This new ban affects 52 miles of Pierce County shoreline in an effort to protect salmon
The Pierce County Council protected 52 miles of additional shoreline from new pier and dock development Tuesday, Dec. 13.
The Pierce County Council unanimously adopted an update to its Shoreline Management Act.
The updated plan contains additional shoreline locations that will prohibit development activities, in an effort to increase salmon recovery in Puget Sound.
With the additional 52 miles, over 120 miles of shoreline are protected in Pierce County.
The ban applies to almost all of the west shore of the Key Peninsula, the west side of Fox Island, much of the upper end of Henderson Bay and a long stretch of the Gig Harbor peninsula along the Narrows Strait.
A big reason why Derek Young, outgoing Pierce County Council chair, ran for office was to create stronger shoreline protections, he told the Gateway.
“Protecting Puget Sound is something I’ve long cared about,” Young said.
While structures like docks and piers are important for commerce and recreation, they also can have impacts on the shoreline ecology, Young said.
When he first arrived at the Pierce County Council in 2015, they passed the first update to the Shoreline Management Plan since the 1970s. The first update identified 32 miles of shoreline to protect.
“We’re not saying no to building everywhere, just to places that we need to protect,” Young told the Gateway.
The changes will not affect existing docks and piers, he said.
Salmon are not the only species affected by shoreline structures, Young said.
“The disruption of the shoreline with these structures eventually reaches other species because the whole food chain is disrupted,” Young said.
Young believes this is also critical to property owners as well.
“People that are interested in purchasing land will know exactly where these structures are allowed,” Young said.
During the proposal process the council worked closely with the Nisqually Indian Tribe and the Puyallup Indian Tribe.
“We want to thank you for your years of service and dedication working with the tribes in a respectful and professional way that is evidenced by this resolution in front of you today,” David Trout, natural resources director for the Nisqually Indian Tribe, said to Young during the council meeting.
Trout expressed support from the Nisqually Indian Tribe for the resolution, identifying it as “a critical step forward to protect treaty rights and salmon in Puget Sound.”
“Salmon are dependent on these near shore habitats for food and shelter as they migrate in and out of Puget Sound,” Trout said at the council meeting.
