For Love Of The Vanishing Prairie

Image by Amanda Bullis of native Woolly Sunflower

on the prairie at Pacific Rim Institute

As we celebrate summer here on Whidbey Island, the prairie lands at Pacific Rim Institute are in full bloom, a spectacular sight to see — and burgeoning with real ecological significance. Before becoming home to the Au Sable Institute, this special grassland was up for sale for residential development by the Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1999 to make up for a shortfall in the state budget. Our founders Steve Erickson & Marianne Edain, recognizing this glacial outwash prairie remnant as a vanishing ecosystem, stepped in to save it. Today, the Pacific Rim Institute stewards this exceedingly rare ecosystem.

“This is like stuffing the last salmon and selling it as a wall ornament to raise money for fish conservation. A budget shortfall is not a good reason to toy with the extinction of a vanishingly rare native ecosystem."

— Steve Erickson in WEAN’s letter

to former WA Governor Gary Locke in 1999

Imagine A City Without Parks

Image of Imagine Permaculture Food Forest at Hal Ramaley Park in Oak Harbor by Amanda Bullis

The Oak Harbor planning department has proposed removing an election provision in the city code that requires the city council to put a vote to the public anytime the municipality considers selling or disposing of public parkland. The city planner contends that "economic development" is a "necessary public purpose" and therefore, the city should not have to consult the public before selling off parkland.

The Oak Harbor City Council is set to vote on this issue on August 13. The public comment period is open until July 9.

Hal Ramaley Park, a .5-acre public park butted up against a site proposed for development by Hilton Corporation, is directly under threat if this ordinance is changed. The park is situated next to a free community food forest that would also be impacted by the Hilton, Imagine A Permaculture World, which was built entirely by a community of volunteers after being granted the space by the City of Oak Harbor "in perpetuity" in 2012, according to Imagine co-founder Christine Pace.

"We built the soil from the ground up," Christine says of Imagine, a non-profit with the mission of providing a tangible version of sustainable practices and gardening techniques that bring people of all ages together. The food forest uses a seven-level beneficial guild strategy including large fruit and nut trees, dwarf fruit trees, currants and berries, herbs, root vegetables, ground cover, and a vertical layer of climbing vines.

Christine and her co-founder Netsah Zylinsky see Imagine as a "gleening space" for families in the neighborhood dealing with food insecurity to add to their diet. Imagine holds work parties every Saturday at noon to maintain the food forest.

"It's a safe haven for people," says Pace. "Kids coming home from school grab an apple, a handful of berries. Or moms coming through and knowing what different things are. Grabbing seven or eight carrots."

Regarding the proposed hotel development, Pace says they don't want opposition. "We don't want sides. We want to work with the city and the Hilton to have Imagine incorporated into their design."

But as far as the removal of the election provision from the city code goes, Pace stated firmly, "We certainly think it should be in the people's hands."

Speak up in favor of the people of Oak Harbor keeping their right to vote on what happens to their parkland.

Public comment deadline: July 9, 2024.

Need more info? Here is a fact sheet that explains the current code, the proposed change, and what that might mean for the city.

Want to join an Imagine Saturday work party? Just show up at the park at noon on Saturdays or message their Facebook page to confirm they'll be out working.

Island County's Water:

The Danger Of Salt Water Intrusion And Other Considerations

Water experts on Whidbey Island, informally known as the "Water Cohort," are voicing their concern about the potential for saltwater intrusion and the current maintenance of stormwater run-off in Island County.

During a presentation to the Island County Planning Commission on June 5, Island County hydrogeologist Dr. Chris Kelley told the commission that the county did not currently "see a decline in aquifer recharge" and that he believes that the county currently has the capacity for 4,000 new connections in Group A Water Systems and 500 new connections in Group B Water Systems.

However, the county is very behind on the data they are using to make this capacity determination. Wells drilled on the Island before 1972 are not registered with the Department of Ecology. The Island County Hydrogeology Dashboard shows all registered wells in the county but does not have comprehensive data for long-term monitoring. For private well systems, there is no requirement to measure how much is drawn from a well and there is currently no formal reporting system.

In addition to this huge gap in monitoring, there is the issue of water rights. The Department of Ecology can issue permits to drill a well without permission from Island County, which means they can issue rights to drill a well without considering our islands' capacity.

Bill Poss, a director of the Whidbey Island Water Systems Association, sent a proposal to Island County commissioners asking for a specific code change to address gaps in coverage of "Critical Drainage Areas," areas determined to have drainage problems, which are currently selectively regulated.

According to The Nature Conservancy of Washington, 370 billion gallons of untreated stormwater flow into Puget Sound each year. Through a comprehensive critical drainage plan, the county would treat every drop of rainwater as a precious resource rather than an untreated problem to be run off into the Sound.

In his presentation, Kelley said that saltwater intrusion can be avoided through community-wide agreements for residents to put less water on their lawns and cited the City of Las Vegas as an example of a community with a population increase where water use decreased due to conservation programs. However individual conservation does not address the volume of water lost in the system per year due to system leaks or stormwater runoff— or address the county's gaps in monitoring individual private well systems.

Additionally, the county isn't using predictive modeling to address capacity changes due to climate change or land use trajectories when considering future aquifer recharge capacity. We don't currently have any predictive data to address how the rate of forest loss or increase of impervious surface due to necessary housing expansion impacts aquifer capacity.

If we stop running water into the Sound and monitor our well systems properly, we might be able to make some changes that decrease the risk of saltwater intrusion. Right now, we're bumbling around in the dark without sufficient data or modeling. What we do know is that we live on an island, our aquifer does have a finite capacity, and when we surpass it, we will all be sucking salt.

Attend Community Meeting For Langley Comp Plan, July 11

Image of "Welcome To Langley" sign by Amanda Bullis

The City of Langley is holding a virtual community meeting via Zoom on July 11 from 6 pm to 8 pm to kick off the city's 2025 comprehensive plan update process. The municipalities of Island County, Oak Harbor, Coupeville, and Langley, must complete comprehensive planning updates in alignment with the County's comprehensive planning process. The City of Langley is required to complete its periodic review and update by June 30, 2025.

You can learn more about the comprehensive planning process in Langley here.

Good Lawn / Bad Lawn Workshop, July 21

Image by Steve Erickson

Master Gardener Jim Peskuric with Mosa Neis, restoration technician at the Pacific Rim Institute, will show you how to reduce your monoculture lawn and grow a biodiverse lawn or meadow that supports healthier plants and soil, saves water and encourages beneficial critters. This presentation is free and open to the public as part of the Island County Master Gardener Education Series. Held at the Education Garden at Greenbank Farm.

When: Sunday, July 21, 1 to 2 p.m.

Where: Greenbank Farm, 7656 Wonn Road, Greenbank

Opportunities To Volunteer

In Our Community

July is frenzied with activity as Islanders chase the sun while it's here. Attend city council and BOCC meetings, have fun in the sun, and volunteer with some great Island non-profits offering outdoor environmental programs this summer.

Fridays, June 21-August 30 - Volunteer for seed collection at the Pacific Rim Institute

July 10 and August 14 - Stewardship days at Cornet Bay & Hoypus Point with the Northwest Straits Foundation

Saturdays at 12 pm - Work parties at Imagine A Permaculture World