County approves Natural Systems Design amendment for Elwha channel-migration work; critics say landowners were not engaged

The Board of Clallam County Commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 25 to approve an amendment with Natural Systems Design for coastal geologic services tied to the Elwha Channel Migration Zone project.

County staff described the amendment as a technical change that provides a more detailed billing breakdown and allows reallocation of funds between project tasks (specifically task 2 and task 3). The staff briefing said the reallocation will permit additional public meetings and outreach with the project’s technical team.

Several public-commenters said outreach to landowners has been inadequate. Ed Bowen of Clallam Bay told the board the Department of Community Development had failed to engage landowners in the Elwha project, that “there has been 1 meeting, and you’ve held that at a tribal facility in Port Angeles,” and that he could not freely speak at that venue. Bowen said the project pre‑emptively advances work while landowner engagement remains insufficient.

Bruce (the DCD director) responded to Bowen’s concerns during the agenda item, saying the amendment’s reallocation of funds “will afford us an additional opportunity for public meetings on this matter.” The board passed the agreement without discussion and recorded a unanimous vote in favor.

Why it matters: The Elwha Channel Migration Zone study concerns shoreline and floodplain dynamics in an area where landowner interests, tribal interests and county planning intersect. How the county conducts outreach and documents landowner concerns affects perceived legitimacy of project recommendations and the fairness of subsequent permitting or mitigation proposals.

What’s next: Staff said the amended contract includes more detailed billing and reallocated funds to allow outreach. The transcript did not include a schedule for additional meetings or specific new outreach dates.