The State of Our Island Environment

1
The State of Our Island Environment

• Presented to the
• Vashon-Maury Island Community Council (VMICC)
• by the
• VMICC Sustainable Practices Committee (SPC)
• Earth Week, 2006

2
Overview

• Defining sustainability

• How are we doing? (Benchmarks)

• Accomplishments over the past year
  (selected examples only)

• Current projects (examples only)

• Ongoing challenges

Like our community itself, this summary is a work
in progress. All additional input is both
welcome and encouraged!
3
What does sustainability mean, anyway?
A sustainable way of life is one that meets the
current needs of all of the Earths inhabitants
without compromising the ability of any of those
in the future to meet their own.- Requires
that each of us decide what constitutes
enough consumption (gas, electricity,
land, paper, wood, pollution, etc.)- Native
Americans use the well- being of the seventh
generation from now as their guideline.
4
Economic development- Environment- Affordable
housing- Land use- Transportation
Benchmarks Introduction

• Original source - King County (for 1990
  Growth Management Plan)

• Discovered by Tom Bangasser (Thank
  you, Tom!)

• Five primary categories (King Co.)

• Several additional benchmarks proposed
  today by the SPC

5
Land cover / Land use Transportation Energy
consumption Recycling and waste disposal Air
quality Noise levels Ecosystem inventory and
health Water supply (quantity) Water quality
Benchmarks King County/Vashon categories
6
Surprisingly little information currently
available for Vashon Relatively little new
infor- mation since last year - See State
of Our Island Environ- ment 2005 SOOIE 05
- Handout up front - Download from
VMICC/SPC site (http//www.vmicc.org/com
m_sustain.html) Thus, most of the following
summary of benchmarks for Vashon is just a
wish list at the moment!
Benchmarks General Comments
7
Benchmarks Land Cover (ENV9) / Land Use
King County code

• Area of forest (LU39) - SOOIE 05 - Roughly 2/3
  of VMI - Based on Moll (1993!) - Might be
  smaller now Agriculture - Area of farmland
  (LU39) - Number and size of farms (LU40)
  o Percent organic o Percent conventional
  Area of pasture Area of lawns Area of
  impervious surface Area of semi-pervious
  surface, e.g.

• Ober Park parking lot (King County SWM
  demonstration project)- Sunflower development
  (Vashon Household)

8
Benchmarks Transportation - Vehicles

• Results from VMI Transportation Needs
  Survey (2004) See SOOIE 05 Vehicle miles
  driven/yr (ENV12) Percent of commuters who
  drive alone Metro bus ridership (excerpts from
  data provided by Vickie Mercer)

9
Benchmarks Transportation - Ferries

• Washington State Ferries recently issued
  its Draft Long-Range Strategic Plan for
  changes in services and facilities by
  2030 - Download plan from web at
  http//www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/planning/ -
  Includes plans to add new boats and
  replace several others to accomodate
  projected growth However, demand for space for
  cars on ferries appears to be very
  elastic, increasing and decreasing with the
  sizes of the available boats Changes in
  driving habits may thus be possible to
  reduce projected demand for more and bigger
  ferries. Stay tuned!!

10
Benchmarks Energy, Waste, Air Quality, Noise

• Energy use (ENV11) See SOOIE 05

• Gasoline- Diesel (for all uses, or ferries
  alone)- Fuel oil- Natural gas- Liquid propane
  gas (LPG)- Wood- Electricity

• Biodiesel use

• Ferries (20 of all diesel use!)- Cars- Home
  heating?

• Pounds of waste discarded recycled per
  capita (ENV20) See SOOIE 05

• Waste volume and composition- Recyclables
  volume and composition

• Air quality (ENV10) - www.pscleanair.org

• Rate of increase in noise from vehicles,
  planes, yard equip. (ENV19)

