Tell DNR and USFWS It's a Wildlife Refuge

(See some of the many species here)

Get involved and make a difference for today and tomorrow, to help preserve one of the few National Wildlife Refuges supporting the great migrations of sea birds. An industrial shellfish farm does not belong in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. 

Plastic Grow Out Bags Do Not Belong in a Wildlife Refuge

Beyond Pesticides has written a piece on why plastic grow out bags do not belong in a Wildlife Refuge, which includes a link for comments. 

As they note so well: 

The Dungeness Bay Wildlife Refuge was created by Executive Order in 1915 by Woodrow Wilson, directing the area to be set aside as a “refuge, preserve and breeding ground for native birds and prohibits any disturbance of the birds within the reserve.” The Refuge provides habitat, a preserve and breeding grounds for more than 250 species of birds and 41 species of land animals. 

The front page of the Refuge website states: “Pets, bicycles, kite flying, Frisbees, ball-playing, camping, and fires are not permitted on the Refuge as they are a disturbance for the many migrating birds and other wildlife taking solitude on the Refuge.” With this level of concern, it is counterintuitive to allow destructive industrial aquaculture. 

Beyond Pesticides Article

Submit Comments Here

An Industrial Shellfish Farm in the Dungeness National Wildlife Reserve is Not in the Public Interest

Make a difference in life. 

Help keep the Reserve intact.

Comments due by May 30.

Abandoned in 2005 - It should remain so.

Commercializing a Wildlife Refuge is NOT in the public interest, only in the interest of a few who stand to profit greatly from this rare public resource. Those few who profit will do so at the expense of fragmenting an intact ecosystem which is one of the few remaining on the West Cost used by migrating and resident water fowl. Shellfish farms can go elsewhere. Wildlife cannot. 

See Friends of Dungeness National Wildlife Reserve here: http://www.fodnwr.org/dungeness_oyster_farm.html

They have nowhere else to go. Shellfish farms do.

80,000 plastic bags do not belong in a Wildlife Refuge.

Putting a commercial shellfish operation, starting with 20,000 plastic bags and potentially growing to 80,000 bags, should not be permitted. It is not in the public interest. It is an unheralded expansion of intensity of an operation which was abandoned in 2005. There are alternative tidelands outside of the Wildlife Reserve available. 

See application here: http://www.protectpeninsulasfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NWS-2007-1213-PN.pdf

See Protect the Peninsula's Future "alert":  http://www.protectpeninsulasfuture.org/dungeness-refuge-alert/

See Protect the Peninsula's Future "how to comment section"  here: http://www.protectpeninsulasfuture.org/how-to-comment/

Get Involved.

Make a difference in life. Be able to say, "I helped to ensure the diversity of wild life will be here for future generations."

Comments to the Army Corps of Engineers due by May 30th: 

email pamela.sanguinetti@usace.army.mil    Reference Case #: 2007-1213.

Comments to the Department of Ecology:

email ecyrepermits@ecy.wa.gov Reference Case #: 2007-1213

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

Hearing Examiner Recommends Industrial Shellfish Farm Permit within Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge be Approved

Despite Clallam County staff recommending the permit for an industrial level shellfish farm not be approved, the Hearing Examiner has said it should be, allowing for an initial 20,000 plastic growout bags to be placed on tidelands within the Refuge. Should millions of dollars spent on upland habitat  restoration justify the transformation of tidelands in a Wildlife Refuge?
Read more on Protect Peninsula's Future site here:
 http://www.protectpeninsulasfuture.org/?p=1129

Upland restoration of watersheds

should not justify this. 

Friends of Dungeness Wildlife Refuge and Commercial Aquaculture

Friends of Dungeness Wildlife Refuge

on the proposed commercial shellfish operation

within the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

Commercial Oyster Farm Proposed Within Refuge

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe has done many positive things for our community. They have worked with Friends and the Refuge for environmental restoration and other beneficial projects. We support their commercial aquaculture efforts. However, we do object to the proposed location within a closed area of the Refuge that is heavily used by wildlife.

Our concerns about the proposed oyster farm location: 
• The Refuge was established in 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson to protect wildlife. It was not established to conduct commercial aquaculture operations with non-native species. If allowed, what precedent might this set for the future?

• The proposed location is a high use area for waterfowl and shorebirds, especially for winter foraging. The area also has eelgrass, which provides habitat for forage fish and shellfish.

• The level of proposed activity in this location would present a great disturbance to wildlife.

• The proposed location could negatively impact the view and experience of the 100,000 annual Refuge visitors with the visual pollution of up to 80,000 plastic mesh bags, and boats and workers in the area.

• Plastic debris from the mesh bags is a concern. Wildlife could potentially get trapped in the mesh or ingest the plastic debris as it breaks down.

• Bags anchored to the ground could prevent native eelgrass from growing and may disrupt natural habitat on the seabed, reducing foraging areas.

• Noise pollution from workers, boats, and equipment may scare wildlife, causing health issues, or abandonment of the site. Noise may also disturb Refuge visitors and neighbors on the bay.

You may submit comments to Clallam County. Click here to submit or read the Documents about the proposed oyster farm.

Click on the link above, then find several detailed documents regarding the proposal, exhibits, and public comments. On the top right of the page you will find links to submit a comment by email or fill out a an online form. Update – The scheduled April 4, 2019 public hearing has been postponed. The Tribe is seeking government to government negotiations regarding the proposed location. Public input is still being received by the County.

