Project questionnaire

You start the online questionnaire by answering basic questions about your project.

The questionnaire will first ask you to choose a city or county. The next page gives you an option of checking the box for a “Green Shorelines” project. Other common shoreline project types include “Watercraft Lifts” and “Docks and Piers.”

Dividing the questionnaire into project types allowed ORA to simplify and reduce the number of questions, asking only questions specific to the project.

Green Shorelines questionnaire

The system will ask you to answer 11 questions, such as “Will you be repairing or modifying a bulkhead?” and “Will you be creating a new beach cove?” Each question includes a tip, such as “Check with your local jurisdiction. Your project may qualify for Shoreline Exemption.” 

Your answers will lead to a list of permits that may apply to your project. The list also provides agency contact information.

Each permit name is hyperlinked to the ORA Environmental Permit Handbook.  Just click on the permit name for more information about the permit.

Do you have a Green Shoreline project that also includes a dock and a watercraft lift?  No problem.  Just select all three options and answer the questions.

You can also complete the Project Questionnaire the original way, based on subject area.  Select “Work in or Near Water” and any other relevant subjects listed under the “Based on Subject Area” title.

Permit examples

To help applicants new to the permit process, the ORA web site also includes three Green Shoreline permit examples.  The examples include a short project description, application materials, final permits issued for the project, and lessons learned.  The examples show applicants what to expect from the permit process.

Each project is slightly different in design and environmental impacts.  As a result, the permit requirements are slightly different.  In addition, permit requirements from different local jurisdictions may vary. Two examples are from the City of Kirkland, reviewed under the City’s new SMP.  The third example is from Moses Lake.

ORA is looking for other permit examples for Green Shoreline projects. If you are interested and have an example that may be of interest, please contact Zelma Zieman at zelma.zieman@ora.wa.gov . You must be able to provide copies of the application materials and final permits. ORA also hopes to include before and after photos with future examples.

Find out more here.

Find out more at the Green Shorelines website.

Now Hugh Shipman, a coastal geologist with the Department of Ecology, has compiled one of Bauer’s remarkable slide shows into a book:  Wolf Bauer’s Inland Sea:  Wolf Bauer’s Presentation of the History, the Processes, and the Management of Beaches in Washington and British Columbia.

 “I owe much of my excitement about beaches to Wolf,” Shipman said. “He made a huge difference by getting people to know and care about beaches. This book is a way to share his ideas with a wider audience.”

The book includes over 350 photos and captions illustrating beach and bluff erosion, the effects of wind and waves, and the formation of spits and estuaries.  It highlights both successful and unsuccessful approaches to erosion control and beach protection, including many of Bauer’s own beach designs.

Our shorelines and rivers would be very different if not for Wolf Bauer. Among his accomplishments:

• Led a successful campaign to preserve the Green River Gorge.
• Drafted a “Natural Shorelines Act” with ideas that were incorporated into Washington’s landmark Shoreline Management Act.
• Became a leading shore resource consultant who “changed conventional thinking about how moving water affects the land,” according to History Link. Bauer fought against bulkheads—and often won.
  

  A developer added a bulkhead and filled a beach to sell home lots on Whidbey Island. The bulkhead and a seawall both failed. Bauer said, “The sea was still trying to show the developer where the stable beach crest was located.”

I first heard about Bauer from my friend Lowell Skoog. “Wolf Bauer has been a pioneer all his life, a man of many firsts,” Skoog said in the Northwest Mountaineering Journal. “The scope of his influence has been so broad and has spanned so many years that few even begin to grasp it.”

Beyond shorelines, his other accomplishments include:

• Developed and taught the first Mountaineers basic climbing course.
• Founded Mountain Rescue and Safety Council with Ome Daiber and Dr. Otto Trott.
• Founded Washington Foldboat Club (later renamed Washington Kayak Club).
• Founding member of Washington Environmental Council.
• Made first ascents of mountains and first descent of rivers throughout the Northwest.
• Won early pioneering ski races.

The book is available online for $71.95. This covers the cost of production, with no profit for Bauer or Shipman.

In his spare time, Shipman writes the Gravel Beach blog.

WDFW scientists saw the fish on the Seattle shoreline along Myrtle Edwards Park and the Olympic Sculpture Park. The City of Seattle restored this shoreline about five years ago to create a more natural nearshore habitat for salmon. Restoration included pocket beaches and substrate for nearshore vegetation.

Staff collected samples of the spawned eggs to see if they were healthy and if they had been exposed to pollutants. An early assessment showed that the embryos were developing normally.

Pacific herring and other “forage fish,” such as surf smelt and Pacific sand lance, are an important source of food for salmon and other wildlife.

Find out more at the Green Shorelines website.

Featured speakers and topics:

• Annette Frahm, Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed, will talk about how reducing bulkheads and adding beaches can benefit homeowners as well as fish and wildlife.
• Dan Nickel, The Watershed Company, will present residential green shoreline designs and how to sell the idea to homeowners.
• James Brennan, J.A. Brennan Associates, will discuss designing with science in mind to create shoreline projects such as parks and public areas.
• Zelma Zieman, Governor’s Office of Regulatory Assistance, will discuss shoreline permits and provide tips for negotiating the permit process.
• Margaret Glowacki, City of Seattle, will present the Green Shores for Homes project, which will develop a rating system and incentives for green shorelines.

You may also be interested in a session on “Greening our stormwater at the shore’s edge.” Featured speakers include Nicole Faghin, Faghin Consulting; James Brennan, J.A. Brennan Associates; Patty Buchanan, SvR Design Company; and Leslie Batten, Green Futures Lab, University of Washington.

The conference of WASLA, the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, will be held at the Lynnwood Convention Center on March 29. Find out more and register at the WASLA web site.

The Green Shorelines blog is published by the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8).

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.