The
City of Bellingham and Coastal Geologic Services recently completed a
prioritization tool for estuarine and marine nearshore restoration and
protection efforts in WRIA 1. The goal of this project was to assess
conditions and develop and apply a restoration and protection prioritization
tool, the results of which would guide restoration and protection efforts
for the estuarine and marine shores of WRIA 1.
Project Objectives
This project is intended to create a Prioritization Tool that can be used
to:
- Inform the efforts of the many diverse groups involved in
estuarine and marine nearshore restoration and protection activities in
WRIA 1.
- Facilitate improved communication and partnerships amongst these
entities and create opportunities to leverage additional funding.
- Provide sound scientific information to inform policy decisions at
the local and regional scale.
Documents
The Tool
This science-based tool can be used to identify protection and restoration strategies
and priority actions within in the WRIA 1 estuarine and marine nearshore environment.
Priority actions are categorized by type (protection, restoration, or
enhancement) and ranked based on their ability to address threats and stressors to key
ecosystem components, nearshore processes and ecological attributes. The tool is straightforward
and user-friendly and is capable of assimilating new information as it
arises. The tool integrates best available science at both the local and
regional scale with planning
efforts related to estuarine and marine nearshore protection and restoration
strategies.
WRIA 1 marine and estuarine nearshore conditions were assessed by reviewing
literature, local and regional data, digital imagery such as LIDAR, and
vertical and oblique aerial photography. Data were reviewed and brought
into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) where available
to assess current conditions and for potential utility in the
prioritization. Conceptual models, peer reviewed studies, and multi-scaled
maps and assessments produced by the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem
Restoration Project (PSNERP), Washington Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)
and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) were key data sources.
Results
Assessment results highlighted the unique conditions in WRIA 1, particularly
the diversity of coastal landforms and the interconnected nature of
nearshore processes, structures, and vital habitats which communally support
the nearshore ecosystem. The scale and magnitude of anthropogenic
alterations to WRIA 1 nearshore and estuarine ecosystem processes were also
assessed. Results showed that the most widespread changes since historical
conditions were the loss of natural shorelines resulting from shoreline
modifications and other stressors. A considerable length of the study area
is considered “artificial” or is so heavily degraded that it no longer
functions or resembles the historical configuration. Numerous tidal barriers
found in the Nooksack River Delta and marine nearshore were associated with
coastal roads and the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) rail causeway. The
widespread nature of shore modifications and tidal barriers has resulted in
considerable degradation to sediment supply and tidal flow processes along
the WRIA 1 nearshore.
Project Partners
There are approximately 15 different entities engaged in research,
restoration and/or protection of the estuarine and marine nearshore
environment of WRIA 1. These entities have produced numerous studies,
assessments, tools and reports, including a geographically focused nearshore
characterization and prioritization tool (most notably, a Whatcom County
Marine Resources Committee (MRC) initiated restoration prioritization tool
for Point Roberts, Birch Bay, and Chuckanut Bay). However, there has not
been a comprehensive effort that documents, analyzes, and synthesizes the
all the existing information with the purpose of developing and applying a
prioritization tool for estuarine and marine nearshore restoration and
protection actions across the entire WRIA 1 nearshore. This project was
initialed by project partners to directly address this data gap.
Key partners include:
- Bellingham Bay Action Team (BBAT). BBAT was formed in 1996 and is a
cooperative partnership of 15 federal, state, tribal and local stakeholders.
Its mission is to develop a new cooperative approach to expedite sediment
cleanup, source control, and habitat restoration for sediment cleanup sites
around Bellingham Bay. Partners include: WA Dept. of Ecology, City of
Bellingham, Port of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Lummi Nation, Nooksack
Tribe, WA Department of Fish and Wildlife, WA Department of Natural
Resources, WA Department of Transportation, Puget Sound Partnership, RE
Sources for Sustainable Communities, NOAA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- The City of Bellingham (COB). COB has been proactive in habitat restoration
in both freshwater and marine waters. To date, the City of Bellingham has
implemented eight large-scale, in-water habitat restoration projects and
over 50 riparian restoration projects covering over 65 acres.
- Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee (Whatcom MRC). The Whatcom County
MRC was established by the County Council in 1999 to protect and enhance the
local marine environment and contribute to the protection of the marine
environment of the Northwest Straits. The Whatcom MRC is one of seven MRCs
established in the Northwest Straits region as part of the federal Northwest
Straits Marine Conservation Initiative adopted by the US Congress in that
year.
Technical Advisory Group Members
- Eric Carrabba, Whatcom Land Trust
- Treva Coe, Nooksack Tribe
- Eric Grossman, USGS
- Steve Hood, Depart. Of Ecology
- Jill Komoto, Lummi Nation
- Erica Stroebel, Whatcom County
- Doug Thompson, WDFW
- John Thompson, Whatcom County
- Brian Williams, WDFW
More Information
Contact Renee LaCroix, Ecology and Restoration Manager,
rlacroix@cob.org, 360-778-7966