The Blaine City Council has pushed 2 non-shooting ordinances to the Whatcom County Council. These ordinances would essentially shut down all sea duck hunting in Drayton Harbor. WAC 173-60-50(3)(j) exempts noise created by the discharge of firearms in the course of hunting from the maximum permissible environmental noise levels. Noise cannot be used as a reason to create a non-shooting ordinance. RCW 9.41.300(2)(a) states that Cities, towns, counties, and other municipalities may enact laws and ordinances: ... Where there is a reasonable likelihood that humas, domestic animals, or property will be jeopardized. The Whatcom County Sheriff and WDFW Wildlife enforcement have stated that there have been ZERO safety incidents. This motion appears to be an anti-gun, anti-hunting ordinance pushed by residents that moved into a hunting area and are annoyed by the noise.

The WWA has submitted an official letter as well as encouraged our members to submit feedback. A word copy of our letter can be found here Feel free to use this as a template for your own letter to the council.

Please contact the County Council and join the public hearings. Council information can be found at https://www.whatcomcounty.us/268/County-Council

UPDATE: This has been resolved. The no shooting ordinances have been formally dropped.

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This past issue will be added soon.

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January 2018. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) completed the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for Steigerwald Lake Floodplain Restoration Project (SLFRP). Held public meeting on EA February 12, 2018. Vancouver Wildlife League (VWL) partnered with WWA, WA Senators Ann Rivers, Lynda Wilson and Annette Cleveland, WA Reps Paul Harris, Brandon Vick, Liz Pike, Monica Jurado Stonier, Sharon Wylie and Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler.

Public comments were submitted by VWL, WWA and WWC in February 2018. VWL submitted letters to legislative partners and requested WWA and WWC to do the same. The letters requested state legislature to pull Washington State funding for the project in August 2018. Washington legislature pulled funding, $4.6 million, and the project was terminated in late 2018.

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November 2016. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) proposed a revised Shillapoo Wildlife Area salmon restoration project called South Shillapoo Project, also called Buckmire Slough Project. WDFW partnered with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). This is a federal project. Vancouver Wildlife League (VWL) partnered with WWA, WA Senators Ann Rivers and Lynda Wilson, WA Rep Paul Harris. VWL also partnered with WA Senator Annette Cleveland, WA Reps Brandon Vick, Liz Pike, Monica Jurado Stonier, Paul Harris, Sharon Wylie, Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler and Clark County Rifle Association (CCRA). Project was terminated February 2019. This preserved approximate 1,000 ac of wildlife habitat much of which was for waterfowl and preserved the pheasant release site. Avoided impacts to other wildlife including threatened/endangered Columbian whitetail deer and endangered sandhill cranes.

June 2013. Shillapoo Lake Bottom (COE 536 Project) proposed breaching of dikes along the Columbia River to create salmon shallow water habitat in Shillapoo Wildlife Area. This was federal project. WWA partnered with Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beulter to oppose the project. WWA provided comments opposing the project. Rep Beutler (WA) and Rep DeFazio (OR) introduced a bill in Congress in 2013 that ecosystem restoration projects (536) could not have impacts to other wildlife. The Corps of Engineers withdrew the Shillapoo 536 Project. The bill was not passed by Congress. This preserved over 1300 acres of wildlife habitat with significant preservation of waterfowl habitat and avoided significant impacts to the pheasant release site and waterfowl hunting area. Also avoided impacts to other wildlife including threatened/endangered Columbian whitetail deer and endangered sandhill cranes.

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February 2013. Post Office Lake, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (RNWR) Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) Section 536 Ecosystem Restoration, Clark County, WA. (Corps of Engineers Report and Environmental Assessment) was released for public review. The proposed project was to restore juvenile salmonid access to Post Office Lake on the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (RNWR), improve tidally-influenced habitat and floodplain connectivity, and develop forest riparian habitat while still ensuring that the primary trust resources associated with the establishment of RNWR were preserved.

WWA partnered with Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beulter to oppose the project and WWA provided comments during the public review. The proposed project was terminated in mid-2013 by the RNWR on environmental concerns. The project has not been revived to date. This preserved over 100 ac of wildlife habitat primarily for waterfowl and was the first project of three projects along the Columbia River to restore juvenile salmonid access to shallow water habitat. The other two were Fazio Farm (private land) and Shillapoo Wildlife Area. (state land). The plan was to link the three projects hydraulicly to provide smolt salmon habitat.

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Late Summer and Fall 2012. WWA partnered with the local community and Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler opposing proposed breaching of dikes along the Columbia River to create salmon shallow water habitat in Willapa Bay.

WNWR had an agency approved Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to flood a major portion of the WNWR for salmon shallow water habitat but resistance was developing to prevent implementation.

During the first week in September 2012 the Willapa WNWR breached a dike on Willapa bay to flood 621 acres at the south end of the bay. The WNWR did not have the appropriate permits required to breach the dike. WWA alerted the partnership that the breach occurred. WNWF was directed not to breach any more dikes and the project was terminated. Local head of commercial fishing association who was interviewed did not support the breach either, especially since there were better locations for fish enhancement. He also did not want to provoke waterfowlers because they had a great conservation program.

This was a big win since several hundred acres of waterfowl habitat were preserved.

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