County. Photo by John Gussman.

 Elwha Estuary Place Acquisition ($1 million)—This collaborative project with the Coastal Watershed Institute will conserve historic Elwha River estuary wetlands and restore marine shoreline along the river delta in Clallam County.








Skookum Valley Wetland Acquisition ($564,000)—Working in partnership with the Squaxin Island Tribe, the funding will be used to help acquire and permanently protect 158 acres of wetlands and shorelines along Skookum Creek that flows directly to Puget Sound in Mason County.

Sound View Camp property in Pierce County.

Sound View Camp Conservation Easement ($950,000)—We are working with our Nisqually Land Trust partner to acquire a permanent conservation easement to protect Sound View Camp, a 93-acre waterfront property on Drayton Passage in southern Puget Sound in Pierce County.



West Oakland Bay restoration site, Mason County.

Photo courtesy Anchor Environmental.

West Oakland Bay Restoration Phase 2 ($1 million)—Working with our Squaxin Island Tribe partner to put the second phase of restoring critical coastal wetlands in place in West Oakland Bay in Mason County. The project will restore 28 acres of saltmarsh, lost when an industrial harbor was created more than a century ago.




Wetlands tools and resources 

Want to know more? We provide technical assistance and development tools for local governments, consultants, and developers regarding the responsible management, regulation, and stewardship of state wetlands.

We oppose federal proposal to redefine 'waters of the United States'

Salmon leaping from the water at Port of Tacoma's Upper Clear Creek wetland mitigation site. Washington's streams and wetlands offer important habitat for fish and wildlife while helping clean our water, and control flooding and erosion.

Today, we sent our official response to the Trump administration opposing its draft rule to redefine the scope of “waters of the United States” that would be protected and regulated under the 1972 federal Clean Water Act. As the primary federal law governing water pollution, the Clean Water Act is instrumental in protecting Washington’s water.

We are gravely concerned the draft rule, proposed jointly by EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will eliminate federal protection for classes of streams and wetlands highly valued by Washingtonians. In Thurston County alone, we estimate the federal proposal would remove between 2,000 and 11,000 acres of wetlands from federal protection.

The rule change, if finalized, would remove federal protections for:

• Streams in upland ditches as well as water in most ditches.
• Wetlands behind dikes with no surface connection to a river, as well as wetlands along irrigation canals.
• Wetlands close to, but not touching, marine waters.
• Streams that only flow in response to rainfall—also called “ephemeral” streams.
• Wetlands in a floodplain that receive floodwaters on a less than annual basis and lack a surface connection to a stream.
• Prior converted croplands, wetlands under agricultural production when they are proposed to be changed to non-agricultural uses.

Healthy streams and wetlands = healthy Washington

These waters help our state maintain a healthy, safe and vibrant economy and environment by:

• Providing and supporting important habitat for salmon that southern Puget Sound resident orca need to survive.
• Filtering and cleaning our drinking water.
• Controlling flooding and erosion.
• Offering habitat and refuge for fish and other wildlife.
• Providing places for boating, fishing, and other recreation activities.

Coweeman River Wetland and Conservation Bank in Cowlitz County, a year after being established in 2016. Wetland mitigation banks help private and public developers restore and preserve wetland functions in river basins across the state. 

Federal proposal too flawed to be adopted

According to the proposed rule language, the federal government is seeking to change the definition of waters of the United States to increase the predictability and consistency when implementing the Clean Water Act and reduce the scope of federally-protected waters.

We find this approach to be significantly flawed because it:

• Would put Washington’s water quality at risk. Federal protection would be rolled back to cover only certain stream reaches instead of the entire water body.
• Creates an artificial divide between state and federal waters, allowing the federal government to shirk its responsibility to protect the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters under the federal Clean Water Act.
• Ignores years of science, upheld by numerous court decisions, that Washington’s surface streams and wetlands are often directly connected to underground sources of water. Surface water pollution puts state drinking water aquifers at risk.
• Creates a need for a new state permitting program. Public and private developers seeking to build projects that would impact certain classes of wetlands now file a single state/federal application. We currently apply state requirements as part of the federal permitting process. Without federal involvement, the state would need legislation to create and fund its own wetland permitting process. Without such a program, projects could experience delays and economic losses. 

