The attached editorial by Tom Murdoch of the Adopt-A-Stream Foundation eloquently describes the natural cycle of streams and fish, and how the urban environment affects it.
The biggest issue is stormwater and its effect on streams & other waterbodies. Snohomish County can take positive action by doing two things:
- Establish a Salmon and Trout Relief Fund that provides owners of developed property small grants and technical assistance to reduce their stormwater runoff.
- Adopt Ecology’s 2012 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington to require Low Impact Design requirements on new development.
Below is an example e-mail you can send to the Snohomish County Council to urge them to adopt these measures:
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Dear members of the Snohomish County Council,
Please support for the fish and stream protection measures outlined in Tom Murdoch’s article in the Sunday, November 23, 2014 edition of the Herald.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20141123/OPINION03/141129751
In particular, I urge the County Council to take action on these items:
- Establish a Salmon and Trout Relief Fund that provides owners of developed property small grants and technical assistance to reduce their stormwater runoff.
- Adopt Ecology’s 2012 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington to require Low Impact Design requirements on new development.
Taking action on these ideas can help make our streams once again suitable for fish and people, not simply drains for our stormwater.
Eric Adman
President, Sno-King Watershed Council