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Home My WebLink AboutPacket SWWS Nov 12 2019Whatcom County Council Surface Water Work Session COUNTY COURTHOUSE 311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105 Bellingham, WA 98225-4038 (360) 778-5010 Meeting Agenda Tuesday, November 12, 2019 10:30 AM Civic Center Building Garden Room COUNCILMEMBERS Barbara Brenner Rud Browne Barry Buchanan Tyler Byrd Todd Donovan Carol Frazey Satpal Sidhu CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C. Council Surface Water Work Session Meeting Agenda November 12, 2019 Call To Order Roll Call Marine Resources Committee Update Swift Creek Update Watershed Planning Update Other Business Adjournment Whatcom County Page 2 Printed on 113012024 WHATCOM COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT JON HUTCHINGS Director 11193 THROUGH FROM: DATE: RE: MEMORANDUM The Honorable Jack Louws, Whatcom County Executive, and Honorable Members of the Whatcom County Council Jon Hutchings, Director Gary S. Stoyka, Natural Resources Program Manager November 5, 2019 November 12, 2019 Council Surface Water Work Session NATURAL RESOURCES 322 N. Commercial Street, Suite 110 Bellingham, WA 98225 Telephone: (360) 778-6230 FAX: (360) 778-6231 www.whatcomcountV.us Please refer to the proposed agenda below for the next Surface Water Work Session. Additional supporting documents may be distributed at or before the meeting. AGENDA Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Place: Civic Center Garden Level Conference Room Time Topic Council Action Background Information Requested Attached 10:30 AM — Marine Resources Committee Update Discussion Handout and presentation 11:00 AM (p. 2-38) 11:00 AM — Swift Creek Update Discussion None 11:30 AM 11:30 AM — Watershed Planning Update Discussion None 12:00 PM If you have questions, please feel free to call me at (360) 778-6218. cc: Mike McFarlane Joe Rutan Beth Bushaw Jeff Hegedus Tyler Schroeder Josh Fleischmann Sue Blake Roland Middleton George Boggs Ryan Ericson Paula Harris John Thompson Karen Frakes Dana Brown -Davis Lonni Cummings John Wolpers Kraig Olason Jennifer Schneider Atina Casas Kristi Felbinger Mike Donahue Erika Douglas Jill Nixon Cathy Craver Mark Personius i Celebrating 20 years of the Whatcom Marine Resources The Whatcom Marine Resources Committee (MRC) began in 1999. They are one of seven citizen -based committees in the Northwest Straits region to address marine issues. The seven MRCS are part of the Northwest Straits Initiative, which was established by Congress in 1998. The MRC's purpose is to guide local communities, with the use of up- to-date information and scientific expertise, to achieve the important goals of resource conservation and habitat protection within the Northwest Straits. The mission of the Whatcom MRC is revitalizing and preserving Whatcom County marine resources for future generations. In the last 20 years: The Northwest Straits Commission has provided an estimated $1,650,000 in direct funding to the MRC (mostly federal and some state) The Northwest Straits Foundation has provided an estimated $163,000 to the MRC Volunteers have given over 20,000 volunteer hours $450,000 has been given through volunteer hours and MRC projects Other Accomplishments: Jerry's Journey Clam Surveys Chuckanut Marsh Restoration Sound IQ Mussel Watch Lummi Island Quarry Restoration Whatcom Speaker Series with WWIN Work with WWU and BTC classes Monitoring European Green Crab And much more! Who we are: With 15 committee members, the Whatcom MRC has five citizen -based marine interest groups represented on the committee, including: • Conservation and Environmental Interest • Economic Interest • Recreation Interest • Relevant Scientific Expertise • Citizen At -Large The MRC has additional representation from elected officials, local tribes, and local government staff. The Whatcom IVIRC has many accomplishments from 1 years. Here are just someof currentprojects ■F' Invasive green crabs were discovered in Drayton Harbor in 2019 thanks to trained North Sound Stewards. North Sound Stewards: This program ties together the MRC needs to match volunteers with citizen science projects. They partner with RE Sources who has similar nearshore marine related citizen science projects. Participants also learn more about the Salish Sea and how they can help better protect our marine resources based on science. 