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Acquatic Reserves Proposal
The proposed site includes two sections Proposed West and Proposed Central. The proposed site includes two sections shown on the figure as Proposed West and Proposed Central (Figure1). Proposed West encompasses about 150,923 acres and includes the southern portion of Lopez Island, the western and northeastern shorelines of San Juan Island, the entirety of Stuart and Waldron Islands, and the northwestern coastline of Orcas Island. Proposed Central encompasses about 12,464 acres and includes the northeastern portion of SanJuan Island down to the northern border of Friday Harbor the northandwest coastlines of Shaw Island, and West Sound of Orcas Island (excluding Deer Harbor).
Meetings this Friday and Saturday about proposed SJ Aquatic Reserve
posted 03/31/2008
PRESS RELEASE:
The San Juan Marine Resources Committee (MRC) and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites the public to three open houses to discuss the proposed San Juan Aquatic Reserve on state aquatic lands that surround the San Juan Islands.
"I’m very pleased by the response of the scientific and environmental communities in developing proposals for new aquatic reserves," said Doug Sutherland, Commissioner of Public Lands. "We knew that once we put together a solid Aquatic Reserve Program we could count on these communities to identify ecologically important additions to be considered for the state’s reserve system. And I appreciate the work that San Juan Marine Resources Committee has put into this proposal and look forward to public input."
Meeting times:
- Friday, April 4
from 6 - 7:30 p.m. in the San Juan Island Grange
152 First St. N., Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
- Saturday, April 5 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Lopez Community Center
204 Village Rd, Lopez Island
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Saturday, April 5 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Eastsound Fire Station
45 Lavender Lane, Orcas Island
Marine Resources Committee and state Department of Natural Resources staff will present an overview of the state Aquatic Reserve Program and proposal for the Sans Juan site. The public will have an opportunity to ask questions, provide input, and discuss the proposed site and the statewide program.
Proposed San Juan Aquatic Reserve Site
The 163,387-acre area includes state-owned tidelands and "bedlands"— those under the deep waters,— which also would include other protected areas such as the San Juan Island National Historical Park, the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, several county and state parks, and the MRC’s voluntary no-take bottom fish recovery zones. The San Juan Islands contain biologically diverse populations of fish, marine mammals, invertebrates, and aquatic plant life. The region offers refuge and food for species of concern such as orcas (Southern resident), salmon, and seabirds, and supports the tourism, research, and education industries — all of which rely upon a healthy marine environment.
The purpose for establishing this Aquatic Reserve is to protect the natural environment and unique culture of the San Juan Islands, and to provide scientific and educational public benefits. Aquatic reserve establishment will help to preserve, restore, and enhance the habitats that support the species upon which the residents of and visitors to the San Juan Islands depend.
Reserve status would allow for public access, increased research, habitat restoration, protection and conservation, and environmental education, while encouraging marine-based livelihoods and cultural traditions.
Other proponents of the San Juan Aquatic Reserve include the;
- San Juan County Council,
- San Juan County Land Bank,
- San Juan County Parks Department,
- San Juan Lead Entity for Salmon Recovery,
- NOAA,
- National Park Service,
- People for Puget Sound,
- Washington State Parks,
- University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs,
- Friends of the San Juans,
- The Nature Conservancy,
- The Whale Museum,
- and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
More information on the Aquatic Reserve Program is located on DNR’s website: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/AquaticMarineSciences and select Aquatic Reserves Program.
Steward of state-owned aquatic lands
As trustee and steward of the 2.6 million acres of state aquatic lands, DNR manages many of Washington’s beaches, the bedlands under Puget Sound, and the coast, natural lakes, and navigable rivers. DNR manages these lands not only to facilitate navigation, commerce, and public access, but also to ensure protection for aquatic habitat. State-owned aquatic lands include:
- About 68,100 acres of state-owned tidelands, or 106 square miles
- 90,000 acres of harbor areas
- All submerged marine lands below extreme low tide—that’s 3,430 square miles of bedlands under navigable waters, as well as freshwater shorelands and bedlands
Update on Aquatic reserve proposal
posted 03/03/2008
Marine County Reserve Committee member Jim Slocumb sent this map with the latest version of the proposed Aquatic Reserve area.
Aquatic Reserves Land public meetings to be held April 4 and 5
posted 03/03/2008
The state Department of Natural Resources accepted the Marine Resources Committes's nomination to develop an aquatic
reserve throughout San Juan County. A full proposal is now being developed. Public meetings will be held on Orcas and San Juan Island on April 4 and 5. Location and times have not yet been announced.