Washingtonians expect their waters to be protected

Time and again, Washingtonians have been clear about the importance of protecting, restoring, and conserving state waters and wetlands. They demand safe drinking water, expect healthy places for recreation, and support a vibrant natural resource economy supported by clean water.

Our state laws reflect this mandate:

• Water Pollution Control Act, passed by the state legislature in 1945, outlines the state’s interest in controlling pollution and protecting water quality in all state waters and wetlands.
• Shoreline Management Act, passed by voter referendum in 1972, protects and manages development along the state’s 28,000 miles of stream, river, lake, and marine shorelines.
• Growth Management Act, passed by lawmakers in 1990. Under the act, local governments protect all wetlands and streams by adopting critical areas ordinances.

Rule would negatively reshape relationship with federal partners

Chehalis River swamps Centralia and Chehalis during 2007 catastrophic flood.

The proposal to change the definition of waters of the United States will need to go through the federal rule-making process before it can take effect. We are concerned the rule could:

• Significantly reshape the working relationship we have with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPA to help protect our waters.
• Sow confusion among local communities seeking help from our federal partners.
• Mean more work for communities and state agency partners like us.
• Result in accidental violations of local and state laws.

While we don’t know what the final changes will be to the federal proposal, we will continue to protect all Washington waters and wetlands from being lost or degraded.

By Curt Hart, Ecology communications

Ecology seeking public comments on Grays Harbor County's proposed shoreline program

Grays Harbor County's proposed updated shoreline master program designed to
help protect, guide shoreline uses along Grays Harbor estuary.

We are seeking public comments until Monday, Dec. 3, about significant revisions that Grays Harbor County is seeking to make to its shoreline master program (SMP)—the locally-tailored set of land use policies and regulations designed to protect and guide how the county will develop, restore, and preserve more than 1,200 miles of marine and freshwater shorelines in and around:

• Grays Harbor estuary
• Pacific Ocean coastline
• Numerous rivers and streams including the Chehalis, Hoquiam, Humptulips, North, Satsop, and Wynoochee rivers.
• Six lakes including Wynoochee Lake

Grays Harbor County last amended its SMP in 1991. The proposed updated master program will replace the county’s current SMP. It is designed to:

• Prioritize water-oriented uses and development in Grays Harbor County.
• Provide for public access to public waters and shorelines.
• Support restoration actions consistent with the county’s shoreline restoration plan.
• Incorporate critical area regulations to ensure environmentally-sensitive areas within the county’s shoreline jurisdiction are protected.

Draft review documents available online or by appointment

The draft documents currently out for review and comment are available electronically through our website. Paper copies are also available for review, by appointment, at Ecology:

Washington Department of Ecology

Southwest Regional Office

300 Desmond Drive

Lacey, WA 98504

To arrange a time, please contact Ecology’s Kim Van Zwalenburg. Her phone number is (360) 407-6520.

The documents are also available by appointment at the county:

Grays Harbor County
Department of Public Services - Planning and Building Division

100 West Broadway, Suite 31

Montesano, WA 98563

To schedule an appointment, please contact Jane Hewitt at Grays Harbor County. Her phone number is (360) 249-4222

How to submit comments by Dec. 3

Comments only need to be provided once before the Dec. 3 deadline. While we prefer public comments be submitted through our online comment form, we also will accept comments by mail sent to:

Kim Van Zwalenburg

Washington Department of Ecology

Southwest Regional Office

PO Box 47775

Olympia, WA 98504-7775

Next steps

After the public comment period closes Dec. 3, Ecology will compare Grays Harbor's proposed SMP to the requirements of the state Shoreline Management Act and Shoreline Master Program Guidelines. Based on the comparison, we will decide whether to:

• Approve Grays Harbor County’s proposed SMP as is.
• Approve the revised SMP with recommended changes.
• Send the proposed SMP back to the county with required changes to meet statutory and rule requirements. Recommended changes may also be included with the required changes.

