Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
VMCC votes to support state grant to study and restore Quartermaster Harbor eelgrass
Summary
The council voted 26–2 to draft a letter endorsing a Department of Natural Resources Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program grant to model flows, remove debris, and establish eelgrass baselines in Quartermaster Harbor; the vote followed discussion of ecological risks and community concerns.
The Vashon-Maury Community Council voted on May 21 to draft a letter in support of a Washington Department of Natural Resources grant application to the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program (ESRP). Jen Rakovic moved the council prepare the letter of endorsement; after an expedited vote process the council approved the motion 26–2.
Council members described the project’s scope as a combination of debris removal, data synthesis, and hydrodynamic modeling to assess whether restoring historical Portage flow could improve eelgrass habitat in Quartermaster Harbor. Jen Rakovic summarized the proposal: the work would hire the University of Washington Salish Sea Modeling Center, aggregate county and state reports and hold stakeholder workshops to identify potential restoration steps. “Part of that is a study of the impact of the Portage closure,” she said.
Members raised implementation and ecological concerns about potential habitat impacts from any restoration action. Frank Jackson and others urged caution and local review; several speakers emphasized that the grant’s study component is intended to evaluate options rather than authorize immediate physical changes. The motion that passed is an endorsement of the application, intended to give the state agency additional local support for the ESRP request.
The council also used its emergency (0.667) procedure to accelerate consideration because the grant deadline was the following day; the board and the council both approved acceleration before voting on the letter.