The nomination was one of eight received by DNR by the Jan. 21, 2008 deadline. Six were accepted. A PDF showing all six is available on the DNR Web site. The nomination was supported by San Juan County Land Bank, San Juan County Parks, San Juan Lead Entity for Salmon Recovery,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service, Washington State
Parks, University of Washington Friday Harbor
Labs, Friends of the San Juans, The Nature Conservancy, and The Whale Museum. The county Council approved the MRC's letter nominating the county's state-owned tidelands and bedlands for inclusion into the Aquatic Reserves program last year. The program places 90-year restrictions on land in the program.
The proposed area meets the following criteria for designation as
defined in program guidance documents:
- Ecological criteria
- Site condition
- Habitat Representation
- Biodiversity
- Vulnerable life stages,
habitats, or populations
- Scientific criteria
- Interest to scientific
community
- Presence of current research
- Low degree of alteration
- Research without
irreparable harm
- Educational criteria
- Educational value
- Distribution of sites
- Ease of access
DNR provided $16,000 to the MRC for a consultant to draft a proposal by the Jan. 21, 2008 deadline (which was extended from an earlier deadline). Another consultant will be needed to draw up a management plan.
While the MRC has asked that the entire county be considered for inclusion in the Aquatics Reserve Program, a 2006 report available on the DNR Web site, shows a much more defined focus by DNR about what should be included. The nomination accepted by DNR is for all of San Juan County which is outlined in the blue illustration above. Ultimately the Commissioner of Public Lands will make the decision.
According to the report in 2006: Committee members were highly qualified marine biologists and ecologists from academia, state and federal government, and non-government organizations ... with expertise, extensive research and professional experience, and familiarity with the project area.
In the San Juan Islands, they recommended:
- The Southwest Lopez site has the riches intertidal
of the San Juan Islands. The area is a very
important breeding and foraging area for birds and
marine mammals.
- The Haro Strait site is the most important cetacean
area in the inside waters of Washington. This area
is a major transit and foraging area for dahls
porpoise and Orcas.
-
The north islands site is the top area in this region
of the San Juans due to its high quality, undisturbed
shore habitat, shallow rocky area, and extensive
kelp beds.
-
Waldron Island is an important invertebrate area
which includes several interesting assemblages.
Harbor porpoise also use the area.
-
South Lopez Sound is a very rich biological mud
bay.
-
South Griffin Bay is a muddy subtidal area with
eelgrass in shallow waters and unusual
invertebrates in deeper water.
County inviting DNR to add 90-year restrictions
to state-owned aquatic lands
By Sharon Kivisto
posted 09/05/2007
San Juan County Council has asked the state Department of Natural Resources to consider including all state-aquatic lands in the county in the Aquatic Reserve Program. Under the program, sites are managed for environmental protection under 90-year management plans. David Palazzi, DNR Aquatic
90 Reserves Program (ARP) manager said, "In the case of San Juan County it's all sub-tidal lands and quite a bit of tidelands."
County Councilmember Rich Peterson was the only councilmember voting against sending a letter to DNR requesting the county be considered for the program. He noted DNR now manages the aquatic lands under multiple criteria. According to the DNR Website:
- Encouraging direct public use and access;
- Fostering water-dependent uses;
- Ensuring environmental protection;
- Utilizing renewable resources; and
- Generating revenue (when consistent with the other public benefits).
Palazzi appeared before the council at the Aug. 14, 2007 meeting after Peterson raised questions at a previous meeting about the program. Reading from the material about the Aquatic Reserve Program, Peterson noted the sole criteria is environmental protection. "Other public benefits may occur only if they meet the criteria. "We're really changing our philosophy by entering into the aquatic reserve, aren't we?"He said, "It seems like the focus is away from the public."
Palazzi said, "I like to think environmental benefits are public benefits." The Aquatic Reserve would provide an eco-system approach to management. The county's development of the Marine Stewardship Area was important. "You've done a lot of work to identify areas. The San Juan Initiative plays in real well," he said. British Columbia's Southern Straits of Georgia Marine Conservation Reserve is being established and "would fit in nicely." It goes along the north and west boundaries of San Juan County.
Peterson had read the entire 140+ page plan governing Maury Island and asked how such a plan would effect a marina in the county.
Palazzi said, "Overtime we would expect that whoever is there would improve their operation as best they can. We aren't
expecting them to remove their operation if it is a viable business." He said comparing a plan for a small island with what the plan will be for San Juan County is difficult.
"I can give you an example of what is going to happen to Quartermaster Marina. I don't know if any of you have been there. It is a small marina in Quartermaster Harbor. It has been there for quite some time," said Palazzi said. "They want to rebuild their marina so what we are doing is having them do is integrate aspects to improve their environmental impact. They are going to move their marina to deeper water so they're not impacting the intertidal zone so much. Steel pilings instead of creosote. They're going to have grading at their docks. They are doing the work at the time of the rebuild."
