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Hello Whatcom County!
Good news from Olympia!
No matter what political party you belong to, when it really comes down to it, we all want to make sure we are proud of the Washington we leave to our children. My kids joined me on the House floor recently for Children's Day to remind me of this duty, and thinking of about their future is why I want to devote this newsletter to orcas and the recovery of our lands.
The Legislature has been working hard on bills to protect orcas and we have a project here in Whatcom County that will be critical to both salmon and orca. If you want to talk about this more, as well as everything else we have been working on, please join me for:
Town Hall with Rep. Sharon Shewmake
Saturday, March 23, from 1:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Whatcom Community College, Heiner Theater
231 W. Kellogg Rd., Bellingham
It's Time to Tear Down the Nooksack Dam.
Hidden away in the hills twenty miles east of Bellingham, at a bend in the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River, a half-century old dam blocks the flow from glacial headwaters. The dam diverts important drinking water for its owner, the City of Bellingham, but also cuts off access to 16 miles of important habitat for endangered Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. It is the only barrier to fish passage on this major river.
To paraphrase a former President, "Legislature, tear down this dam!"
Photo: Mike Charest/Flickr
Our southern resident orcas are struggling because their preferred prey, our Chinook salmon, are also struggling. Removing the Nooksack diversion dam would open up critical Chinook habitat, increasing the North/Middle Nooksack Watershed's salmon abundance by a whopping 31%, according to scientists' best estimates.
The architecture of the removal plan dates back 16 years to when the City of Bellingham first sat down with the Lummi Nation, the Nooksack Indian Tribe, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. In 2017, the partnership gained a new ally in the national advocacy group American Rivers, who in turn brought resources and support from private foundations and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
By 2019, the project was "shovel-ready," meaning that it can start as soon as the money comes in, providing immediate jobs and immediate fish access in Whatcom County.
It's ultimately up to the Washington State Legislature to decide whether this 16-years-in-the-making project gets the green light. To fund this project, the Legislature needs to fully fund the overarching Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) Fund, and I'm proud to be in Olympia working to make sure that this happens.
If the Legislature acts, the dam will be gone by 2020.
By this time next year, salmon could be venturing into breeding habitat that has been walled off since 1962. By this time two years from now, whitewater kayakers could be mapping out routes on a safer river and a culturally significant upper watershed could be well on its way to improved forest health. And the City of Bellingham could be putting the finishing touches on its new fish-safe water intake system, constructed as a part of this project, to continue providing clean, reliable water to Bellingham residents.
It's time this dam gets removed and I'm proud to be fighting to secure the funding to make it happen. This has been a herculean effort by all the project partners and could be a big win for orcas, salmon, our community, and all of Washington state.
***** Please share and help us build momentum for this vital project. *****
Slate of Orca Protection Measures Advances in Legislature
On Thursday, both the state House and Senate took bold action to help bolster the orca population by passing a slate of orca protection measures.
Our ally from the 40th District, Debra Lekanoff, led the charge with HB 1578 (which I was honored to cosponsor), which invests in oil spill prevention. It passed 70-28!
HB 1580, another bill of which I am a cosponsor, also passed with a vote of 78-20. This bill reduces noise and disturbance from vessels.
And I was proud to vote for HB 1579, which increases habitat for our orcas' primary food sources, Chinook salmon and other forage fish. It passed 59-39
In the Senate, SB 5135 passed with a razor-thin margin, 25-24. It's an important bill that works to reign in use of chemicals known to be harmful to children and the environment. I am proud to a cosponsor of the House version of this bill, HB 1194.
Finally, our newest State Senator from the 40th District, Liz Lovelett, passed SB 5918 unanimously out of the Senate!
Thank you for reading my newsletter. If you need more information on any of the issues discussed here, or on any other legislative matter, please don't hesitate to contact my office.
Washington State House Democrats Sites > Sharon Shewmake > Email Updates > Hello Whatcom County!