Upper Bear Creek Community Council March 28, 2000

Attending were officers Nancy Stafford, Peter Lamanna, Chuck Eberhart and Geoff Clayton. Others included Gwenn Maxfirld, Mary Filkins, Debbie Ridling, Mary Kuehn Alan and Victoria Robbe, Terry Lavender and Basis Steward Ray Heller.

The amendment to the bylaws was explained and discussed. The change was accepted by unanimous vote.

Geoff Clayton explained the motive for the ESA is to" protect from harm, species and the habitat they depend upon". The aim of the ESA is to "preserve the best and do no harm Through efforts of preservation and stewardship, Bear Creek has the best Chinook salmon habitat in King County. There are more species of fish and fresh water mussels here than anywhere else in this County. Efforts have been aided by the Bear Creek Basin Plan that began in 1986. Wetlands inventory of sensitive areas was taken in 1981, some work on the stream came in 1985. Bear Creek Basin Plan was passed into law in 1986, with more strict observance of buffers and wooded areas than other basin plans in King County. Ray Heller was appointed Basin Steward under Surface Water Management in 1991, an effort funded by King County, Snohomish County and the city of Redmond. The Bear Creek Plan has served as model for local, state and some national responses to land use, and stream canopy (cover).

Early efforts at management of surface water, erosion control, identifying and protecting sensitive areas, limiting impervious surfaces, use of native plants in landscaping and decreasing the number of trees that can be cut on land within the Bear Creek Basin have all had positive results and may be part of the reason for the recent increase of Chinook salmon returning to spawn in Bear and Cottage Creeks. 3.5 million dollars was spent on erosion and improving instream and riparian habitat, five streamside miles of Bear Creek has been improved through Surface Water Management. 35-40% of the Bear Creek Basin area is within the Urban Growth Plan. The 1993 GMP used information from surface Water Management to back up down zoning and establish the largest stream buffers in the county…150 feet. Bear Creek was a premiere Coho salmon producer in the 50's. Returning Coho numbers dropped in the 90's. 40-60 thousand Sockeye returned in '94-'96. Chinook had become rare on the stream until 1998 when 400 adults returned and 1999 when 700 adult Chinook returned. These were the best return figures in 15 years! Bear and Cottage creeks had a better return in than the entire Cedar River! A few Chinook use Evans Creek, 2/3 use Bear then Cottage Creek, 1/3 stay in Bear Creek. A landowner that wants to do small habitat restoration in the buffer zone can contact Surface Water Management for advice and speed the permit process. 4d of ESA goes into effect 6/15/00 Stream flows will be studied.

From Terry: Has been a citizen activist for 14 years. Bear Creek was the first basin plan completed in King County. It was not the first to pass the King County Council due to increased restrictions primarily on retention of forests, and 150' stream buffers. Water Ways 2000 purchases aided efforts to maintain water quality and habitat in Upper Bear Creek Basin. Public Benefit Rating with Tax reductions helped, as did having public entities pay attention to basin rules when building schools, churches and municipal buildings. The first property SWM gained for management is 2/12 acres obtained through a drug bust in Upper Bear Creek, the first native plant rescue happened on the site of the Woodinville library. This is a community who actively supports their environment.

A species of fish can fall into two categories, "threatened" and "endangered". If the Fish and Wildlife Dept protect the fish, either notation causes strict regulations to protect. If the fish are protected by the NMFS, only the "endangered" get immediate attention. The term TAKE means do no harm. Under ESA, the "4 d" rule means a negotiated decision to deal with "threatened" species in a highly regulatory way, including stormwater standards and buffers. The county hopes to provide leadership by collaboration.

Bear Creek Basin already has powerful regulations and the Water Ways 2000 program; we need to enforce existing regulations through Ray Heller and DDES. Think of the resiliency of the salmon, surviving several years at sea, coming into fresh water, through the locks, up the Sammamish slough to Bear Creek and beyond, back to where it was hatched, (mates) spawns and dies. The dead salmon feed birds and animals and the fry. This process requires clean cold water and no instream predator's ie:catfish. Treat Bear Creek as a fish highway; widen the area of protection by improving the riparian corridor. Continue to acquire lands and take care of them. Explore the connections between fresh water mussels and the fish that act as host to them. Is that how they are spread?

ESA response lives up to what we've done in the past here in the Bear Creek Basin, it empowers citizens and eliminates "vesting" ….instead, requires enforcement of buffers and forest requirements.

Next meeting April 8th at the KC Service Center 7:30.