Trees and other plantings can frame your lake view.

“Sure, I like plants, but maintaining my view of the water is a higher priority.”

Many homeowners favor large expanses of lawn because they see it as the best way to protect their view. The truth is that diverse plantings can accent and improve views.

Framing views is an important principle of garden and landscape design.

• Identify which views you want to keep and enhance.
• Identify which views would be better screened. For example, perhaps you’d rather not look at your neighbor’s shed or boat house. 

You can place plants to help block or soften undesirable views while keeping your views of the water. Since houses are always sited above the high water line, it’s usually easy to keep views of the water over perennials and low shrubs.

What about trees?

Most sites can accommodate trees without losing views as long as the trees are maintained properly. You may want to do selective pruning over time to maintain your view. A good arborist can reduce the bulk of the tree and keep it healthy. Options include:

• Trimming out the lower branches of a large tree (“limbing up” the tree).
• Thinning the canopy so you can see between the branches.

Do not top your tree. This weakens it and leads to an undesirable thicket of branches. It may also turn it into a hazardous tree.

Trees have several advantages. They:

• Help provide a sense of privacy.
• Bring birds and other wildlife to your yard.
• Absorb runoff, helping to keep the lake clean.
• Can reduce energy costs by shading your house in the summer.
• Help reduce global warming.

Adapted from City of Seattle, Green shorelines: Bulkhead alternatives for a healthier Lake Washington

Find photos, examples and details about green shorelines here.

Just ask the goose. Sebastian the Talking Goose says geese prefer your lovely manicured lawn over a beach and natural plantings. Taking out part of your lawn to add a beach will likely mean fewer geese stop in to graze.

I’m sure you enjoy the birds and other wildlife that visit your shoreline property. That’s a major benefit of living on the water.

But Canada geese are another matter for most homeowners. They’re noisy, aggressive and messy. They’re often unwelcome guests.

A natural shoreline can actually decrease the number of visiting geese. A lawn extending to the lakeshore is a goose’s equivalent of a 24-hour salad bar. Geese eat turf grass and snails, and they prefer open areas with no shrubs and trees for predators to hide behind.

There are two effective strategies to deter geese. They can be used separately or together.

1. Separate the beach from your yard by a few steps. This makes the ascent too much of a hassle for most geese.
2. Plant native plants between your yard and the water. This creates a visual and physical barrier that separates the geese from your grass. You can add a path for beach access. But geese are reluctant to walk through taller vegetation.

“Our old yard was a landing strip for geese. Since we shrank the lawn area and added plants, the geese almost never come here anymore,” reports a Bellevue homeowner.

Diverse plantings are also likely to increase visits by songbirds and other desirable wildlife.

How do you deal with geese on the shoreline?

Adapted from City of Seattle, Green shorelines: Bulkhead alternatives for a healthier Lake Washington

Video created by Bret Shaw, Travis Balinas and Elizabeth Ryan from the Life Sciences Communication department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Find photos, examples and details about green shorelines here.

Some homeowners are reluctant to add a beach because they are concerned about losing property. While it is true that green shorelines sometimes result in smaller lawns, the square footage remains the same. Some of the lawn is replaced with a beach and shoreline vegetation.

Essentially, you’re converting your property from one use to another. A good design will maintain the ordinary high water mark line so there is no loss of dry land.

And most homeowners don’t actively use the full extent of their lawns. Property owners who add green shorelines often find they use their beaches more than they did their lawns.

They also find their yards more attractive. Diverse plantings add visual interest in different seasons. And they like seeing visiting birds and other wildlife.

One homeowner reported that a beach cove installed by previous owners had become his favorite place to entertain company. “I wasn’t the one that had the foresight to build it, but I like to claim credit for it,” he said. “Guests love sitting out there in the evening.”

Adapted from City of Seattle, Green shorelines: Bulkhead alternatives for a healthier Lake Washington.

What would you say if someone expressed concern about possible loss of their land? If you’re a designer, what design elements do you consider important to maintain the ordinary high water mark?

Find photos, examples and details about green shorelines here.

A homeowner can determine options to stabilize the shoreline based on:

• The home’s setback from the water
• Bulkhead height
• Depth of water at bulkhead
• Nearshore slope
• Yard slope

Options could include a full beach, beach cove, pulling back or modifying the bulkhead, slope bioengineering and adding gravel to the nearshore.

Here are the options Kirkland developed (scroll down to see both plates).

