Local video highlights 'soft' shoreline stabilization approaches

We have integrated an interesting new video into our web content about shoreline stabilization.

The video, produced by Island County’s Shore Friendly program, highlights different approaches property owners in the region can use to protect and enjoy their shorelines while also promoting a healthy ecosystem.

The video features local Island County residents and Hugh Shipman, our coastal geologist, sharing information about the environmental, recreational, and aesthetic benefits of natural and restored beaches.

Many property owners control shoreline erosion or prepare for development by using bulkheads, seawalls, revetment, and other hardened structures on the water’s edge to protect soils and unstable banks from currents and waves.

Hardened structures are common along many of the 2,500 miles of marine shoreline in Puget Sound. They are also frequently used along the shorelines of our inland streams, rivers, and lakes across the state.

Soft shore protection is the process of designing natural materials such as gravel, sand, logs, or roots in such a way to protect a shoreline from erosion. Beaches with soft shore protection generally look more like natural beaches, as opposed to hard armoring which gives beaches more of a "blunt" look, while providing easier access to the beach for recreation and further protecting the Puget Sound ecosystem.

  

Our shoreline master program (SMP) guidelines also encourage shoreline development practices designed to reduce risk to property and avoid adverse environmental impacts. We help communities reduce erosion risks while ensuring the long-term protection of state shorelines by: 

• Providing policies that reduce erosion risks.
• Offering our local government partners technical assistance and regulatory guidance.
• Encouraging environmentally-friendly soft shoreline stabilization techniques over hard armoring approaches such as revetments, bulkheads, and seawalls.
• Helping our local partners locate new development out of erosion-prone areas as much as possible.

The goal of the county’s Shore Friendly project is to promote alternative strategies for shoreline residential properties that provide for the use and enjoyment of the property while promoting and maintaining nearshore ecosystems to support fish and wildlife.

Island County has developed a host of educational materials to help residents learn about their options for protecting their shoreline homes and properties by considering natural beach and soft shore options including a cost benefit analysis, the soft shore permitting process, and a set of frequently asked questions.

We also have a number of guides and publications designed to help shoreline property owners manage surface and groundwater drainage on coastal bluffs, use vegetation to stabilize erosion on slopes, and a vegetation management guide for Puget Sound bluff property owners.

Watch Island County’s Shore Friendly video for ideas and more information about using natural solutions to protect state shorelines.

Ecology seeking comment on Clallam County's proposed shoreline master program revisions



Shoreline along Lake Sutherland, about 17 miles west of Port Angeles in Clallam County

Starting today, we are accepting public comment until Thursday, Feb. 28, about significant revisions Clallam County is seeking to make to its shoreline master program (SMP).

The locally-tailored set of land-use policies and regulations is designed to protect and guide how Clallam County will develop, restore, and preserve more than 600 miles of marine and freshwater shorelines in the county, including:

• Approximately 130 miles of marine shoreline including a portion of the Pacific Ocean coastline, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and numerous saltwater inlets such as Clallam, Crescent, Dungeness, Freshwater, and Sequim bays.
• More than 480 miles of freshwater shoreline along the Bogachiel, Calawah, Elwha, Quillayute, and Sol Duc rivers.
• About 1,500 shoreline acres around six lakes in the county including Beaver, Crescent, Dickey, Elk, Pleasant, and Sutherland.

Clallam County last amended its SMP in 1992. The revised SMP will replace the county’s current master program and is designed to:

• Prioritize water-oriented uses and development in Clallam 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.

Shoreline along the Elwha River in Clallam County.