April 27, 5PM: Reminder - Comments on Commercial Shellfish Operation Within the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge Are Due

Get Involved: 

Critical Marine Habitat

In a National Wildlife Refuge

Should not be Fragmented

It's a Wildlife Refuge

Reminder: April 27, 5PM - Comments to Clallam County on whether a permit should be issued to allow  150,000 2'X3' grow out bags, growing nonnative Pacific oysters, in the tidelands of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge are due. Those comments may be submitted 2 ways:
1. Email to Greg Ballard at gballard@co.clallam.wa.us (reference SHR2017-00011)
2. Via electronic form on Clallam County's site here:
http://www.clallam.net/features/emailClallam.asp…
Get involved. Not for yourself but for the native species dependent on this critical and diminishing habitat they need for survival.
(For complete permit information, see here:
http://websrv2.clallam.net/tm_bin/tmw_cmd.pl…)

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge: Comments Due April 27, Hearing June 7

Permit SHR2017-00011

Clallam County Shoreline Permit

150,000 Bags of Non-native Pacific Oysters

in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

By April 27 - Clallam County Comment Form: http://www.clallam.net/features/emailClallam.asp?em=permits&caseid=SHR2017-00011

or,

By April 27 Email contact: Greg Ballard at gballard@co.clallam.wa.us *

(*Ask for an email confirming it was received. If you don’t get one within 24 hours, call Greg Ballard at 360.565.2616.)

June 7, 1PM - Public Hearing

Should portions of the tidelands of the

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

be allowed to be transformed

into a commercial aquaculture development

because the water is now cleaner?

Funding Sources

(from: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/1410041.pdf)

Public dollars fund a restoration.

In 2005 an oyster operation within the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, which had been operating for decades, was abandoned due to water quality issues. Over the next 10 years millions of  taxpayer dollars in the form of grants from the EPA, including matching funds from Washington, was sourced by various groups (see "Funding Sources" above). These taxpayer funded grants were used to determine the source, and remedy the cause, of pollutants within the Dungeness watershed. In December of 2017 the tidelands within the National Wildlife Refuge were considered by the Department of Health to be "Conditionally" approved. 

DOH Classifications 

(from December 2017)

Now what? Clallam County, Army Corps, and the Department of Natural Resources

Currently there are two regulatory agencies, Clallam County and the Army Corps of Engineers, in the permitting process, and the Department of Natural Resources considering a lease. Clallam County had thought a hearing scheduled April 4th would be the end of public input, but the Hearing Examiner felt there was too much information still to be gathered from the public and various agencies before a decision could be made, so granted an extension for the comment period to April 27, to be followed by another Hearing June 7. Having denied qualification for a Nationwide permit, the Army Corps of Engineers is beginning to look at the proposal through their Individual Permitting process. Finally, the Department of Natural Resources is considering a new lease for the operation.

In a National Wildlife Refuge?

150,000 synthetic bags 

growing non-native Pacific oysters?

Lean forward and get involved. It's a National Wildlife Refuge on an easement granted to US Fish and Wildlife from the State for that purpose in 1943. It's 2018 and there's no "elsewhere" to go. 

These tidelands are neither privately held nor Tribal tidelands. The operation was abandoned 12 years ago. Public funds have indeed made the water quality better - the result of a number of groups, including the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. However, this critical inter-tidal marine habitat is needed now than ever before. Industrial aquaculture is expanding throughout Puget Sound and it is fragmenting the marine habitat.

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge Tidelands: Habitat for Native Species or 150,000 Synthetic Bags Growing Nonnative Oysters?

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

(https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Dungeness/wildlife_and_habitat/)

County Extends Comment Period

Schedules a 2nd Hearing

on Shoreline Permit

April 27: Comments to Clallam County are due.

Comment here: http://www.clallam.net/features/emailClallam.asp?em=permits&caseid=SHR2017-00011

June 7, 1PM: Hearing will be held at Room 160 of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E 4th Street, Port Angeles

General Permit Information: http://websrv2.clallam.net/tm_bin/tmw_cmd.pl?tmw_cmd=ParcelViewParcel&shl_prc_parcel_no=043123XXXXXX

Exhibits/Comments/Reports: http://websrv2.clallam.net/tm_bin/tmw_cmd.pl?tmw_cmd=StatusViewCase&shl_caseno=SHR2017-00011&projectcasetag=Y

DNR Considers a New Lease 

of Tidelands

Comments Welcome

Office of the Commissioner of Public Lands - cpl@dnr.wa.gov
MS 47001, Olympia, WA 98504-7001

360-902-1004, fax: 360-902-1775

Aquatic Resources Division - ard@dnr.wa.gov

MS 47027, Olympia, WA 98504-7027  
360-902-1100, fax: 360-902-1786

What is the purpose of tidelands within a National Wildlife Refuge?

After being abandoned in 2005 due to water quality issues, should Clallam County approve permit for a commercial shellfish development inside a National Wildlife Refuge which would allow over 150,000 synthetic bags growing nonnative oysters on the Refuge tidelands? After a one time renewal of a lease expired in 2017 should the Department of Natural Resources enter into a new lease of those abandoned 50 acres which would allow that portion of state tidelands deeded to the US Department of Fish and Wildlife in the form of an easement be entered into? Those are the critical questions facing the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.

Get involved - Sometimes enough is too much.

Noted above are contacts for both the county and for DNR. Make a difference and shape what the future experience of coming generations of wildlife will experience. The US Department of Fish and Wildlife has expressed deep concerns over the impact on the critical habitat which this proposal will have. You should as well, whether for native species; yourself; or future generations. 

(For a more detailed look at the issue, see here: https://olyopen.com/2018/04/10/concerns-raised-over-dungeness-spit-oyster-farm-application/)

Write a letter - Express yourself.

The subject line should say Letter to Editor - What is a National Wildlife Refuge For?

letters@peninsuladailynews.com

editor@sequimgazette.com

news@ptleader.com

letters@seattletimes.com