Shore Stewards MembershipShore Stewards come from all walks of life. They include private individuals, parks, businesses, port districts, state and local government, farmers and elected leaders. All are committed to helping create and preserve healthier shoreline habitat for all forms of life. They do this by learning about and applying 10 voluntary, wildlife-friendly guidelines for shoreline living.
Whidbey, Camano Couples Work to Shape Their Island Dreams Wings spread wide, a large raptor glides silently past as we stand at the rim of the bluff. “That’s an immature Bald Eagle,” says a grinning Bruce Russell. Red-winged Blackbirds flit from bush to bush. Looking out from this commanding spot northwest of Coupeville we face Canada, the San Juans, the blue Olympics. And the occasional pod of orcas. “We’d been looking for a place on the water for some time,” said Russell of Freeland. “The day we found this lot the sunset was just magnificent. That pretty much did it for Melissa and me.” Tom and Vicky Eisenberg felt the same in 1974 when they found their dream place on Camano Island’s wildlife-rich Port Susan Bay. An avid outdoorsman, Tom Eisenberg is curious about every creature that walks, flies, crawls or swims. He relished the wild birds, fish and shellfish, and the nearby salmon stream, Kristoferson Creek. Like many others drawn to the shores of Whidbey and Camano islands, it would be easy for both couples to say it can’t get much better than this. But they both know the truth lies deeper. It used to be better. “We have a responsibility to take care of this,” Melissa Russell said. “Bruce and I are learning. We moved to Whidbey from Pierce County six years ago. This is an island and everything we do affects our drinking water and the marine waters around us. We have been living in the woods of south Whidbey. Now that we are moving to the shore it’s an entirely new climate and geology. We want to do things right – for the land, the beach, the bluff and everything that lives here.” For the Eisenbergs, love of the shore and nature has led to a variety of community boards and roles, but none that Tom Eisenberg loves more than Friends of Camano Island Parks (FOCIP), for whom he leads many tours of Camano Island’s special places. “It just comes naturally,” he said. “If you like to talk about your surroundings and your environment, it’s hard to shut me up.” Vicky Eisenberg agreed, quick to point out that it's all toward a purpose. “We want to protect this for our grandchildren and the generations to come. If we don’t do it, nobody will.” That mixture of passion and responsibility is what connects the Russells and the Eisenbergs, two couples on two islands who have never met. In 2003 the Eisenbergs became the first couple in Island County to join Shore Stewards, a new stewardship education program for shoreline owners. Last month the Russells became the 500th household to sign up. Melissa Russell has been doing her homework. Since moving to Whidbey she completed training from Washington State University Extension as both a Waste Wise Volunteer and a Master Gardener, two programs that teach how to use the island’s resources wisely. She and Bruce are looking forward to learning more about shoreline living at the annual, one-day Sound Waters University, held every February in Coupeville, and from WSU Beach Watchers. Scott Chase, who coordinates Shore Stewards, says Puget Sound´s salmon, birds and orcas are struggling in part because generations of homeowners made decisions about their beaches, bluffs, lawns and gardens with little understanding of the impact. “We lost precious habitat, damaged the food chain and polluted the waters,” he said. “Now, property-by-property, we need to do things differently. The way to turn things around is not more laws but better everyday decisions by hundreds of thousands of people. That’s the whole purpose of Shore Stewards – to help people find habitat-friendly solutions for their properties. We give people resources and a chance to learn.” For Bruce and Melissa Russell, and other shoreline residents like them, the program will gently guide them toward drought-resistant native landscaping, better care of their bluffs and septic systems, rainwater collection for their gardens, fewer chemicals, and greater reliance on composting and recycling. It will also make them better observers of nature.