Draft SMP documents available for review online or by appointment

Electronic copies of the county's draft SMP documents are available for review and comment through our website while printed copies are available for review, by appointment, at Ecology and Clallam County. To arrange a time to view printed documents at Ecology, please contact Michelle McConnell. Her phone number is 360-407-6329 and Ecology's physical address is:

Washington Department of Ecology
Southwest Regional Office
300 Desmond Dr.
Lacey, WA 98504

To review the draft SMP documents at Clallam County, please contact Steve Gray. His phone number is 360-417-2520 and the county office is located at:

Clallam County
Department of Community Development
223 E. 4th Ave., Suite 5
Port Angeles, WA 98362

How to submit public comments

Comments only need to be provided once before the Feb. 28 deadline at 5 p.m.. While we prefer public comments be submitted through our online comment form, we also will accept comments by mail sent to:

Michelle McConnell
Washington Department of Ecology
Southwest Regional Office
PO Box 47775
Olympia, WA 98504-7775

Next steps

Once the public comment period closes Feb. 28, Ecology will compare Clallam County's proposed SMP to requirements under the state Shoreline Management Act and Shoreline Master Program Guidelines. Based on the comparison, we will decide whether to:

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

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.

Ecology approves Pierce County's revised shoreline master program

Pierce County's updated shoreline master program will protect and guide

shoreline uses in the county, including these shores on the south end of Key Peninsula.

Photo courtesy Hugh Shipman.

 

On Oct. 12, we approved Pierce County’s updated shoreline master program (SMP), the first comprehensive revision to the county’s master program since 1975.

Pierce County’s locally-tailored land-use policies and regulations will protect and guide the use of 225 miles of marine and 880 miles of freshwater shoreline in the county, including the shorelines around or along:

• Anderson, Fox, and McNeil islands in Puget Sound
• The Tacoma Narrows
• Portions of Key and Gig Harbor peninsulas
• Chambers, Clover, and Spanaway creeks
• Carbon, Nisqually, Puyallup, and White Rivers
• Lake Tapps

The county’s revised SMP:

• Protects the county’s environmental resources in its shoreline areas for future generations.
• Provides for public access to public waters and shorelines.
• Plans for water-dependent uses such as aquaculture, maritime and boating activities, and shoreline recreation.

Pierce County's updated SMP takes effect Oct. 26, unless the joint local-state decision is appealed to the state Growth Management Hearings Board.

Comment on Ocean Shores’ new shoreline master program

A city that began as a California-style development on Point Brown in Grays Harbor County, Ocean Shores has been a tourist beacon since its conversion from a cattle ranch in the early 1960s.

People continue to flock to Ocean Shores, especially during the warmer months and when shellfish beds are open. And the city’s more than 70 miles of shoreline will continue to attract permanent and temporary residents.

Those shorelines, including the Pacific Ocean, Grays Harbor, Duck Lake and canals, are managed under Ocean Shores’ Shoreline Master Program. The Department of Ecology is currently seeking public comments on a proposed update to this master program.

Local shoreline master programs become part of a statewide master program under Washington’s Shoreline Management Act.

Through 5 p.m. on Feb. 15, the public is invited to comment on the proposed program, which will guide shoreline development and activities. It will:

• Entirely replace the city’s existing program;
• Prioritize water-oriented uses and development within the city’s shoreline areas;
• Identify potential restoration projects for future shoreline restoration efforts in a Restoration Plan; and
• Incorporate critical area regulations to ensure the protection of sensitive areas within shoreline jurisdiction.

Once the comment period is over, we will approve it as is, recommend changes, or send it back to the city for required changes to meet statutory and rule requirements.

The documents for public review and comment are available electronically.

Paper copies are available to view, by appointment, at the following locations:

Washington Department of Ecology

Southwest Regional Office

300 Desmond Drive

Lacey, WA 98503

Staff Contact: Kim Van Zwalenburg

Email: kim.vanzwalenburg@ecy.wa.gov

Phone: 360-407-6520

City of Ocean Shores
Planning Department/Permit Office
801 Minard Avenue NW, Building B
Ocean Shores, WA 98569
Staff Contact: Alicia Bridges
Email: abridges@osgov.com
Phone: 360-940-7489

Submit written comments and questions to:

Kim Van Zwalenburg, Senior Shoreline Planner

Washington Department of Ecology

Southwest Regional Office

PO Box 47775

Olympia, WA 98504-7775

Email: kim.vanzwalenburg@ecy.wa.gov

Phone: 360-407-6520

Comments must be received no later than February 15, 2018, at 5 p.m.

By: Dave Bennett, Communications Manager, Southwest Regional Office, Washington Department of Ecology

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.

