Shore Stewards Preserve Our Whatcom County Shorelines

Cheryl Lovato Niles is Coordinator for the WSU Whatcom Watershed Master/Beach Watchers program as well as the Shore Stewards program. She has a Master’s Degree in wildland resource science from UC Berkeley.

I’m standing on a stretch of gorgeous shoreline on the western side of Lummi Island watching Chris Fairbanks, marine biologist and co-chair for the Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee, wade out into chest-deep water. He’s trying to locate the edges of the eelgrass beds. “This eelgrass is wonderful,” he says with a grin. That’s not the only thing that’s wonderful I think as I watch half a dozen bald eagles play in the air.

Before Chris and I arrived onto the beach, accompanied by Dave Kerschner from the Lummi Island Heritage Trust, Gerald Larson from the Marine Resources Committee and David Evanson, volunteer for the Watershed Master/Beach Watchers, those eagles had been feasting on a large carcass along with an equal number of turkey vultures. Now the eagles are aloft and the vultures have relocated to a log perch in the shade. We can see them clearly, their red heads bright against their black feathers. The carcass is too big to be a seal. We speculate that it could have been a sea lion, but it was too well decomposed to know for sure.

As I look around I realize that stretches of shoreline like this one could serve as powerful reference points and inspiration for would-be Shore Stewards, shoreline property owners who voluntarily follow 10 wildlife-friendly guidelines in caring for their beaches, bluffs, gardens and homes. The Shore Stewards program is new to Whatcom County, and I hope that it will be as enthusiastically received as it has been in Island County, where it began three years ago. Sponsored and supported by the Washington State University (WSU) Whatcom Watershed Master/Beach Watchers, the program offers a free reference guidebook to caring for your shoreline, free informational newsletters, and will host several educational workshops in its first year in Whatcom County. The WSU Whatcom Watershed Master/Beach Watchers program is part of the highly acclaimed and nationally recognized “Beach Watcher” program begun by Washington State University Extension in Island County 15 years ago.

As Chris Fairbanks walks along this Lummi Island beach, making measurements and recording his observations, he points out sugar kelp, sea lettuce and Sargassum to me. The tide is well out and the eelgrass blades floating along the surface of the water form a sort of woven blanket. Tiny fish launch themselves out of the water ahead of us as we walk, land on this unexpected eelgrass barrier, and then wriggle furiously between the blades to get back into their underwater meadow. Later, as we’re standing on the cobble beach talking, I realized that the ground beneath our feet is alive with movement. Tiny crabs scuttle under, over and around the rocks we’re standing on. I can hear them moving. It’s a soft sound like soap bubbles popping. Gerald Larson picks up and examines the oyster shells he finds, while a curious coyote pup trots out onto the beach to get a better look at us.

The natural processes that support life on this beach continue as they have for thousands of years. The forest meets the sea here. Tall trees shade the high beach and that’s good news for tiny forage fish called sand lance and surf smelt who like to lay their even tinier eggs right on the beach during a high-tide. We carefully sift through the sand in likely spots looking for perfectly round, translucent eggs only ever-so-slightly bigger than grains of sand. We don’t find any today, but hope that the fish do come here to spawn. A shady beach is a good place for forage fish eggs. They are less likely to dry out before they can hatch out. And more forage fish ultimately means more food for those bigger fish, like salmon, which are such a symbol for the Northwest.

Shade is not the only way the forest benefits the marine environment. The thick, natural vegetation filters and slows the rainwater as it soaks in and moves over the land. Since there are no bulkheads or armoring structures here, the shoreline is free to erode slowly, nourishing the beach with fresh sediments. Along the edge I can see roots exposed where the waves have washed the soil away over time. Eventually, here and there another tree will fall over onto the beach where it will absorb and deflect some of that wave energy, helping to retain beach sediments, and to keep the overall erosion rate slow.

This shoreline is a place where marine and terrestrial environments meet and mingle, and it is full of life. As I look at it I think of all of the miles of shoreline that have lost the almost magical life-giving quality that comes from these functions and processes. And I think of all of the miles of shoreline that could be lost to development, growth pressures, and an expanding population that loves the shore but doesn’t understand it and doesn’t know how to preserve it. And I think, “If only everyone could see the beauty of this place, people would be clamoring to find out how they can recreate this on their private property and community beaches.” So many who live here in Whatcom County look out at the beautiful view of our bays and the straits and believe that this is a pristine environment. But I had never seen anything like this and I suspect that few have. Only those of us with memories stretching back to the early part of the last century have a good sense of how much has changed over time.

The Lummi Heritage Trust was evaluating the parcel’s shoreline in the hopes of winning grant money to help purchase the property for conservation. From a biological perspective this stretch of shoreline is very valuable. And from a non-technical perspective, it is simply stunning. I truly hope the Heritage Trust is able to acquire this jewel, but I know that the future of our marine environment will not be guaranteed through land acquisition alone.

Because the vast majority of our shoreline in Whatcom County is privately owned, the future of our marine resources is in our hands. And the time is now. Many marine biologists believe that our marine ecosystem is at a tipping point and poised for a crash. If we are to pass on these precious resources to the next generation we all must learn how to protect and preserve what we have today. Those of us who live along the shoreline must come to understand how our beaches provide food and shelter to fish and other wildlife. We need to know how to keep the water running off from our yards free of pesticides, fertilizers and excess nutrients. We need to understand natural erosion processes, how to live with them and how to avoid accelerating them. Most importantly, we need to put our understanding into action.

The good news is that caring for our shorelines is both doable and rewarding. And in the process of learning how to take good care of your beach or bluff you learn more about what happens on a beach and the wildlife that lives there. Even better news is that we now have excellent guidance in Whatcom County in the form of the Shore Stewards Guidebook. Many of the steps to good stewardship are simple, such as keeping grass clippings and yard waste off of the beach, keeping your septic system in good working condition and preserving as much natural vegetation as possible. Other topics are more involved, such as understanding erosion, soft-armoring techniques and beach friendly gardening practices. Washington State University Beach Watchers worked with marine educators and experts to develop sound guidelines and reference materials for shoreline landowners who want to become Shore Stewards.

The Shore Stewards program is free and will offer workshops on topics such as native plants, sound gardening techniques, understanding erosion and appreciating and enjoying shellfish (for dinner!). Participating Shore Stewards also receive the Shore Stewards Guidebook as well as informational newsletters.

To learn more about the Shore Stewards program, or to become a certified Shore Steward, contact Cheryl Lovato Niles, at 676-6736 or send an email to clniles@wsu.edu. §