Where the Water Begins
“If you are a marine shoreline property owner, you are likely aware of the impacts of tidal flooding but may not know what practical steps to take.” So begins the announcement for King Conservation District’s free shoreline-management class and beach walk, scheduled for May 19th at the Land Trust Building. KCD offers this class periodically on Vashon, and Island landowners who have taken it in the past have been enthusiastic about its value.
The class’s subject matter seems more timely than ever. A king tide accompanied by storm conditions in late 2022 submerged waterside roads, flooded shore-adjacent homes, and washed away lots of material from the toes that buttress many shoreline bluffs.
Scientists are fond of saying “one event does not equal data” when it comes to climate change, but this tidal surge was no one-off. Fully half of the highest tides ever recorded in King County have happened in the last decade, two in last year alone. These events are quickly becoming data, all right, and they point to a frightening new (ab)normal in shoreline dynamics.
Low-lying shoreline, even in normal times, is meant to flood periodically, if not routinely. Flooding delivers vital soil and nutrients to these fertile lowlands, renewing them as habitat.
Shore bluffs, by their very nature, will slough off sand and gravel; beaches below need these materials because storms and tides, among other forces, carry them away. Without this beach recharge, there’s little near-shore habitat for the forage fish that feed endangered salmon.
But we might want habitat along shorelines for ourselves too. If this is the human choice, the challenge is finding a way to accommodate dynamic shoreline forces in hopes of having them accommodate us. Engineers refer to bulkheads and other structures meant to prevent natural bluff erosion as “armoring” for the affected property. Maybe it’s time to stop the battle implicit in this metaphor and learn ways to be peaceable neighbors with the shoreline. That’s the point of this KCD class.
Here's the URL to learn more about the class and how to register for it: https://kingcd.org/eventbrite-event/where-the-water-begins-vashon-2/