2 Bridget Moran: Forage Fish Monitoring Intern Internships: The MRC has offered internships in the past, but this year began offering paid internships to help with North Sound Stewards outreach and forage fish monitoring, providing local students with valuable work experience while providing important roles for the MRC. Forage Fish: The MRC currently monitors Little Squalicum Estuary and Marine Park for forage fish spawning as well as monitor at Aiston Preserve pre- and post -restoration efforts. These beaches may change soon, but are helping to close important data gaps on when and where forage fish are spawning locally which can help Department of Fish and Wildlife make better informed policy to protect these forage fish that are important for manv species, includine salmon and orca. Kaylene Riehle: North Sound Steward Outreach Intern Bull Kelp Monitoring: Bull kelp has been little studied, yet is vital for a healthy Salish Sea. When kelp beds began disappearing in Southern Puget Sound, the Northwest Straits Commission teamed up with the Department of Natural Resources to develop a citizen science kayak protocol that MRCS could implement locally. The Whatcom MRC picked up this monitoring when it began in 2015 and monitors at Southwest Lummi Island, Aiston Preserve, Alden Bank, Gulf Road at Cherry Point, Point Whitehorn Point, and Alden Bank. Thus far, our kelp beds appear to remain relatively the same size, but the MRC will continue to monitor as we better understand how temperature and pollutants may impact kelp and the many species that rely on healthy kelp beds to survive and thrive. Chuckanut Pollution Identification and Control (PIC) Program: North Chuckanut Bay (also known as Mud Bay) has been closed for shellfish harvest for two decades. In partnership with the Whatcom County Public Works, the MRC has helped to provide volunteers to sample along with other assistance with the hopes of restoring shellfish recreation to the area. Water quality is now much better understood in this area and has some hope of being reclassified. Olympia Oyster Restoration: These native oysters are difficult to find, but with more restoration efforts, Olympia oysters have a chance to come back. These oysters have been shown to be more resistant to ocean acidification than Pacific oysters and as filter feeders, can improve the poor water quality of North Chuckanut Bay where there are several known shell middens. Oysters were seeded in 2018 in North Chuckanut Bay and the MRC continues to monitor the success of the restoration to inform how future restoration efforts can be best spent. Boulevard Park Intertidal Monitoring: Shoreline enhancement projects are not always monitored for any improvement to habitat they make. In 2013, the Whatcom MRC started monitoring Boulevard Park for its shoreline enhancement project where a stretch of beach was softened after problems with erosion. The MRC sampled after shoreline enhancement in 2014, 2015, and again in 2019. Overall, some sections of beach are different, while other areas of the beach have rebounded since the beach was redone. Remote site beach cleanups: While the MRC has done beach cleanups for decades, they kicked it up a notch in 2019: Cherry Point Beach Cleanup: teaming up with BP, over 110 volunteers cleaned up 10 miles of Aquatic Reserve shoreline in just 2 hours. Lummi Island Cleanup: 18 volunteers picked up 440 Ibs of trash from 5 miles of remote Lummi Island shoreline with the help of chartered boat. Sucia Island Cleanup- with the help of the San Juan MRC and Surfrider, 60 Ibs of microtrash were picked clean from all walkable shoreline of Sucia. Drayton Harbor: with DNR and community members, over 2,000 Ibs were cleared. el WV H d1LE;U n I P- u rrtm -cn 0 Enhancing the marine environment of Whatcom County since 1999 Prepared for the Whatcom County Surface Water Work Session November 121 2019 Northwest Northwest Straits Initiative Northwest Straits COMMISSION Marine Resources Committees t J�1 c. Northwest Straits FOUNDATION I k � 6 n the last 20 years.... • $1,650,000 in direct funding from the NWS Commission • $163,000 from the NWS Foundation • Over 20,000 volunteer hours • $450,000 contributed through the MRC and project volunteer hours 7 RUN I WWU Class Projects • Marine Conservation class — 24 students, mostly seniors in Env. Science or Env. Studies • Students work with MRC members to develop a project • Some projects are applied (eg. data analysis) • Others are creative, idea generating Food Folag- 11W. eat n+ic"crgc marine wganwm suer K pbwe.ophsk—. e OAF&ton wxL=im pbrar Threats Rw�dcMGpmmtn3i emyrmc rt+a 2"ul SLpswrdmg Itlhl®L ti Mr i'01 ion a c Uioa