Neighborhood Shoreline Conservation Easements
Presentation Abstract
Coastal geomorphic processes create and maintain the nearshore habitats upon which many Salish Sea species 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 ecosystems. Effective long term protection of natural shorelines and coastal processes can be strengthened through neighborhood conservation easements. A neighborhood conservation easement connects adjacent private property owners within a single shoreform with complementary conservation prescriptions to maintain coastal processes (e.g. sediment supply and transport) as well as conserve the shoreline habitat. Neighborhood stewardship of our shorelines can provide continuity through time as well as space with newly arrived neighbors learning the local culture of care from established residents.
The San Juan Preservation Trust and Friends of the San Juans have partnered to develop and implement an innovative Neighborhood Salmon Conservation Easement Program that targets multiple adjacent properties within top salmon recovery shoreforms and regions of San Juan County, Washington. Shoreline easement prescriptions include protection of marine riparian vegetation, forage fish spawning, juvenile salmon habitat and sediment supply processes by prohibiting shoreline alteration, armoring, filling, and permanent structures. This approach begins with outreach events to identify interested landowners. Working with multiple landowners to achieve permanent protection of natural shorelines can be a lengthy process, as it takes time to cultivate a sense of neighborhood stewardship. Organizational/programmatic consistency is required to be ready to act when owners are ready. However, the resulting permanent conservation benefits and durable neighborhood stewardship strengthens and sustains community commitment to healthy natural shorelines. Next steps include use of valuation research to develop a market based cost framework for conservation of important shoreline types including feeder bluffs and documented forage fish spawning beaches.
Session Title
Going Beyond Regulations to Green Our Shorelines
Conference Track
Shorelines
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
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)
Salmon--Conservation--Washington (State)--San Juan Islands; Wildlife recovery--Washington (State)--San Juan Islands; Habitat conservation--Washington (State)--San Juan Islands
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); San Juan Islands (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
Neighborhood Shoreline Conservation Easements
2016SSEC
Coastal geomorphic processes create and maintain the nearshore habitats upon which many Salish Sea species 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 ecosystems. Effective long term protection of natural shorelines and coastal processes can be strengthened through neighborhood conservation easements. A neighborhood conservation easement connects adjacent private property owners within a single shoreform with complementary conservation prescriptions to maintain coastal processes (e.g. sediment supply and transport) as well as conserve the shoreline habitat. Neighborhood stewardship of our shorelines can provide continuity through time as well as space with newly arrived neighbors learning the local culture of care from established residents.
The San Juan Preservation Trust and Friends of the San Juans have partnered to develop and implement an innovative Neighborhood Salmon Conservation Easement Program that targets multiple adjacent properties within top salmon recovery shoreforms and regions of San Juan County, Washington. Shoreline easement prescriptions include protection of marine riparian vegetation, forage fish spawning, juvenile salmon habitat and sediment supply processes by prohibiting shoreline alteration, armoring, filling, and permanent structures. This approach begins with outreach events to identify interested landowners. Working with multiple landowners to achieve permanent protection of natural shorelines can be a lengthy process, as it takes time to cultivate a sense of neighborhood stewardship. Organizational/programmatic consistency is required to be ready to act when owners are ready. However, the resulting permanent conservation benefits and durable neighborhood stewardship strengthens and sustains community commitment to healthy natural shorelines. Next steps include use of valuation research to develop a market based cost framework for conservation of important shoreline types including feeder bluffs and documented forage fish spawning beaches.