Two years ago, DNR indentified a list of priority sites around Puget Sound which included six in San Juan County. The Marine Resource Committee recommended the county council include the entire county to the DNR instead of a few areas.
Councilmember Kevin Ranker said, "We're talking about all of San Juan County, a pure ecosytem approach. Where we are looking at it, some of these areas most likely, and if I have anything to say will be, excluded. Creating areas that will be protected, other areas will be excluded. We're applying for the whole county to be recognized. The entire county goes through the planning process. We come out with a network of aquatic reserves in the San Juan archipelago. Other areas are clearly industrial and should be recognized as such."
The management plans are reviewed every 5 to ten years for adaptive management changes. Once the Aquatic Reserves Plan is in place, the only way to remove it is through the State Environmental Review Process SEPA process. SEPA is a state policy that requires state and local agencies to consider the likely environmental consequences of a proposal before approving or denying the proposal.
Councilmember Gene Knapp wanted to know who is the final decision maker. The answer was the Department of Natural Resources.
"We won't go anywhere with this unless the county's supportive of this," Palazzi said. "That goes without saying."
"At this stage and the final stage, "Ranker asked. For instance today the council says go ahead and then during the planning process something goes awry and the council says we don't like final plan."
Palazzi said," That will have a lot of weight with what happens in the commissioner's (Commissioner of Public Lands) eye I am sure."
The August 14 meeting included comments in support of the proposal from Peter Dederich of the National Park Service, Ken Sebens of UW FH Labs, Jacques White from The Nature Conservancy. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, People for Puget Sound and the Friends of the San Juans also support the proposal.
If the letter of intent is accepted, a proposal will be submitted by the end of the year. At some point during the process public hearings will be held. They have not yet been scheduled.
Council Approves First Step Toward Countywide
Aquatic Reserve
COUNTY PRESS RELEASE:
On August 14, the San Juan County Council authorized taking the first step that could
result in having the state owned aquatic lands in the county declared an aquatic reserve, but in doing
so some Council members expressed misgivings. If the process moves forward to completion, San
Juan County would become the largest single aquatic reserve in the state.
Advocates on the council, including Council Member Kevin Ranker, argued that winning an
aquatic reserve designation would give the county a voice in determining the preservation and
future development of the aquatic lands in San Juan County. Council Member Rich Peterson
withheld his support, expressing concern that the designation could result in restrictions on the
ability of San Juan Countians to use and enjoy state-owned
waters.
San Juan County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) Coordinator Mary Knackstedt told
the Council that the letter of intent she will file by August 31, as a result of the Council’s vote, is
only the beginning of the process, and promised that the Council will have several opportunities to
review and intervene before commitments are made.
David Palazzi, a environmental planner for the state Department of Natural Resources
(DNR), described the state’s Aquatic Reserve program as an "ecosystem approach" that can do
planning and coordinate activities based on how upland, shoreline, tidal systems and bedlands
interact and react to different uses and influences. Currently, he said, most of the programs deal with
different parts of the total system on a piecemeal basis.
Peterson questions county asking DNR for Aquatic Reserve status
posted 07/31/2007
At the request of Councilmember Rich Peterson, the county council has tabled until August 14 approval of a letter applying to the state Dept. of Natural Resources for inclusion of all of the state-owned aquatic land in the county in the Aquatic Reserves Program. Councilmember Bob Myhr asked Peterson, "Is your concern we don't know what we are getting into?"
Peterson answered affirmatively and also wanted to know how the program fit in with all of the other layers of marine environmental protection the county already has in place.
According to DNR's Web site: The Aquatic Reserves Program is part of Department of Natural Resources (DNR) efforts to promote preservation, restoration, and enhancement of state-owned aquatic lands—sites that benefit the health of native aquatic habitat and species in the state. DNR is to establish state Aquatic Reserves to protect important native ecosystems on state-owned aquatic lands throughout the state. These are to be aquatic lands of special educational or scientific interest, or lands of special environmental importance.
County Marine Resources Committee Coordinator Mary Knackstedt said, "One of the things is, we are pushing the envelope, We intend to submit the entire county (instead of specific sites). I asked DNR what they thought of idea. They hadn't received a nomination that large before." She told the council DNR seemed open to the idea.
Councilmember Kevin Ranker cautioned Peterson against "diving too deeply into the details". He said, "Our Marine Resource Committee has done its work. We should move on this."
"Even if it has more restrictions than we have now," Myhr said. "We need to keep it (county's marine environment) pristine. This is a step in that direction."
The Aquatic Reserves Program has three types of Reserves: environmental, educational and scientific. The MRC is recommending the county apply for all three types. If accepted into the program. The state-owned aquatic land would be evaluated on a site by site basis and a management plan would be developed for each site. More information is available on DNR's WEB SITE.
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