Measures to Protect Wildlife and Boaters
By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
Beginning May 1, boaters will need to obtain a permit and attend a brief training session to use the launching ramp at San Juan County Park. The training, which covers the laws protecting killer whales and other marine wildlife, and the laws and guidelines for responsible boating within the San Juan County Marine Stewardship Area, was developed in association with the Whale Museum’s Soundwatch program.
The training and permit requirements will be in force for anyone launching a motor, wind or human powered vessel between May 1 and September 30; the season when killer whales frequent the County’s waters.
The boat launching permits will be available at San Juan County Park beginning May 1. They will be issued to county residents without charge; non-resident permits will cost $7 per day or $35 for the entire season. Visitors staying at campsites in the park will be able to buy a single $7 permit, valid for the duration of their stay.
The required training sessions will be available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. throughout the season and will be less than ten minutes in length, including a slide presentation and personal instruction. Parks and Recreation Director Dona Wuthnow says she expects there to be very little waiting.
“We deal with thousands of boaters each year and we think it will be effective to remind people – especially visitors – that they will be traveling in a sensitive marine area requiring the utmost care; and to teach them the best way to conduct themselves with respect to killer whales and marine mammals. Everyone needs to understand that our behavior on the water can have a profound affect on them,” she said.
Special classes will be offered for commercial guides and tour operators. Interested operators should contact the San Juan County Parks and Recreation office at 360-378-8420. Further information is also available on the County Parks website at: https://sanjuanco.com/parks
The permitting and education program was instituted after The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed regulations last July which would effectively close San Juan County Park’s boat ramp and prohibit most boating activities on a large percentage of the west side of San Juan Island during the summer season when killer whales are in the area.
The County Council and local recreation and tourist organizations argued that more education and stricter enforcement of existing laws should be tried before the agency considers instituting an outright prohibition on boating activities. The NOAA’s recover plan for the southern resident killer whale is still under review.
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This should be required for any boat traveling through the waters of WA. I have witnessed too many close calls while whale watching at Lime Kiln Park. And there needs to be more supervision out in the waters and ticketing to those who do not obey the laws.