The Kirkland SMP gives property owners choices that will allow development, protect from erosion and improve habitat for fish and wildlife. For example, if a homeowner improves the shoreline, the home’s setback from the shoreline could be reduced.

Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride said she was pleased with the new SMP. “We were able to accommodate future development while meeting both the spirit and intent of the State guidelines and the salmon recovery plans to promote green shorelines and restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat in the watershed.”

The new SMP also allows a variety of options for piers and docks. Some docks will qualify for an expedited review process.

To find out more, contact Teresa Swan at the City of Kirkland, (425) 587-3258 or TSwan@kirklandwa.gov.

How does the Shoreline Master Program update in your community address green shorelines? What do you think of Kirkland’s approach?

Find photos, examples and details about green shorelines here.

Lid Park West, Mercer Island

People who are interested in a green shoreline often want to see examples. “What will it look like? Will it protect my property? Show me.” 

Several parks around Lake Washington have restored their shorelines. These demonstration projects are open to the public. Seeing these sites can help answer questions, although the project scale and its goals may differ from a shoreline home.

People can see how their shoreline might look if they removed or set back their bulkhead and added beach area. They can view different types of native vegetation that grow well along the shoreline. They can see chained logs and large boulders placed to control erosion.

The Green Shorelines web site currently has a list of seven sites, with photos, descriptions and maps to the sites. You can find the list here. The sites are:

• Chinook Beach Park, Seattle
• Denny Blaine Park, Seattle
• Lid Park West, Mercer Island
• Luther Burbank Park, Mercer Island
• Madrona Park, Seattle (also see blog post describing the restoration project)
• Martha Washington Park, Seattle
• Seward Park, Seattle

Do you know of other green shoreline sites that are open to the public? If so, comment below or send us an email and let us know. We’ll add them to the list.

Green Shores will help get waterfront homes from this . . .

A new grant-funded project will develop critical tools to encourage shoreline property owners to make their shorelines greener. Tools will include a voluntary rating system for shoreline development, along with incentives.

The City of Seattle, San Juan County, Washington Sea Grant and Islands Trust in British Columbia are partnering on the Green Shores for Homes grant.

. . . To something that looks more like this.

The project will focus on both freshwater and marine shorelines.

More than 70 percent of the Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish shorelines are lined with bulkheads, rip rap or other armoring. Along Puget Sound shorelines, 25 to 60 percent of the shoreline is armored. These hard shorelines don’t provide shelter and limit food for fish, birds and other wildlife. They have also lost their natural function of replenishing beaches with sediment. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency awarded Green Shores for Homes a four-year grant of over $500,000 to develop and test technical guidelines and incentives. The project will build on Seattle’s existing Green Shorelines guidebook.

The rating system will be based on the Green Shores for Coastal Development Rating System (CDRS) developed by the Stewardship Centre of British Columbia. The CDRS is a voluntary rating certification framework for coastal development modeled after the highly successful LEED^tm Green Building rating.

The Green Shores for Homes program will be completely voluntary. The rating system will help homeowners evaluate options to improve their shorelines. Projects could include elements such as:

• Planting native shoreline vegetation to provide food and shelter for wildlife
• Removing or setting back a bulkhead
• Creating a beach or beach cove to provide shallow shoreline habitat
• Diverting stormwater runoff
• Reducing shoreline lighting
• Changing docks to reduce dark shadows that hide fish predators

The project will also develop incentives to encourage homeowners to build or retrofit a more sustainable shoreline. Incentives could include expedited permit processing, planning guidance, property tax credits or other assistance. Partners will develop trainings for homeowners and the building and landscape industries in Seattle and San Juan County.

The project is now getting off the ground with the formation of a technical advisory committee.

The first task is to map and classify shoreline areas amenable to greener shorelines. This will help determine which properties could successfully remove their bulkheads without risking loss from erosion, and which properties would need to take a more modest approach.

For more information about Green Shores for Homes, contact Maggie Glowacki at the City of Seattle, (206) 386-4036 or margaret.glowacki@seattle.gov.

What incentives do you think would best encourage green shoreline development?

Find photos, examples and details about green shorelines here.

“The city has had a long-time vision of connecting downtown to Meydenbauer Bay,” said Pam Fehrman, project manager at Bellevue Parks and Community Services.  “For many years we’ve been working to acquire properties along the bay. There isn’t much public access to Lake Washington, especially downtown.”

View from downtown Bellevue currently and after the park is built.

After a lengthy planning process, the Bellevue City Council unanimously adopted a plan for the park in December 2010. The park plan can be found on the City’s web site. Fehrman said it will be some years before property acquisition bonds are paid off and the project can move forward.

