Nisqually now an aquatic reserve
ROB CARSON; Staff writer
Washington’s effort to restore the environmental health of Puget Sound by 2020 received a significant boost Friday.
In a ceremony at the Nisqually Reach Nature Center near Lacey, Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark officially designated as an “aquatic reserve” nearly 15,000 acres of south Puget Sound that fan outward from the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on the Nisqually Delta.
The new Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve includes all state-owned aquatic lands surrounding Anderson, Ketron and Eagle islands and stretches to the south shore of McNeil Island.
In all, it includes nearly 39 miles of shoreline.
The reserve’s management plan applies only to the state-owned aquatic lands, not to private waterfront property and tidelands.
Policies governing the reserve won’t stop people from fishing, boating, crabbing and pursuing other recreational pursuits within the boundaries, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
Scientists have identified the Nisqually Reach as an area important for fish, aquatic mammals and bottom habitat.
The new designation means increased government scrutiny for development proposals in the area, which recently have included commercial fish pens, shellfish farming, commercial docks and the disposal of dredge material.
Conservation, education and scientific research will be the top priorities in the area, according to the management plan.
The reserve is the seventh aquatic reserve created in Puget Sound under a marine-conservation program launched in 2000. Management goals of the reserve include:
• Enhancing environmental education activities at the Nisqually Reach Nature Center, Anderson Island parks, Tolmie State Park and Solo Point at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
• Identifying and removing derelict fishing gear, creosote pilings and abandoned utilities.
• Working with the six marinas and public docks within the reserve to make sure they are doing all they can to keep pollution and wastewater from entering marine waters.
• Supporting shoreline and habitat-restoration projects, including recovery of some of the small estuaries that provide critical habitat for juvenile salmon. The reserve includes 18 small bays, six of which are blocked by dikes and fills.
Rob Carson: 253-597-8693
rob.carson@thenewstribune.com
Staff writer John Dodge contributed to this report.
