Long-term habitat protection incentives: a pilot neighborhood conservation easement program in San Juan County, Washington.
Presentation Abstract
Coastal geomorphic processes create and maintain the nearshore habitats upon which many Puget Sound species of concern rely, including forage fish spawning areas, and juvenile salmonid rearing and migratory habitats. Shoreline modifications that disrupt and damage these processes are viewed as one of the greatest threats to the ecological functioning of coastal systems. Protection of remaining high quality nearshore habitat important to juvenile salmon and salmon prey is the top salmon recovery strategy for San Juan County. Unfortunately, regulatory protections are not holding the line against the incremental degradation of marine shorelines. This leaves voluntary protection through conservation easements and acquisition as one of the best options for achieving habitat protection goals. Updated land conservation models and mechanisms are needed to provide long-term protection for shoreline habitats and the processes that form and maintain them. Traditional land conservation programs are typically designed for individual large parcels located predominantly in upland habitats. Protection programs are needed that address multiple adjacent shoreline property owners at the process-unit scale. The San Juan Preservation Trust and Friends of the San Juans have partnered to develop and implement a Neighborhood Salmon Conservation Easement Program that targets multiple adjacent properties within top salmon recovery shoreforms and regions of San Juan County, Washington. Preliminary project results related to landowner outreach and engagement; development of shoreline habitat, process and shoreform specific conservation prescriptions; and the valuation of shoreline habitat protection can inform voluntary protection and stewardship incentive efforts well beyond San Juan County.
Session Title
Session S-01G: New Strategies for Shorelines
Conference Track
Shorelines
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Shore protection--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--San Juan County--Citizen participation
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Neighborhood Salmon Conservation Easement Program
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); San Juan County (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Long-term habitat protection incentives: a pilot neighborhood conservation easement program in San Juan County, Washington.
Room 6C
Coastal geomorphic processes create and maintain the nearshore habitats upon which many Puget Sound species of concern rely, including forage fish spawning areas, and juvenile salmonid rearing and migratory habitats. Shoreline modifications that disrupt and damage these processes are viewed as one of the greatest threats to the ecological functioning of coastal systems. Protection of remaining high quality nearshore habitat important to juvenile salmon and salmon prey is the top salmon recovery strategy for San Juan County. Unfortunately, regulatory protections are not holding the line against the incremental degradation of marine shorelines. This leaves voluntary protection through conservation easements and acquisition as one of the best options for achieving habitat protection goals. Updated land conservation models and mechanisms are needed to provide long-term protection for shoreline habitats and the processes that form and maintain them. Traditional land conservation programs are typically designed for individual large parcels located predominantly in upland habitats. Protection programs are needed that address multiple adjacent shoreline property owners at the process-unit scale. The San Juan Preservation Trust and Friends of the San Juans have partnered to develop and implement a Neighborhood Salmon Conservation Easement Program that targets multiple adjacent properties within top salmon recovery shoreforms and regions of San Juan County, Washington. Preliminary project results related to landowner outreach and engagement; development of shoreline habitat, process and shoreform specific conservation prescriptions; and the valuation of shoreline habitat protection can inform voluntary protection and stewardship incentive efforts well beyond San Juan County.
