Natural shoreline that will be protected from the development of unnecessary rock walls.
We're excited to announce that on June 2nd, Judge Eaton of the San Juan County Superior Court upheld a Shorelines Hearings Board decision to deny unnecessary shoreline armoring for a vacant lot along a surf smelt spawning beach on San Juan Island.
The Board had concluded that the shoreline's leisurely long-term erosion rate of approximately 0.6 inches per year did not justify the proposal to replace nearly all of a 20-foot-tall, well-vegetated slope with two rock walls. By clearing the slope of trees and shrubs, the armoring would have harmed habitat for insects that feed local salmon, shade that cools smelt eggs, and roots that maintain slope stability.
Surf smelt spawning beaches have been documented along just 10 miles of shoreline in the San Juans. This is a big win for surf smelt and the salmon, orcas, and other critters that rely on them. Given the Puget Sound Partnership's goal to increase unarmored shorelines, it is heartening to see
decision-makers deny unnecessary proposals to develop our islands' most sensitive shores.
