Category #shoreline #restoration #salmon #foragefish #naturalshorelines   Show all

  • Weeks Point Way Shoreline Restoration Project Begins

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    San Juan County Marine Program was awarded funding from the State Salmon Recovery Funding Board to undertake a small shoreline restoration project at the Weeks Point Way road end and adjacent pocket park on Lopez Island in 2023. This public site was identified by the Shorefriendly program and Friends of the San Juans as one that would benefit from restoration to restore the natural functioning of the shoreline, improve forage fish spawning habitat, and improve the access and enjoyment of the public beach and adjacent pocket park.

    The beach has been identified as potential forage fish spawning habitat, and a surf-smelt egg was discovered at the site in 2020. Additionally, the Fisherman Bay Spit and Preserve, directly across from the project site, is a documented Pacific Sand lance spawning location. The site has long been used by community members to launch non-powered watercraft, and for local reef net fishers to access their gear, transport crew, and deliver their catch.

    The goal of this project is to improve conditions of nearshore processes (such as sediment supply and connectivity) and on-site beach and backshore habitat, which are needed to sustain nearshore habitats for spawning and rearing forage fish, out-migrating juvenile salmonids, and other species that utilize the nearshore, including adult salmon. The project will also improve safety and access to the beach for community members and visitors.

    While the project has been slow to get going, we have completed the cultural resources survey and reporting, and have now engaged with expert coastal engineers to complete project designs and assist with permitting. San Juan County marine managers and coastal engineering experts from Natural Systems Design will be on site the morning of Tuesday, April 22nd, to provide information on the project and answer questions that community members and neighbors might have.