L LICLIiIc T i�Jgc fnL Solutions 97Lt,7=b- I'LOMP. IxICLIL'es LLFe§JOis + desctapment Prey for... OnyKdn ForaW r6b In Ltie klnh 3u dLQL n Stud ILL c. Acrnnp and gi2f &xdt urr prey fiorlorftr idh,n Them rrdz Intl 5rR)I br. Why are that' Irnpodant? I rac€x:ist. zkey rpe-e MILL rx pond � ,d..'I%— mrtr.3om •.c ,uiuribn wo-i hgLe 1-rr iRkW pW.ULLrm L. J= 3.106 S.u. Volunteer ';t.r YLt3lrnm M2nLrr kesrrurr. C'[xe n=elc(MK ) irAu LLer or k3cJ Pensge Nik congar mioo pm.e-= yrt RC logo Find out more at w w.whaico,nwumyinfc.org 9 Data analysis: Forage fish Sediment Type II Width of beach Time of year -L 50 0 ZE ov 0u W L' a Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Doc Month Shade Sunrev'_ocaticn % ■ East ■ West L/ Jars Jul Dec 10 Outreach Id -remove hard shoreline armoring, such as bulkheads -Keep large woodv debris on shorelines -Keep shoreline vegetation for shading -Visit our website below to find out more ..A M ■ .. S Glass bottle Papercup Disposablediape 1 million years 5 years 10-20 years Other New Ideas Alternative Substrates Plastic Monitoring Device Water quality monitoring with sensors 12 Oyster Restoration: Monitoring Plan Training video Sampling Plan Field Guide Olympia Oyster Monitoring Field Guide Olympia Oyster Shell: Fluted shell. rounded and is about 5-8 em in length. Color: Ranges from white to dark purple. May contain yellowlbro"m stripes. Habitat: Muddy bays, attached to substrates. May be Found attached to the shells of Pacific Oysters Notes: Much smaller than the Pacific C7yster with a rounder shell. Pacific Oyster Shell: Large, flat fluted shell. Will often alter shape to lit irregular spaces, range iicun 840cm in length. Color: Ranges from white to dark purple. Typically is found to be grey to while. Habitat: Will typically be lixnrd attached to rocks in shallow watels. but have been found to take residence in muddy areas. Can be found attached to other Pacific Oysters, Sampling Sheets Olympia Oyster Monitoring Field Guide 8ulter Clam MarilafJapanese PacificlNative Littleneck Clam Littleneck Clam Six and Snwx. 11pw5 —Jvhp f;p m25 in Si__ a,d S1— I.Ip 035 inches. and Q� al to square. and obkmg I.—ewif lkxn lolls and mundcd 1m nWjIvl. —ddh. aualmspl Sho: Y'11p IO"1'M'IiIIC 5"Comsnniep W 5hcR Chalk. shell.... ur vdond. xilh 111—n-w rinb „dial do G—bm. . heun.hupcd. Cou—k rimy uun uu rudianng �[ numlcd in cokx.mdr saxnc xItl[radid rides. ride%line. purpl, inside shdI J Japanese 0"W, 1701er Muslrels 4yyy si... :—Ind 4enl'ioM hi Si.�,:�nil SWn[e(In�w n�lr; nnnmd] []'�rnnln:ir: n piuikt• lurgcrl. im InnE kmper Ihnn iI i� mkt. ti nti h=ll- Shells h.— Iw hale s6,h [hc hm Shall NMI) M.1c n: hrvrwn .nlrn uilh 112 rid— a a.,.h>hal .nnnrinin k'—kh lion. 13 Outcomes • Students forge connections with MRC members • Students gain experience with authentic marine conservation work • MRC projects moved forward • MRC gains new ideas and perspectives on their work 14 The Northern LOR Blaine anti Birch Bay's Community Vcwspaper MAIN MENU ■ F�v Beach clean-up helps turn the tide on pollution in east Drayton :► Harbor Drayton Harbor 15 Blaine Harbor Q Boating Center Y 9 Semiahmoo Park 0 a°fit d �eF 9G araYfon Harbor RR Semiahmoo Golf 10 & Country Club Dt Go gie Blaine 0 C rD H St v Lizzie's Cafe Dakota Creek �DakotaCreek Kayaklaunch 548 E Drayton Beach *0"- -IF California Creek c-I,a H Street Rd A n QCalifornia Creek Kayak Launch \J 16 NORTH SOUND STEWARDS 17 I 'rti Rib Tl Lam_. 4N. Totals: • 41 Tires • 2040 Ibs trash • 2 greasy creosote railroad ties • 1000 Ibs recycled metal • 10 cubic yards removed overall Ip 19 . n Crab 5 � �. ij Vp i' '+ M - Y i y ; R 4 4r 22 fb 23 t der h..] r L3 M b.� Email Austin Rose: arose@co.whatcom.wa.us' OEM&. Email Eleanor Hines: eleanorehines@gmail.com am xF 7. 91. But wait, there's more ! 4 Other M RC Hgihlights D I I -A 41 750 "ham .. - �. -dip,- J I 1 41 dt iL elf 41 -Z k6 126 ir dt 00 3.p#% z. Owl' MA Sucia Isla rr 4 w7r 41 lk 46 jr4ij A.: Alk Kelp surveys 31 1� dd_,•pC, � �. ,1 5 it 1 r Al I 7 North Chuckanut Bay: Olympia Oyster 200 180 166 140 120 100 sa 60 40 20 a Restoration ■ Average Le ngt h ■ LIVE Olympia Oysters ■ DEAD Olympia oysters Olyl Oly2 0ly3 ❑ly5 ❑ly6 01y7 33 rC All ip-qtnr;;t-ic Y oleo dam lll101Cf:1111.1111FM\TIC■me] 1[Ville • E 77 u '� - �. North Chuckanut Bay: Clam Surveys 0 Jerry's Journey at Birch Bay Jerry's Journey Sign Locations 1, Joining 111e Journey 2, Ma¢i ng with Pltes and Seasons 3, f thoeihhg ao,,.Hwr 4. Flowing horn U. Lake to the Bay 6, iihne's bavelees 6, Diaw , a tinlln0 FrnsyaJem Park Path 37 th w r •