Commercial net pen aquaculture planning meeting March 23

You are invited to attend the next planning meeting for updating the Recommendations for Managing Commercial Net Pen Aquaculture in Washington’s straits and estuaries.

Join us in person or by phone

Those interested may attend in person or by phone. Directions on how to participate through the conference call are listed below.

When: March 23
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Washington Department of Ecology headquarters auditorium
Address: 300 Desmond Drive SE, Lacey, WA, 98503

State employees learn more about day-to-day operations
from Keven Bright of Cooke Aquaculture Pacific.
Photo by Lori LeVander/Ecology.

Updating the planning tools for commercial net pens

We are working with the Washington departments of Fish & Wildlife and Agriculture to update the state's 30-year-old management guidelines for commercial net pen aquaculture.

Through this project, we aim to deliver modern scientific information to guide state agency, tribal and local government decision makers in siting, managing, and regulating net pens in Washington’s marine waters.

The final report will provide recommendations only - not a rule or law. Regulatory agencies will determine how these recommendations will be incorporated into their decisions around managing commercial net pen aquaculture. A key objective is to provide tools that enable decision makers to protect native Pacific salmon.

Learn more about the project on our Recommendations for Managing Net Pen Aquaculture webpage. Subscribe to the project listserv to receive email updates.

New commercial fish farm (net pen) management tools being developed: Provide your input on project scoping by March 4

NOTE: We have decided to extend the deadline for public input after receiving several requests for more time. This blog was edited Jan. 11 to reflect the new deadline for feedback March 4, 2017.

Washington’s 30-year-old management guidelines for commercial, marine fish farms (net pens) are getting an overhaul. Ecology has partnered with the state departments of Fish & Wildlife and Agriculture, and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to write new management recommendations useful for the industry and coastal managers – including state and local government regulators.

View from the water of a commercial fish farm near Bainbridge Island. Photo by Jessica Payne/Ecology

We’re just getting started, and we want your input

The multi-year project is just getting underway and you are invited to provide input on early decisions made by the project team. Two documents are available for review and comment. You can view and download these documents on our project website.

1. A summary of draft scoping decisions that describes early decisions made by the team regarding:

• Geographic and topical scope
• Scientific and technical review
• Outreach and opportunities for interested parties to influence the outcome

2. A writing outline that will guide the project team through fact-finding and identification of suitable safeguards and management practices. The team is especially interested in feedback on topics you would like to see addressed in the final document. This will serve as a table of contents for the final guidance document.

We’re accepting public comments now through March 4. 

This project is designed to give us up-to-date information on this use and better understand the concern of citizens. What we learn will help us ensure any new facilities are sited and operated consistent with current science and modern management practices. It is not designed to determine whether or not future net pens will be allowed.

Learn more on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

State employees learn more about day-to-day operations
from Kevin Bright of Cooke Aquaculture Pacific.
Photo by Lori LeVander/Ecology.

Send us your feedback

Please send us your feedback and help influence project outcomes.

Submit input by March 4 to:

Ms. Cedar Bouta
Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program
WA Dept. of Ecology
P.O. Box 47600
Lacey, WA 98504-7600.
Email: Cedar.Bouta@ecy.wa.gov

Visit our project webpage to learn more. Subscribe to our listserv to get email updates and make sure you have the latest information.

By: Cedar Bouta, Shorelands and Environmental Assistance program

McCleary’s first shoreline master plan proposal ready for public input

The first of anything only happens once. So, here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor and comment on the first Shoreline Master Plan proposal for the City of McCleary. Public comments are open now through Sept. 26, 2016. The proposal addresses uses and development on Wildcat Pond and a small segment of the shorelands associated with Mox Chehalis Creek. If approved, the proposal would meet the requirements of the Shoreline Management Act and the Shoreline Master Program Guidelines. 

What’s a Shoreline Master Program?

Shoreline Master Programs are local plans developed by cities and counties to manage shoreline use. These local programs protect natural resources for future generations, provide for public access to public waters and shores and plan for shoreline uses and development.

