Fish and wildlife habitat restoration: Elliott Bay and Duwamish estuary--industrial, community, and environmental context
Presentation Abstract
The Port of Seattle has improved numerous locations in south Elliott Bay and the Duwamish Waterway in recent years for the purpose of fish and wildlife habitat restoration and public shoreline access. As a development agency, making use of publicly-owned port property, the port has provided substantial, successful habitat and public use improvements, while demonstrating, testing, and verifying alternative restoration designs, and encouraging public education and stewardship.
South Elliott Bay and the Duwamish industrial area represent 80 percent of Seattle’s industrial land. The Duwamish industrial area, approximately 8.2 square miles, with approximately 80,000 jobs, totaling approximately $2.5 billion in annual payroll, is an essential regional economic asset. Port facilities transship 15-17 million tons of cargo annually, $40-45 billion in value, accounting for 345,000 direct and induced jobs. Seattle’s seaport and adjacent industrial infrastructure is located in 5,300 acres of former estuarine wetland and nearshore marine area. Past industrial and navigational access development have eliminated 98 percent of former inter-tidal and marsh habitat.
Within this context, port development actions have focused on balancing economic, environmental, and community factors. The port has implemented seventeen fish and wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement projects, approximately 31 acres, and eight public shoreline access sites coincident with redevelopment of marine terminal facilities. The port has designed a new approximately ten acre habitat and public shoreline use area and has established a “Century Agenda” goal of 40 acres of additional habitat restoration. Past actions have demonstrated that fully functional fish and wildlife habitat areas are compatible with continuing marine industrial uses and activities, providing estuarine resource and community benefits essential to the Elliott Bay and Duwamish Waterway environment.
The port proposes to summarize recent actions in Elliott Bay and the Duwamish Waterway and review emerging restoration, enhancement, and public use/open space plans for the estuary.
Session Title
Challenges and opportunities related to habitat enhancement, restoration, and ecosystem productivity in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Habitat
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Restoration monitoring (Ecology)--Washington (State)--Seattle
Geographic Coverage
Seattle (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and 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
Fish and wildlife habitat restoration: Elliott Bay and Duwamish estuary--industrial, community, and environmental context
2016SSEC
The Port of Seattle has improved numerous locations in south Elliott Bay and the Duwamish Waterway in recent years for the purpose of fish and wildlife habitat restoration and public shoreline access. As a development agency, making use of publicly-owned port property, the port has provided substantial, successful habitat and public use improvements, while demonstrating, testing, and verifying alternative restoration designs, and encouraging public education and stewardship.
South Elliott Bay and the Duwamish industrial area represent 80 percent of Seattle’s industrial land. The Duwamish industrial area, approximately 8.2 square miles, with approximately 80,000 jobs, totaling approximately $2.5 billion in annual payroll, is an essential regional economic asset. Port facilities transship 15-17 million tons of cargo annually, $40-45 billion in value, accounting for 345,000 direct and induced jobs. Seattle’s seaport and adjacent industrial infrastructure is located in 5,300 acres of former estuarine wetland and nearshore marine area. Past industrial and navigational access development have eliminated 98 percent of former inter-tidal and marsh habitat.
Within this context, port development actions have focused on balancing economic, environmental, and community factors. The port has implemented seventeen fish and wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement projects, approximately 31 acres, and eight public shoreline access sites coincident with redevelopment of marine terminal facilities. The port has designed a new approximately ten acre habitat and public shoreline use area and has established a “Century Agenda” goal of 40 acres of additional habitat restoration. Past actions have demonstrated that fully functional fish and wildlife habitat areas are compatible with continuing marine industrial uses and activities, providing estuarine resource and community benefits essential to the Elliott Bay and Duwamish Waterway environment.
The port proposes to summarize recent actions in Elliott Bay and the Duwamish Waterway and review emerging restoration, enhancement, and public use/open space plans for the estuary.
