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Michelle McConnell
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ron hirschi [whalemail@waypoint.com]
Thursday, January 29, 2009 3:07 PM
Michelle McConnell
Shoreline Comments
@
Jefferson County Planning,
Jefferson County has a unique opportunity to keep from destroying its shoreline as has been the case in Mason County.
There, the drift cell destruction in many reaches of upper Hood Canal approaches 100% of the shore and has led to mass
extirpations of sand lance habitat. This, in turn, has led to mass losses of the prime food source of chinook, coho, and
humpback whales. Not to mention the tufted puffins once common in our area.
Specific shorelines need attention now to avoid further degradation and I urge all management be linked to drift cell
protection, enhancement, and restoration. As pointed out in a report I did for the county ten years ago, there is a model
drift cell within Ludlow Bay in which private property owners for some unknown reason have maintained an ideal balance
of feeder bluff integrity, shoreline armoring, docks, and sediment movement between Tala Point and the mouth of Golf
Course Creek. That drift cell works, sandlance spawn, salmon feed, and people have some docks and armoring without
ruining the place. Go figure.
There are three key places in East Jefferson County that need, desperately, restoration if we are ever to have somewhat
natural salmon and salmon prey habitat functioning the way it did not all that long ago.
The first is a key step in salmonid outmigration habitat along the north shore of Marrowstone Island. I think the restoration
of the kelp forests would go a long way to providing a link between the very different marsh/stream/eelgrass based
migration habitat to the south and the decidedly kelp based migration pathway to the west.
As Ray Lowrie points out, kelp was once abundant along the north east end and all along the north to west end of
Marrowstone. It disappeared in the 1980s, very likely due to shoreline modifications of old origins within Ft Flagler -
massive slides trigger unnatural sediment depostions that scour recruitment of juvenile kelp plants.
Ironically, the poorly or unplanned removal of the old dock at Ft Flagler last fall may have been the death of this past
year's recruitment of kelp. Without even acknowledging the kelp situation, somebody let them tear out that old dock and
release an incrediblly unnatural flow of sediment. It went downdrift and around the point to scour in former kelp habitat.
Another key area of restoration need is the former tidal channel between Indian and Marrowstone Islands. Once, juvenile
salmon ids could move freely from Oak Bay into Scow and Kilisut, but the blockage created by fill has prevented that
movement into lush eelgrass beds for almost a hundred years. A pretty big coffin nail in the story of salmon demise.
Restoration of the drift cell functions at the mouth of Kilisut would also benefit habitat values greatly. A simple removal of
the old, unused boat launch at Ft Flagler would restore sand lance spawning and protect the inner Kilisut habitats too.
Here's another that is so important if the County is to even begin to make us believe they will protect shorelines - The
Oak Bay County Park (campground) drift cell functions need to be restored on the County Park property. Every year, the
armoring blows out, coarsening the beach and causing unnatural erosion patterns along the face of the park property.
Every year the county repaves the beach spit for some reason. If they did a soft armoring educational beach park at that
location, they could gain a great deal of credibility while improving some damaged habitat.
I live and work in Jefferson County and my Great-Great Grandfather built the first bridge across the Duckabush. I've
mapped every inch of the shoreline twice and am always happy to be of service. Please give me a call if you are
interested in helping me restore the kelp forests of Marrowstone or if you have other questions about drift cell integrity.
Kind Regards,
Ron Hirschi
Marrowstone Island
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