City of McCleary’s shoreline plan

McCleary’s new shoreline program establishes vegetative buffers to accommodate existing development, reflects the city’s underlying zoning, and references a restoration plan that identifies potential projects for future restoration efforts. To schedule a time to read paper copies of the proposal, contact the City of McCleary or Ecology Regional Planner Kim Van Zwalenburg at the address below.

All comments should be sent to Kim Van Zwalenburg. There are four ways to do it:

By email:             kim.vanzwalenburg@ecy.wa.gov

By mail:                Southwest Regional Office

                              PO Box 47775
                              Olympia, WA 98504-7600

In person:            300 Desmond Drive
                              Lacey, WA 98503

By phone:            360-407-6520

Ecology must receive comments no later than 5 p.m. on Sept. 26, 2016.

Comment summaries and the city’s response will be posted to the City of McCleary Shoreline Master Program page on Ecology’s website.

By: Dave Bennett, Southwest Region communications manager

Comment now on the City of Elma’s proposed shoreline plan

The City of Elma’s proposed update to its Shoreline Master Program is ready for public comment now through September 8. The proposal would replace the city’s 1974 Shoreline Plan, and address uses and development along a mile of Cloquallum Creek.

What’s a Shoreline Master Program?

Shoreline Master Programs are local plans developed by cities and counties to manage shoreline use. These local programs protect natural resources for future generations, provide for public access to public waters and shores and plan for shoreline uses and development.

City of Elma’s shoreline plan

The City of Elma’s new shoreline plan establishes vegetative buffers to accommodate existing development, reflects the city’s underlying zoning and references a restoration plan that identifies potential future projects. Read the proposed SMP and several background documents here.

Paper copies of the proposal are available by contacting the City of Elma or Ecology Regional Planner Kim Van Zwalenburg at the address below.

All comments should be sent to Kim Van Zwalenburg. There are three ways to do it:

By email:  Kim.VanZwalenburg@ecy.wa.gov

By mail:    Southwest Regional Office
                  PO Box 47775
                  Olympia, WA 98504-7600

In person:  300 Desmond Drive
                   Lacey, WA 98503

The public can also call 360-407-6520 to comment and ask questions.

Ecology must receive comments no later than 5 p.m. on September 8, 2016.

Comment summaries and the city’s response will be posted to the City of Elma Shoreline Master Program page on Ecology’s website.

By: Dave Bennett, Soutwest Region communications manager

Water’s Edge: Planning for salmon farms

Science and the law leads the way in regulating salmon net pens

By Cedar Bouta, shoreline environmental planner

Alevin (newly hatched salmon) with yolk sac.
Photo: PNW Salmon Center.

Washingtonians are passionate about our salmon. We give smoked salmon as presents and take visitors to the Pike Place Market for salmon tossing. We also use images of them on beer, t-shirts and other products. In addition, native peoples harvest and consume wild salmon as an important part of their cultures.

Our conversations about wild versus farmed salmon are passionate too.

That’s why the University of Washington’s Northwest Environmental Forum sponsored a March 22-23 gathering that brought together about 65 stakeholders with differing perspectives about commercial salmon farming in Washington. The forum was a success in bringing together parties who – although on opposite sides of lawsuits or with differing points of view – were willing to come, learn and listen.

The forum highlighted:

• The stakeholders’ shared commitment to a healthy marine environment, recovery of native salmon, and local jobs.
• A growing demand for seafood and the health benefits of eating more salmon.
• The complex oversight provided by local, state and federal permits and authorizations for commercial fish farms.
• A need for more sharing of science and other information about Washington’s existing fish farms.

Commercial salmon net pens near Bainbridge Island, Washington. 

The state of salmon in Washington

Salmon are part of our state’s legacy. Washington has a coordinated, scientifically-rigorous recovery plan spearheaded by the Puget Sound Partnership to ensure wild salmon are part of Washington’s future. The plan contains programs and projects designed to restore native salmon runs and protect endangered and threatened stocks.

Many of the stakeholders represented at the March net pen forum have contributed to salmon recovery in Puget Sound and are working towards addressing urban runoff and other threats.