Protecting our shorelines for public and environmental benefits

This week, the Department of Ecology formally revised the state procedural rules for managing marine and freshwater shorelines.

It’s all part of the state Shoreline Management Act, which was adopted by voters in 1972. The overarching goal of the act is to prevent the inherent harm in an uncoordinated and piecemeal development of the state’s shorelines.

Under it, cities and counties are required to periodically review their land-use policies and regulations governing shoreline uses within their jurisdiction. These locally tailored shoreline master programs (SMPs) are adopted and approved by each local government and Ecology.

Local governments helped us revise the rules and we also factored in comments we received from the public. The updated rules:

• Define procedures for counties and cities to comply with a legislative requirement to periodically review local master programs on a repeating eight-year cycle. The first round of reviews are due in June 2019 for jurisdictions in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
• Outline a new optional process cities and counties can use for amending SMPs that reduces duplication by consolidating local and state comment periods.
• Incorporate recent state laws and adopt other “housekeeping” changes.

For more information about the revised SMP rules, please contact our senior shoreline planner, Tim Gates.

Boots on the Ground: WCC crews supporting ongoing firefighting efforts

By Bridget Mason, WCC Coordinator, Washington Conservation Corps

WCC crew moving fuel cans for equipment
Credit: Ernie Farmer

Ecology’s Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) members have been busy this wildfire season. We currently have two 10-person AmeriCorps crews responding to wildfires in Washington – with a third 10-person crew joining the response this evening.

Here’s a summary of the five Washington wildfires to which WCC has responded:

Navarre Fire near Entiat

A six-person WCC crew was deployed to the Navarre Coulee fire near Entiat on July 7. The crew spent five days acting as a camp crew, serving meals, coordinating camp logistics, and supplying equipment to the fire line.

Taylor Bridge near Cle Elum

The recent Taylor Bridge fire near Cle Elum was a lengthy response effort due to high winds and dry weather conditions – fueled by diseased timber. The fire was sparked by a welding project on the Taylor Bridge that destroyed over 60 homes and burned nearly 24,000 acres. There were also a significant number of farms and farm animals lost in the fire.

On Aug. 13, WCC deployed eight AmeriCorps members and two crew supervisors to assist with efforts to contain the fire. AmeriCorps members from Bellevue, Ellensburg, Seattle, Wenatchee and Yakima established a base camp by setting up yurts, telephone lines and supply trailers. The team also coordinated donations, served meals and supplied equipment to the fire line.

When additional resources were requested midway through the response effort, we expanded to include 13 AmeriCorps members directed by two WCC crew supervisors. The team stood down 12 days later on Aug. 25 when the Taylor Bridge fire was downgraded.

The team spent their final day helping nearly 800 responders demobilize and inventorying supplies – including re-coiling and packaging more than 17 miles of fire hose for future responses.

Highway 141 near White Salmon

An AmeriCorps crew of two WCC supervisors and eight WCC members from the Ellensburg/Yakima area are on their sixth day of responding to the Highway 141 fire near White Salmon in the Columbia Gorge.

The crew is coordinating logistics at the fire camp, delivering hose and equipment to the fire line and providing assistance as an engine crew. The fire is burning in very steep country but containment efforts have gone well. We expect our crew to demobilize Thursday or Friday.

