DESCRIPTION
Marine riparian habitat provides numerous functions and values important to salmon recovery efforts in the San Juans, including bank stabilization, water quality, shade and microclimate, detritus, large woody debris, and habitat for prey. Local research as well as site visits with technical experts have identified marine riparian habitat restoration as a key action to improve nearshore habitat conditions for salmon and salmon prey. At many sites, riparian habitat restoration can also help improve slope stability and control erosion; reducing demand for new shoreline armoring. The marine riparian restoration project will focus on three identified priority riparian restoration regions of San Juan County: NW San Juan Island, N Orcas and S Lopez and develop and implement projects at top priority parcels within these regions. Key actions include technical training for professionals and landowners, restoration project development and design, and riparian revegetation implementation.
To improve conditions for salmon and salmon prey and reduce demand for new hard shoreline armoring, Friends of the San Juans completed a multi-year, multi-pronged effort to engage and educate professional contractors, inform waterfront property owners, and implement marine riparian vegetation enhancement projects in priority areas including NW San Juan Island and South Lopez Island. Key actions included technical training for professionals and landowners, vegetation assessments with waterfront property owners, restoration and enhancement project development and design, and riparian revegetation implementation. Specifically, over 40 landscapers, arborists, excavation contractors as well as property and resort managers participated in an in-person workshop on coastal geology, permitting, and shoreline vegetation in fall of 2017. Eight of these professionals participated in a follow-up, 'deep dive' work session on shoreline vegetation management issues in March of 2018 with County and Friends staff. Results of this work session were shared with all participants of the earlier workshop. Workshops for waterfront property owners were held on San Juan, Lopez, and Orcas Islands in May of 2019. 48 individuals participated and workshop materials and resources are housed on the Friends of the San Juans' website at sanjuans.org/shorelinevegetation.
Over 30 shoreline site visits with technical experts were completed during the project period; while largely funded with other sources and more broadly focused than just vegetation, each of these visits and the associated follow-up memos included a significant vegetation management component. Multiple shoreline vegetation enhancement projects were developed, permitted, and implemented with private property owners at priority salmon recovery regions including: Limestone Point and Mitchell Bay on San Juan Island and Salmon Point and Davis Head on Lopez Island. A total of 49 trees, 1,510 shrubs and 400 willow stakes were planted in degraded riparian buffer areas as well as 735 dune grass plants planted on the upper beach/backshore across the four sites, restoring native marine riparian vegetation along 750 linear waterfront feet of marine shoreline.