Feeding a seafood-hungry world

As committed as we are to our native salmon, forum participants learned that our hunger for seafood is growing and imported, farmed salmon is filling the gap. During the years 2000-2004, Americans consumed an average of about 284,000 metric tons (more than 617 million pounds) of salmon annually, of which approximately:

One-third of salmon consumed was wild and two-thirds was farmed.
One-third was domestic production (farmed and wild) and two-thirds was imported.

From January 2015 through March 2016, over 27 million pounds of fresh and frozen Atlantic salmon were imported from other countries through the Port of Seattle. This was almost twice as much as the annual production of commercial salmon farms in Washington.

Forum participants also learned that salmon aquaculture is one of the most resource-efficient sources of ways to produce protein.

Science leads the way, learning more about net pens

Ecology regulates net pen operations, like this one in
Port Angeles, through water quality permits
and shoreline master programs.

We have information describing our current approach to shoreline planning and commercial salmon net pens on our website. We also have video of scientific presentations and an expert panel discussing net pen operations, fish health, escapement, genetics, water quality and management tools.

Ecology will continue to let science and the law lead the way – adapting our findings and requirements as needed. Working together, we and other stakeholders can ensure commercial net pens do not put wild salmon recovery at risk.

Learn more about Ecology’s role
with net pens on our website.

Share your thoughts on Pierce County's shoreline plan

We want your comments on the Pierce County Shoreline Master Program. Join us Wednesday evening for an open house and public hearing to share your thoughts on the county shoreline plan.

Shoreline Master Programs help us plan to use our shorelines responsibly.

What's a Shoreline Master Program?

Shoreline Master Programs are local plans developed by cities and counties to manage shoreline use. These local programs protect natural resources for future generations, provide for public access to public waters and shores, and plan for shoreline uses and development.

Pierce County's shoreline plan

Pierce County's long-awaited shoreline plan is ready for your review and comment. The public comment period started March 15 and will run through April 29.

Public comment period: 

March 15 to April 29

Last year, Pierce County locally approved its shoreline plan for managing more than 700 miles of county shoreline, including all waters along Puget Sound, numerous lakes and rivers, and associated wetlands within the county. They then submitted their plan to Ecology for review and approval.

Join the open house

Learn more and comment in person at tomorrow's open house:

When	Wednesday, March 30, 2016 Open house starts at 5 p.m. Public hearing starts at 6:30 p.m.
Where	Pacific Lutheran University Chris Knutzen Hall 12598 Park Avenue South Tacoma, Washington 98447

Your input will help us as we decide to either approve the county's Shoreline Master Program as it is written, or request changes before it can be approved.

Learn more, review the draft plan and submit your comments online at http://bit.ly/PierceSMP.

Updating the county’s shoreline plan

This proposed Shoreline Master Program is the first comprehensive update to the county’s shoreline plan since 1975. If adopted, it will completely replace the existing program with updated goals, policies, regulations, shoreline environment designations, definitions and administrative procedures.

The new plan will advance shoreline habitat protection while guiding county planning for new development and public access.

Learn about shoreline planning on our Shoreline Master Program webpage.

By: Jessica Payne, Shorelands program communications manager

Shoreline recreation opportunities abound in southeast Washington

By Brook Beeler, communications manager, Eastern Region

Despite a population just fewer than 30,000 combined, Asotin, Columbia and Garfield counties have a lot to offer recreationists.

Southeast Washington counties receive more than one million visits each year to public recreation sites for outdoor activities like boating, cycling, hiking and fishing.

The Grande Rhonde River meets the Snake River in Asotin County.

As part of a local shoreline program update, a coalition of local governments has developed a public access plan to connect residents and visitors with southeast Washington’s unique shoreline resource.

The plan outlines existing site locations, amenities and potential improvements as well as possible partnerships and funding sources to make the improvements a reality.

Petroglyphs left by Nez Perce Tribe
indicating their historic use of the area.

You can tell the coalition what you think about plans to maintain and improve existing recreation sites including parking, signage, picnic areas and restrooms.

Comments will be accepted until May 29. You can review 

the plan and submit comments online by visiting www.sewasmpupdates.com.