The Eisenbergs know from experience that property owners are often the first to notice troubling changes, and can be the catalyst to solutions. Years ago they became curious about a tough variety of grass that was growing in their bay, choking the fish and crab out of it. “My brother kept looking at it and asking, ‘What the heck is that grass out there? Did you ever see it before?’ I said, ‘No, but I’m starting to see it everywhere,’” Tom Eisenberg said. That was the beginning of a 20-year successful fight against invasive Spartina, in which Eisenberg brought the plant to the county’s attention and organized neighboring property owners. “We formed the Triangle Cove Task Force,” he said. “I went over to Driftwood Shores, the most heavily populated area, and spoke to their homeowners’ meeting. One old guy said there used to be sea-run cutthroat trout and crab. I asked how long ago that fell apart. He said, ‘About the time the grass showed up.’” “That grass choked everything,” Vicky Eisenberg said. “That monoculture – it grows so thickly. Even in the mud there are no worms, no clams, no mollusks –nothing. But now, once again, we’ve got salmon going up the creek at the end of the bay.” Property owners are getting smarter, Tom Eisenberg said. While it’s painful to watch more and more houses squeeze onto the remaining shoreline, he feels encouraged by the rising public awareness. “I think the people of these islands, most of them, really want to do the right thing,” he said. “Programs like this – Shore Stewards – are educating people who live along the shore.” Eisenberg says he is also greatly heartened by the volunteer spirit of the community. “The number of people who come to these programs – geez, it amazes me. They are willing to support them – willing to do anything to help.”
Shore Stewards Reel In Port Officials
Sitting on a sun-bleached log at Clinton Beach, Lynae Slinden and Ed Field contemplated one of the more fun parts of their job: Where to put the Shore Stewards sign. Last week the Port of South Whidbey joined nearly 500 other shoreline property owners on Whidbey and Camano islands who have enrolled in Shore Stewards, www.shorestewards.org, a voluntary educational program that teaches salmon-friendly ways of managing beaches, bluffs and gardens. It was a perfect fit for the port and a good catch for Shore Stewards. “As a port district, marine stewardship is one of our highest priorities,” said Slinden, one of three port commissioners who led the drive several years ago to develop the environmentally-sensitive Clinton Beach facility. Recently, the port partnered with Island County Marine Resources Committee to install educational signage at Clinton Beach. Similar signs will go up this summer at Maxwelton Beach, in partnership with the committee and Maxwelton Community Club. Two years ago the port helped sponsor printing of “Getting to the Water’s Edge,” a joint publication of the committee and WSU Beach Watchers that describes 67 places to access the shoreline and also delivers stewardship education. So joining Shore Stewards was a very logical step. “We observe a toxic-free policy in the parks we control, using no herbicides or pesticides that would work their way into the habitat and threaten fish and wildlife,” Slinden explained. When the port designed its shoreside facility at Clinton Beach it created a demonstration site for low-impact development that includes such progressive, earth-friendly features as pervious pavers and a living roof. The port is an important addition to Shore Stewards, a program developed in Island County several years ago that has now spread throughout Puget Sound. “The port is a big deal to us,” said Shore Stewards coordinator Scott Chase of Camano Island. “Most Shore Stewards are individual property owners — the neighbor next door who loves salmon and shellfish and wants to manage his property so his grandchildren can enjoy the lifestyle he knew as a kid. Once in a while we enroll a large business or, in this case, an entire port district that operates multiple shoreline facilities.” The port owns or helps operate boat ramps and parks at Clinton Beach, Possession Beach, Freeland Park, Maxwelton Beach, Bush Point and soon, the Langley Marina. Other members include Deception Pass State Park and the Port of Coupeville, and both Camano Island State Park and Cama Beach State Park. Members of Shore Stewards receive a handbook of resources and ideas for their property, a DVD about shoreline living, a yard sign and a monthly newsletter. They are invited to helpful workshops. There are no rules, fees or obligations, only an invitation to learn. Chase praised the port for its stewardship of the environment. “They have been a tremendous role model. By embracing the values of Shore Stewards, they are setting an example for everyone who lives in this community,” Chase said. Shore Stewards signs soon will be appearing at several port facilities and Field said the port’s site managers will receive their own individual copies of the Shore Stewards publication, “Guide for Shoreline Living,” which provides information and resources for those who live along the shore. Slinden said she hopes Island County will adopt a poison-free policy in managing its parks, and that individual shoreline owners on both islands will join Shore Stewards and learn from the many helpful ideas and resources it provides. “We are all learning how to be better stewards of the environment, to protect the lifestyle we love as well as our own good health. This is the education piece,” she said. 
Ken and Peggy Urstad 
Port signs on as Shore Steward With an enthusiastic and unanimous vote by its three commissioners, the Port of Coupeville has become the first entity of its type to officially become an Island County Shore Steward.
Photo: Port of Coupeville Commissioners Benye Weber, Ed Van Patten and Bruce Bryson (Photo courtesy Coupeville Examiner) |
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