Friday, August 17, 9 a.m., Council Hearing Room
— from Katie Fleming for Friends of the San Juans —
Protecting San Juan County’s marine shorelines is among the most important actions we can take to support the recovery of Chinook salmon and Southern Resident Killer Whales.
Join us on Friday August 17, 2018 as the San Juan County Council holds a Joint Public Hearing with the Planning Commission on proposed amendments to the Shoreline Master Program (SMP). Amendments are required to meet the Washington State Growth Management Hearings Board Compliance Order that declared victory on three important issues:
- Environmental Impact Mitigation: requirement for alternative compensatory mitigation to occur within the same watershed as the impact;
- Soft Shoreline Stabilization: requirement for tightening of both the allowance criteria for new or expanded soft shoreline armoring and the definition of soft shoreline armoring;
- Ensure No Net Loss of Ecological Functions on San Juan County’s Shorelines: requirement to develop and implement a mechanism for documenting and evaluating the cumulative effects of authorized development on shoreline conditions, and a process to make corrections as needed, to ensure no net loss of ecological functions.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Attend and testify at the hearing on Friday, August 17 at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room at 55 2nd St, Friday Harbor, 98250.
And/or send your comments to the Planning Commission: Lyndag@sanjuanco.com and County Council: council@sanjuanco.com.
San Juan County beaches and nearshore support forage fish that feed Chinook salmon, and Chinook salmon feed Southern Resident Killer Whales. Tell the San Juan County Council and Planning Commission to make the following changes needed to protect shorelines:
- Require mitigations to occur within the same watershed as the impact on all County islands where development could occur;
- Thoroughly comply with the required changes to the criteria for new or expanded soft shoreline armoring and the definition of soft shoreline armoring;and
- Require an annual evaluation of shoreline developments’ cumulative impacts on shoreline conditions, and a process to make corrections as needed, to ensure No Net Loss of the ecological functions that support forage fish, Chinook salmon, and Southern Resident Killer Whales.
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It is my last nderstanding that Piniped’s revival are having a significant impact on the salmon population. https://www.google.com/amp/s/articles.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/11/study_seal_and_sea_lions_stron.amp
Could it be that is our problem more then the runoff from our properties?
Predators are indeed one part of the complex problem. Regional research shows when there are more forage fish in the ecosystem predation on salmon smolts by marine mammals goes down. It will take a whole host of actions, by all of us. The SMP is one important, local tool to control the multitude of known impacts to marine habitats from shoreline development.