The coalition includes Asotin, Columbia and Garfield counties along with the town of Starbuck and the city of Clarkston.

More photos of southeast Washington recreation opportunities can be found in an Ecologywa Flickr album.

Shoreline Programs hit the century mark!

By Brook Beeler, communication manager, Eastern Region

Millwood's approved plan makes 100

With more than 28,000 miles of shorelines in Washington, there is a lot of work to do in order to adequately protect this important natural resource so crucial to the state’s economy and our personal enjoyment. But there is good news. The city of Millwood in Spokane County has the honor of receiving our 100^th Shoreline Master Program approval!



Local governments and communities are making real progress. Shoreline programs allow us to plan for our use of shorelines while preserving what we value, and protecting lives and property.

Millwood’s plan covers just under two of the 28,000 miles in our shoreline tally. But even these miles of the Spokane River are as important to manage as every mile of Puget Sound, Moses Lake, or the Yakima River.

“Millwood and its citizens thoughtfully considered their shoreline needs,” said Shoreline Planner Jaime Short. “The local Citizens Advisory group, Planning Commission members, and City Council all dove headfirst into the weighty issues of public access, environmental protection, and redevelopment along their shorelines during the planning process.”

“The time and energy they devoted to these issues was commendable and a shining example of what public participation can look like – regardless of how many shoreline miles you are planning for.”

The dynamic nature of shorelines draws us to the water’s edge. Everybody gains from having good, safe access to the shorelines. It’s where we go on a hot day, fish, hunt, gather shellfish, walk, and just enjoy nature.

Thanks Washington for ensuring our children and future generations have the beaches, shorelines, and waterways we love so much today.

---

Passing SUP, love and happiness on to our kids

Reflections of a stand up paddle board journey
By Linda Kent, communication manager, Southwest Region

As I listen to the flop-chop of water passing below my board I realize—this is happiness.

It’s my moment of Zen.

And I feel it every time I paddle out on Lake Tapps, standing atop Big Blue (aka my standup paddle board).

No two paddle outings are the same.

On summer days, I can smell the sunburn. The water’s smooth as glass. And I’m quietly happy.

More often, my fingers are so cold they burn, and I’m paddling hard into the wind to keep forward momentum. I’m still happy.

In a state of Zen, it’s easy to clear your mind and think. To ponder. To focus on what’s really important in life. I think about how I can preserve the things I love, the things that are important, and pass them on to my kids. Teaching them to paddle on the lake comes to mind, but it goes much deeper than that.

Protecting and preserving this little part of the earth that I connect with each and every chance I get—that’s the heart of it.

Be the change

There are hands-on things that I can teach my kids today. Ways we can be the change. Small things. Things that ultimately add up and make a big difference:

• We can wash our car on the grass instead of in the driveway because this ensures less pollution reaches the lake.
• We can choose not to drip and drive – fixing a leaky car means less oil and other automotive fluids wash into waterways (and it also saves money in the long run).
• We can make sure boat gas goes in the tank, not the lake.
• We can use weed killer and fertilizer in the right amounts – and at the right times. This not only helps protect fish and other critters, it lessens problems with algae.
• We can scoop pet poop -- when it rains, dog poop melts away and runoff carries it to waterways, storm drains, ditches and streams. It’s nice to have clean shoes, too.

The big picture

Then there’s the bigger picture – plans crafted to protect water-dependent uses like paddling and boating, not to mention the lake’s water quality and integrity into the future (which, as I see it, ultimately also protects property values). These shoreline master programs are crafted by cities and counties at local level and then reviewed by Ecology.

I know my kids won’t be all that interested in the planning process, but the end goal will ultimately matter to them, because they will be able to enjoy the lake into the future.

These may seem like strange things to think about as I dip my paddle into the water, but they matter.

Balance matters too – and not just the kind that keeps me on my board.

There’s more to this modern world than the environment. Nurturing growth in the economy and our communities, protecting property values and supporting all of the other things that help provide the security and success important to families like mine are just as essential as protecting our water, earth and air.