Manila/Columbia Complex

On Sept. 10, a 10-person crew made up of WCC members and supervisors from Ellensburg, Olympia, Seattle and Tacoma arrived at the Manila/Columbia Complex Fire near Grand Coulee on the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Six crew members are part of our inaugural Washington Conservation Corps Veterans crew. The supervisor and all five WCC members all served as members of the military prior to joining AmeriCorps. They are two weeks from completing their one-year service in AmeriCorps. It has been quite a year for these Veterans – from removing tsunami-related marine debris along Washington’s coast to assisting with firefighting efforts in Eastern Washington.

The Manila/Columbia Complex fire is 60 percent contained but there are numerous fires burning in area shrub and grasslands. The crew is helping manage the camp, delivering equipment and supplies, as well as undertaking engine crew work and line construction.

Okanogan Complex near Twisp

We are in the process of deploying a 10-person crew to the Okanogan Complex of fires near Twisp. Projects will consist of camp crew activities – including camp management and equipment/supply delivery.

More about WCC response work

The WCC has 70 members and staff certified to fight wildfires that are available for wildfire response, if needed. This certification is just one of several offered in the WCC program. We provide crews at a moment’s notice. We have provided first-hand assistance to citizens in Washington and across the nation during floods, fires, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

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Water's Edge: New blog helps promote Green Shorelines

By Annette Frahm, Green Shorelines Outreach Coordinator for WRIA 8

To promote more salmon-friendly shorelines around Lakes Washington and Sammamish, an interagency team in the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8) has started a Green Shorelines Blog.

The blog is aimed at local people but may be useful for other lake settings. It provides a platform for sharing case studies about shoreline projects, updates on policies and projects, and information you can use to communicate about improving salmon habitat and shorelines.

Posts to date include:

• Kirkland’s innovative decision tree for shoreline development.



• The first of several posts on green shoreline FAQs.



• Madrona Woods: a volunteer restoration project.



• Meydenbauer Beach Park: Bellevue’s visionary plan to connect the beach with downtown.



• Green Shores for Homes, which will develop a rating system and incentives for green shoreline projects.



• List of publicly accessible green shoreline demonstration sites.

The WRIA 8 team welcomes your ideas for topics to cover, project case studies, or updates. Please contact me at 206-296-8013 or email at annette.frahm@kingcounty.gov.

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Wanted: Nominees for advisory group on ocean policy

By Curt Hart, Communications Manager, Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program

Do you know someone who might be interested in helping direct and guide ocean policy and management issues along Washington’s Pacific Coast?

If so, Ecology is seeking nominations for membership on an advisory group for ocean policy.

Advisory group will help State Ocean Caucus

The group will advise the State Ocean Caucus – an interagency team made up of state agencies with a management role or expertise in ocean and coastal issues.

Ecology coordinates this team and is forming the advisory group on behalf of the State Ocean Caucus.

Looking for people to represent broad range of interests

We’re looking for people interested in and knowledgeable about ocean and coastal issues on Washington’s Pacific Coast – western Clallam and Jefferson counties, and Grays Harbor, Pacific, and Wahkiakum counties.

We need people to represent a wide array of coastal and ocean interests including:

• Local citizens
  
• Ports
  
• Shipping
  
• Energy
  
• Tourism
  
• Economic development
  
• Shellfish aquaculture
  
• Commercial fishing
  
• Recreational fishing
  
• Science and research
  
• Education
  
• Conservation

The four coastal Marine Resource Committees will each appoint a representative to serve on the advisory body.

The unpaid advisory group will meet about four times a year. Members will serve up to a three-year term and may be reappointed.

A special selection committee will review nominations and make appointment recommendations to Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant.

How to nominate a candidate

We must receive all nominations by Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

Any group or individual can nominate a candidate to the advisory group. We also accept self-nominations and candidates don’t need to be affiliated with an organized group.

Nominations must include specific information – see our online directions for nominations. Nominations can be sent electronically or mailed to:

Jennifer Hennessey
Washington Department of Ecology
PO Box 40173
Olympia, WA 98504-7600

For more information, contact Jennifer at jennifer.hennessey@ecy.wa.gov or call 360-407-6595.

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