Among the plan’s elements:

• Remove shoreline armoring and several small piers along the central waterfront. Restore the shoreline to a more natural state with a gradual slope and native plantings.
• Daylight the creek (currently in a culvert) at the west end of the park and enhance native vegetation. This will cleanse stormwater before it reaches the bay and provide shallow fish habitat at the creek mouth.
• Close two piers to reduce the hardened shoreline, and lengthen a third pier to allow more transient moorage and access for kayaks and canoes. This will reduce overwater coverage by 30 percent.
• Close two streets (100^th Avenue SE/SE Bellevue Place) to vehicle traffic near the water, and replace them with plazas, terraces, walkways and stairways with water features and public art.
• Add two underground structures to provide on-site parking.
• Add a new activities building and retain two historical buildings, while reducing overall building footprint by 58 percent.

Madrona Park shoreline

Project Goals

Goals developed during a community process included:

• Restore Madrona Woods to a natural forest using native plants
• Develop a good trail system
• Restore stream beds
• Promote environmental learning and enjoyment

Project Funding

Over 12 years, the project received 20 different grants totaling more than $900,000 from the following sources:

• City of Seattle Departments of Parks and Neighborhoods
• Seattle Public Utilities
• Starflower Foundation
• King County
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
• King Conservation District
• Fish America
• Seattle Garden Club

Permitting

Permitting was a major challenge. The Friends of Madrona Woods found the JARPA application process to be easy, although they needed professional assistance to prepare the JARPA and other forms required for Corps of Engineers, Washington State Department of Ecology, and Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) permits. They received their permits within a month from both the Corps of Engineers and WDFW. The Ecology permits were pre-authorized with the Corps permits. These state and federal permits do not require a fee. However, obtaining City of Seattle permits was more time-consuming and expensive. Ensuring that the project met city codes and requirements was a challenge that took more than a year.

Construction

• Restored and enhanced 7-8 acres of native forest and riparian habitats, including the entire 3-acre watershed of Madrona Park Creek.
• Created 2/3 acre of new native habitat and wetland cove adjacent to Lake Washington. This included 400+ lineal feet of natural shoreline and 600 lineal feet of fish-passable channel, providing rearing and refuge habitat for threatened juvenile Chinook and other salmon species.
• Built a 0.4 mile trail system that is sustainable, scenic and safe.
• Daylighted over 1/4 mile of Madrona Park Creek from its headwaters to Lake Washington.
• Built 4 waterfalls and about 30 step-down weirs, offering visible and audible water experiences.
• Installed about 75 pieces of large woody debris and 200 granite boulders to stabilize creek channels and lakeshore, and provide habitat and visual interest.
• Conducted 7 years of hands-on environmental education in the Woods with students from local K-12 schools.
• Provided 2 series of “Walks in the Woods” educational tours for the general public.
• Involved more than 500 volunteers in restoration activities.
  

  More than 500 volunteers helped restore Madrona Creek.

Regional Benefits

• The project provided “rearing and refuge” habitat for fingerling salmon migrating along Lake Washington to Puget Sound. The cove, ponds and connecting stream provide one of few such places along a shore dominated by lawns, retaining walls and rip rap.
• The restored creek and new natural area are more appealing and accessible to residents. It is an outdoor classroom for local school children, families and nature-lovers of all kinds.
• The visibility and uniqueness of the new natural area in Madrona Park attracted new volunteers to help with planting, monitoring and maintenance.

Recommendations for Future Projects
The Friends of Madrona Woods offered several suggestions for community groups wanting to do restoration projects.

• In applying for grants, plan 1 – 2 years ahead so that you have the funds when you need them. Even if busy with other tasks, don’t let good grant funding opportunities pass you by.
• Get professional assistance with experience in design, in the field, in city hall and in grant writing.
• Make sure you have a committed core group of people who get along and are passionate about making a difference.
• Educate yourselves and develop a good plan.
• Be willing to work with others and to compromise; be grateful for help wherever you find it.
• Be flexible; even with the best of plans, things will take longer and turn out differently than you expected.
• Be determined, patient and persistent. It will take years and lots of hard work.
• Think big and believe you can make something happen.

 “I’m amazed at what this small band has brought into being. I get immeasurable pleasure from walking down and seeing how beautiful it is, listening to the stream, seeing the plants and ducks on the pond,” said Judith Starbuck, Friends of Madrona Woods board member.

Find photos, examples and details about green shorelines here.