So my thoughts turn to teaching my children this: In today’s world, we can have a healthy economy and a healthy environment.

Innovative partnerships and working together to find solutions – these are the things that help us catch waves.

It may not always be an easy journey. It can get choppy as concerns arise, and it may be difficult to achieve balance at times. 

But with the old “economy versus environment” thinking (so very 1980), we risk paddling into a wind that pushes us backward. We risk losing our balance.

How we pass it on

So I want them to learn that how we preserve our environment, the way we work to protect our livelihoods -- these things are just as important as what we seek to achieve. This is how we find sustainable results.

As I ply my paddle and watch water curl past the nose of Big Blue, I hope to pass much more to my children than a moment of SUP-love and happiness.

Earth…pass it on.

---

At the Water’s Edge: Updated aquaculture online resources

By Cedar Bouta, Environmental Planner, Shorelands & Environmental Assistance Program

Suquamish Tribe’s shellfish nursery raft in Poulsbo marina. Photo by Keri Weaver. Courtesy of City of Poulsbo.


Icicle Seafoods’ net pen at Ediz Hook, Port Angeles.


Chinook salmon. Courtesy of WDFW.

Aquaculture is the culture or farming of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic plants and animals. It occurs in all types of water bodies – from lakes and streams to Puget Sound and the coast – and includes restoring, planting, growing, harvesting, transporting and selling fish, shellfish and aquatic plants.

Citizens and local governments wanting to learn more about aquaculture science and policies can visit Ecology’s updated online shellfish and net pen resources.

Aquaculture is an historic, water-dependent use of Washington’s shorelines preceding Washington statehood in 1889. Commercial shellfish aquaculture, for instance, has operated in our waters for well over 100 years and finfish net pens for almost 40 years.

Both types of operations are subject to many different federal, state and local regulations.

Shoreline master programs and aquaculture

Several local governments bordering marine waters are updating their shoreline master programs and related permitting requirements for aquaculture. A shoreline master program combines local plans for future shoreline development and preservation with new development ordinances and related permitting requirements.

These local programs must comply with the state Shoreline Management Act, passed by voter referendum in 1972, and related standards, referred to as “guidelines.”

The updating process provides an opportunity for citizens to get involved in shaping the future of their shorelines.

Concerns about aquaculture

Some elected officials and citizens have raised concerns about potential adverse environmental and economic effects from commercial aquaculture – especially geoduck operations and Puget Sound net pen operations raising Atlantic salmon.

Concerns include:

• Effects on endangered native salmon.
• Introduction of disease and non-native species.
• Interference with navigation.
• Loss of shoreline access and aesthetics.

Many of these issues are addressed through state and federal regulations. Local governments also have the option to require substantial development permits and/or conditional use permits for new commercial aquaculture.

Ecology relies on partner expertise

Based on the best scientific knowledge and advice from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey,Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington Department of Natural Resources, Ecology has concluded that when properly sited and operated, commercial net pens are compatible with a healthy marine environment.

On Jan. 10, 2013, Ecology hosted a state and federal employee symposium about the science and management of commercial net pens. We have posted videos from the event.

Ecology is working with cities and counties and using the most relevant science to inform our review and approval of local shoreline program updates. The content of these updated programs will have a strong influence on the future of aquaculture in Washington.

---

Water's Edge: New video focuses on young salmon and shorelines

By Annette Frahm, Green Shorelines Outreach Coordinator, King County (WRIA 8)

Salmon are a Pacific Northwest icon.

As a keystone species, salmon help support wildlife – from birds to bears and otters to seals, sea lions and Puget Sound orcas.

Young salmon need healthy shorelines to help them survive. A new video explains the shoreline elements that are important to these endangered fish.

The video features Roger Tabor, biologist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, who has studied salmon in Lake Washington for 20 years.

Find out more at the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8) Green Shorelines website. Or visit the Green Shorelines blog.

WRIA 8 partners are working to restore and conserve Chinook salmon, listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. WRIA 8 is a cooperative effort of 27 local governments, citizens, businesses, scientists and environmentalists.

For more information, contact me by phone at 206-296-8013 or send me an email.

---