The other COARSE: community-originated acquisition, research, stewardship and education
Presentation Abstract
Experts preparing action plans is a common approach to improving environmental health. However, high priority actions are typically funded at levels that preclude completion within 25-50 years, and other essential projects go unfunded. An alternative approach is community-originated actions. These actions may draw on non-conservation resources, and politicians may be more willing to fund requests from constituents than implement recommendations contained in a report prepared outside their jurisdiction. This presentation reviews a case study of increasing prey abundance to recover Southern Resident Killer Whales through restoration of riparian habitat (a high priority recommendation by US and Canadian scientists), as implemented in the Lake Washington watershed by the City of Bothell. Initially, city government declined to implement salmon recovery recommendations. This resistance was overcome through community-originated actions. A community group appealed an HPA granted to the city, and it was forced to redesign its downtown redevelopment to improve fish passage, resulting in redevelopment funds being used to daylight a creek, which became salmon-bearing. Another community group overcame opposition to forest conservation recommended by WRIA 8 by pledging to carry out acquisition, restoration and education programs with minimal city financial support. A third group overcame opposition from elected officials to acquire a golf course along the Sammamish River to allow restoration of salmon rearing habitat, funded by parks and general funds, in addition to conservation funds. Water quality monitoring carried out by the city is supplemented by the work of volunteer scientists trained and equipped by another community group. Education programs have expanded community participation in restoration and support for conservation. In addition to bringing non-conservation resources to conservation, and keeping recommendations from collecting dust, the leadership in the community groups was more ethnically diverse than the elected officials, although that is changing as some of these leaders have become elected officials.
Session Title
Posters: Collaboration & Engagement
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-25
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Riparian restoration--Washington (State)--Bothell; Killer whale--Food--Washington (State)--Bothell; Volunteer workers in environmental protection--Washington (State)--Bothell
Geographic Coverage
Bothell (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
The other COARSE: community-originated acquisition, research, stewardship and education
Experts preparing action plans is a common approach to improving environmental health. However, high priority actions are typically funded at levels that preclude completion within 25-50 years, and other essential projects go unfunded. An alternative approach is community-originated actions. These actions may draw on non-conservation resources, and politicians may be more willing to fund requests from constituents than implement recommendations contained in a report prepared outside their jurisdiction. This presentation reviews a case study of increasing prey abundance to recover Southern Resident Killer Whales through restoration of riparian habitat (a high priority recommendation by US and Canadian scientists), as implemented in the Lake Washington watershed by the City of Bothell. Initially, city government declined to implement salmon recovery recommendations. This resistance was overcome through community-originated actions. A community group appealed an HPA granted to the city, and it was forced to redesign its downtown redevelopment to improve fish passage, resulting in redevelopment funds being used to daylight a creek, which became salmon-bearing. Another community group overcame opposition to forest conservation recommended by WRIA 8 by pledging to carry out acquisition, restoration and education programs with minimal city financial support. A third group overcame opposition from elected officials to acquire a golf course along the Sammamish River to allow restoration of salmon rearing habitat, funded by parks and general funds, in addition to conservation funds. Water quality monitoring carried out by the city is supplemented by the work of volunteer scientists trained and equipped by another community group. Education programs have expanded community participation in restoration and support for conservation. In addition to bringing non-conservation resources to conservation, and keeping recommendations from collecting dust, the leadership in the community groups was more ethnically diverse than the elected officials, although that is changing as some of these leaders have become elected officials.
