Optimism for Terrell Creek and the Bay

Over the weekend Elie Friedlob, the founder and leader of The Chums of Terrell Creek, reported that numerous large salmon were spotted near the creek's prime spawning grounds. This is good news for those who have been working for eight years to bring fish back to the stream.

Coincidentally, Friday morning Ingrid Enschede, the outreach

manager for BBWARM – Birch Bay Watershed and Aquatic Resources Management – convened a meeting of people involved in improving the quality of water in the creek's watershed and the bay. Twenty-one people, many from the Whatcom County Planning and Public Works Departments, attended the gathering at the Semiahmoo fire station to report on their activities. In total, their reports are impressive.

Rachel Vasak, executive director of NSEA – the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association – the parent organization of the Chums, explained how her group will continue to plant trees with volunteer work parties, and pursue other endeavors to improve stream habitat. She mentioned an agreement to increase the flow from Lake Terrell into the creek during dry months.

Steve Seymour, of the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Department, said that the allocation of chum eggs for the remote site incubator, operated with NSEA, will be increased to 100,000 this year, up from 30,000 in the last batch. He also reported a channel will be dug around the dam that separates the creek from the lake so that fish can swim to a freshwater stream that flows into the lake.

George Boggs, executive director of the Whatcom Conservation District, spoke about implementation of a $730,000 grant from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency for a four-year program to reduce nutrient and pathogen contamination. He is about to hire the key person who will go door-to-door to ask landowners to voluntarily limit pollution. Those who agree will receive the help of experts in Mr. Boggs' organization.

The County Council has been ridiculed for making homeowner reporting of septic tank inspections voluntary. However, Ms. Enschede reported that of the 690 who were asked to make inspections last February, 468 responded, with almost 200 stating the need for maintenance. One participant suggested that you could bet that those who didn't respond have faulty tanks, then added that a low-interest, long-term loan program makes repairs affordable.

The importance of improving and maintaining water quality was underscored by Ted Morris, Birch Bay State Park manager, who reported that 700,000 visitors and 50,000 campers came to the park last year and that Birch Bay is ranked as the No. 1 shellfish beach in the state.

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