San Juan County's substantial nearshore marine habitats are vital to the health of regional marine species, including forage fish, eelgrass, kelp, salmon and orca populations. Notwithstanding this precious ecological value, shoreline development continues to destroy essential habitat and contaminate the waters. FRIENDS applies science, policy, and law to enforce existing regulations and advocate for stronger legal protections in the shoreline.
Everyday residential activities that take place near the shoreline can easily damage the health and function of San Juan Countys nearshore marine habitats. For example, shoreline armoring, boat ramps, seawalls and bulkheads eliminate forage fish spawning beaches by directly covering the habitat or cutting off the supply of sand and gravel required by forage fish to successfully incubate their eggs.
Docks and marinas block the sunlight that eelgrass requires to grow. Clearing and grading may increase erosion, siltation, and runoff/flooding, and change drainage patterns, reduce flood storage capacity, and damage habitat. Toxins from stormwater runoff also harms water quality. While this shoreline development occurs incrementally, the cumulative impacts countywide are severe.
FRIENDS monitors permit applications for the impacts described for threats to shoreline health from shoreline armoring, docks and other shoreline structures, clearing and grading, and stormwater and water quality. |
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FRIENDS also protects San Juan Countys shorelines through participation on San Juan Countys Marine Resources Committee, an advisory body to local government on marine management.
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