11
Rapid Shoreline Inventory (RSI) parameters
(from People for Puget Sound) Area of eelgrass
beds Percent of shoreline that is armored
- Current estimate 50 - The Puget Sound
Action Teams Recommended protection
actions for Central Puget Sound
include Protect all remaining
functional shoreline features on
Vashon-Maury Island from further
degradation. The relative importance of
low levels of shoreline development in
this heavily armored sub- basin cannot be
overestimated.
Redman et al., 2005
Benchmarks Ecosystem Inventory and
Health Shoreline and Nearshore
12
Change in wetland acreage and functions
(ENV16) Change in number of salmon (ENV18)
Bird populations - Resources - Ed Swans
superb new book (2005) The
Birds of Vashon Island A Natural
History of Habitat Population
Transformation 1850-2005 - Data from Audubon
Societys annual Christmas Bird Count
Populations of feral cats and dogs (average
cat kills over 80 birds/year) Populations of
other vertebrates (e.g., amphibians, deer,
etc.) Coverage of major tree species (IERE)
Benchmarks Ecosystem Inventory and
Health Terrestrial
13
Difficulties seem to increase with increasing
spatial scale Vashon Lots of
success stories! o Agren gt
Fisher Pond corridor o Shinglemill (Fisher
Pond gt Fern Cove) o Proposed removal of
barriers to salmon movement will
greatly increase available stream
habitat (Washington Trout study) Puget
Sound Extensive movement of salmon
between Vashon and 14 other watersheds
around Puget Sound (see SOOIE 05 or
http//dnr.metrokc.gov/wrias/9/Nearshore.htm)
Pacific Flyway (Alaska to South
America) Changes (mostly decreases) in
populations of migratory birds visiting us
on Vashon (based on Audubon Christmas Bird
Counts)
Benchmarks Ecosystem Inventory and
Health Continuity of terrestrial and aquatic
habitat networks (ENV17)
14
Water consumption (ENV14) Change in
groundwater levels (ENV15) - Anecdotal
evidence Larry Johnson (Statewide
Drilling Drilled about 1,000 wells
on VMI) has stated that static water
levels on Vashon are roughly the same
as they were 30 years ago (VMI Ground
Water Protection Committee meeting,
1/25/06). - Evidence from selected wells
See graph in handout for 2001-2004
(Figure 8D from King County Groundwater
Protection Program Report on Ambient
Groundwater Monitoring, 2001-2004
Results March, 2005, available at
dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/WQ/ambien
t- groundwater-monitoring01-04.htm)
- Some wells have gone dry, but general
evidence suggests little overall change
Benchmarks Water supply
15
Surface water and groundwater quality
(ENV13) See figures in handout (Copied
from King County Groundwater Protection
Program Report on Ambient Groundwater
Monitoring, 2001-2004 Results March, 2005,
available at dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/WQ/ambient-
groundwater-monitoring01-04.htm) -
Nitrate o Four areas of KC from 1989 -
2004 (Figure 11) o Relation to well depth,
four areas (Figure 7) o Concentrations
in 4 wells on VMI (Figure 6D) - Arsenic
o Relation to well depth, four areas (Figure
5) o Concentrations in 5 wells on VMI
(Figure 4D)
Benchmarks Water Quality
16
Other direct indicators - Nitrate in
streams - Coliform (fecal and non-fecal) in
streams Indirect indicators -
Percent/area of shoreline covered by
algae associated with excess nutrients
(e.g., Ulva) - Duration or frequency of beach
closures from shellfish contamination
- Populations of livestock and pets -
Chemical sales as indicators of
contaminant inputs o Pesticides
(herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides...)
o Fertilizers o Pharmaceuticals -
Annual use of pavement de-icers o
Roadways (King County Roads Department) o
Ferry docks (Washington State Ferries)
Benchmarks Water Quality
17
Island Center Forest (363 acres!) The Birds
of Vashon Island, by Ed Swan (2005) IERE
Energy Study Rural Economic Plan (KC)
Cascadia Conference (Earth Fair)Also
(belatedly!) Walks, Trails, and Parks on
Vashon Island, by John Gerstle and Susan
Sullivan (2003)
Accomplishments Since Earth Week 2005 (An
incomplete list for sure!)
18
Other VMICC committees - Septic solutions -
Spokespeople (bicyclists) - Transportation -
Disaster preparedness Ground water protection
committee Farmers Market and other VIGA work
Vashon Fruit Club Forest Stewards Vashon
Map Tompotika Conservation Alliance (ALTO)
Preserve Our Islands Vashon Household Vashon
Green Housing Group Other groups in Sustainable
Vashon Beyond Oil Vashon Earth Awareness
Coalition (Earth Fair) Lots more! (Beachcomber
volunteer guide 2005)
Ongoing Projects (Another incomplete list!)
19
Promoting more environmentally sustainable
choices in our daily habits (walking our
talk) - Increasing use of public
transit, relative to single-occupancy
vehicles - Supporting our local businesses
- Many more opportunities See SPCs
Vashon Sustainability Guide (handout) Shifting
emphasis from water use to protecting water
quality Disaster preparedness?Sustainability!
Challenges (Another partial list!)
20
Tom Bangasser Dennis Clark (KC) Jim
English Eric Ferguson (KC) Bob Fuerstenberg
(KC) Ray Heller (KC) Ken Johnson (KC)
Yvonne Kuperberg Susan McCabe Helen Meeker
Vickie Mercer Others whom I may have forgotten!
Acknowledgements