Biology and Politics Report Card, 2007

Compare our port with others. Note the parks, nice boat ramps with lots of parking. Enjoy the walking trails at the airport. And the art work, educational facilities, aquarium, and on. Steve and his team has done this, while at the same time meeting developmental goals.

When he found that one of his secret special places was going to be developed, Terry decided that exposure was better protection than secrecy. In addition to interesting and informed general information on the area, he spills the beans on 60 (!) of his special places, and a big part of the value of this book is learning why they are special.

Did you know that there is a stand of old-growth firs (on Lopez) that escaped the kilns? Did you know that deer swim to islands and crop the wild flowers? Places like Yellow Island chase off the deer, and so have exceptional wild flower displays. Places like American Camp on San Juan Island are presented with lots of fascinating insider background, as well as what can be seen there.

Noxious Weed Control.

Two years of near-non-activity have allowed re-growth of previous control efforts. Instead of controlling weeds, PW has conducted a study. Results? Biggest problems are on PW properties, and seeds are distributed by PW vehicles. That’s only the beginning. Read it if you can find it -- very few copies were printed.

In addition to the general problem of too many noxious weeds, there are two sad outcomes of the noxious weed situation in San Juan County. First, the rule “Don’t pull weeds unless you are going to follow up” has been violated. So the areas where Scotch Broom was pulled (in some cases more like logged) from dense stands now have thick growths of young plants replacing them. The soil under a Scotch Broom plant is full of seeds that are viable for up to 40 years. The idea is to weed, and allow natural vegetation to form a cover, making tough competition for re-instatement of the weed.

The second sad thing is the loss of leadership (part of the contractor’s duties), of volunteers working with the Weed Board. Before, neighborhoods rallied to pull broom and tansy. There was communication, even exhortation. The discouragement of endlessly pulling weeds was relieved by others seeing you, and joining in. And, roads, streets, and yards were cleared of tansy and broom.

In contrast, the study just done was never publicized. In fact, even Public Works apparently didn’t much know about it, since one of the consultant’s problems was that weeds were mowed before she could fully evaluate an area. The study was done in 2007. The report was submitted to Public Works in October 2007. It is January 2008, and there is no information, nor a plan to control weeds. How about at least a holding action?

Storm water.

This is a difficult one for me to understand. Maybe it would help if we all were SCUBA divers, and could dive in the San Juans, then go to a place in the Adriatic, or Southern California, or the Mediterranean, or the South Atlantic, where coral reefs, kelp forests, shimmering schools of small fish, are simply gone. Many of these places look as though they have been exposed to air, roasted, then re-flooded. There is a sense of death and sterility, particularly if you have known the places before they got hit.

Why are these places like that? Almost always, because of toxic run-off into the water, and over-fishing. Water running off our streets and who-knows-where-else is oily, carries heavy metals and other toxins, and silt. It also carries nutrients that produce toxic algae blooms.

To save a few (truly few!) dollars, we are doing some ugly things to one of the world class last great places.

Private docks allowed through eel grass.

We are losing eel grass to known causes (above) as well as, in the case of Westcott Bay, to mysterious causes. This is important, because eel grass is a vital part of the life history of many animals including salmon, crab, and other valued marine resources. Salmon for example, are hit from all sides: over harvest, water quality, habitat degradation and more. Wouldn’t one think that preserving the eel grass we have left would be important? And ironically, we are spending big dollars to restore salmon habitat.

Yet our county is permitting docks (for personal use, and even property development for re-sale) that go right through eel grass beds. I thought our county policy was no-net-loss. Essentially, this means you leave eel grass alone. This is because it is hard to kill some eel grass in one place, then plant some elsewhere to make up for it. Because if “elsewhere” were a place where eel grass could grow, it would already be growing there.

Someone, please tell me, what is our policy?

• An ongoing study of shoreline permit activity. This is one of those “death by a thousand cuts” issues. When do the rights of shoreline property owners (and how they use those rights) start to affect the health of the nearshore ecosystem? Shoreline projects affect stocks of forage fish that spawn on the beach, shoreline erosion, and more. There had been no monitoring of this.
  
  
• Speaking of shoreline erosion, FSJ is working with private landowners and others to restore shoreline habitat.
  
  
• Assessments of habitat. A mapping project of kelp habitat has been completed. Bull kelp forms a canopy in rocky nearshore waters. To a SCUBA diver, it is the marine equivalent of a rain forest canopy. A lovely experience, found nowhere else. And, by the way, bull kelp is important for rearing of fish and invertebrates.
  
  
• Protection of shoreline habitat. Through workshops, mailed flyers, and personal contact, FSJ has helped foster better land use and development. And sometimes the better way is even easier than the wrong way.
  
  
• Orca protection. Working with the County Council, FSJ helped establish better protection for Orcas from vessel impacts.
  
  
• Many other good things. I am tired of typing.