Maury Island Pilings to be removed

[Scubak]

Take a read at this...
http://www.vashonbeachcomber.com
Then go to the article on the dive site..
K

[John Rawlings]

This doesn't surprise me....it was only a matter of time. Fighting off the removal of the creosote logs will be like tilting at windmills.

However....here's the quotes that divers need to concentrate on:

"The pilings off Maury Island will be among the first to go under this new effort, since the marine park is a state-designated aquatic reserve, said Fran McNair, DNR’s aquatic lands steward.

“These pilings emit creosote into the water. It affects plants, fish, everything. It’s a known carcinogen. And it’s really bad,” McNair said.

“We’d be happy to try to create some habitat there,” she added. “But the bottom line is that these pilings are not a natural habitat.”

Starting immediately, the DNR, and in particular Fran McNair, should be reminded of this statement and pushed to begin creating that "habitat" as quickly as possible. There will be many, MANY organizations and people that will attempt to fight it, believing and nothing manmade can be good because it wouldn't be "natural".

The faster DNR moves to install this new "habitat" the more likely it will be that it will actually get done before the opposition stops it.

- John

[CaptnJack]

Not likely, but I bet DNR could buy a USN ship for a $1. Cleaning it up wouldn't be cheap, but its doable with time and $$.

[Scubak]

I personally think that these pilings at places like Maury Island and Titlow are being part of the "natural" enviroment since they have been there forever and are supporting marine life. The pilings that are not encrusted with anenomes and where the terrain is barren from the chemicals should be removed first...
I'm not saying they shouldn't be removed...just that there should be a better plan to the sites first...
But nope...that isn't gonna happen.
...and a ship...well...
K

[Tangfish]

I guess if it's toxic and affecting the waterway then it should be removed. I wonder, couldn't they put something else there to make an artificial reef and let some of the organisms migrate there first before taking out the pilings? Some species could even be manually migrated - not optimal for the animals, but better than just being ripped out of the water to die.

[RSdancey]

The faster DNR moves to install this new "habitat" the more likely it will be that it will actually get done before the opposition stops it.

The Maury Island site is a great dive; the barges, the rock field, etc. Losing the pilings as a visual attraction will suck, yes, but the intrinsic good nature of the dive itself is not totally compromised.

I'd rather see people get organized to work to create brand new dive sites where there is little or nothing to attract divers, as opposed to fighting hard to keep an existing site close to 100% of its current value.

Ryan

[Pinkpadigal]

You all realize, that Maury Island is just the first. ALL the pilings at Titlow Beach are scheduled to be removed as well.

[Pinkpadigal]

Mike Racine has been working on this issue very hard. He has been meeting with lawmakers in Olympia to see what can be done. This was posted, by him on NWDiver today.

The Washington Scuba Alliance is working on this issue. It came onto our radar last November. We met with a staffer to get briefed on the program. Roughly half of the removal sites on DNR's list are places we dive. Some very regularly. Others less so. Clearly in doing a good thing, namely removing a source of contamination, the program as currently configured has a negative impact on our recreational dive opportunities.

After the holidays, we met with DNR leadership at the beginning of January to bring the impact on the dive community of the piling removals to their attention. We suggested they focus near term efforts on piling removal in places we don't dive. This gives us time to draft a dive opportunity replacement program that utiliizes non-toxic structure to replace the lost pilings.

To a degree, that has begun to take place. At Port Townsend and Bainbridge Island, DNR has worked with us to identify the specific pilings slated for removal. Working with Grant Ausk at Townsend Dive, we've been able to determine which of the pilings on DNR's list are sites we dive. We haven't worked through the entire issue yet, but I am hopeful that we will be able to resolve the impact.

Contracts have already been let for the Maury Island piling removals. It appears they will proceed.

The broader context of the piling removal program is its impact on the dive community across the inland marine waters of Puget Sound, Hood Canal, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We are working with the Washington Legislature to develop a program to mitigate the loss of pilings at popular dive sites with alternative structure. This effort is ongoing and developing daily. We will soon update the WSA website, wascuba.org, with status and the list of sites we received from DNR. Look for it within a week.

The silver lining in this is that if we're able to create and fund the program to replace lost recreational opportunity with alternative structure, we have a chance to actually design dive opportunities. This means instead of diving on remnant structures from the past, we may actually be able to design materials, configuration, placement, and location in such a way that improved shore diving in Puget Sound results.

Stay tuned.

Mike Racine
Washington Scuba Alliance

[RSdancey]

I'd pay a use tax on fills to fund such a program.

[Sergeant Pepper]

I'd pay a use tax on fills to fund such a program.

Agreed, but probably not everyone would.

[Scubak]

Do you guys HEAR what is going to be done....????
Come on....At Maury Island and Titlow they are removing pilings that are contributing to marine life. I have personally seen an Octopus in the pilings...I have seen small juvenile fish in the anenomes that are on the pilings...
They are removing these pilings...that harbor small fish and other creatures necessary to this enviroment.
They will be removing the pilings at Titlow....
Are they going to selectively remove the jack straw pilings at Cove 2????
What is going to happen to Mulkitio??? And other places?
Who the heck decided which pilings to remove?
Isn't anyone else a bit angry or disturbed by this???
K

[Pinkpadigal]

Scubak,

You have no idea how upset I am about this. What makes this even worse is that there is no plan to "replace" the pilings they are removing with anything else. WSA has been fighting this move and doing everything possible to get someone to listen.

As business owners, this affects us a great deal. Dive shops, boat charters and restaurants located near these places are going to be affected.

What the dive community needs to do is show Olympia how upset we are and make sure the people down their know we are voters and how this affects us. Let your representive know how you feel. My state senator and 2 representives got phone calls yesterday from me.

Ok...off my soap box...

[John Rawlings]

Do you guys HEAR what is going to be done....????
Come on....At Maury Island and Titlow they are removing pilings that are contributing to marine life. I have personally seen an Octopus in the pilings...I have seen small juvenile fish in the anenomes that are on the pilings...
They are removing these pilings...that harbor small fish and other creatures necessary to this enviroment.
They will be removing the pilings at Titlow....
Are they going to selectively remove the jack straw pilings at Cove 2????
What is going to happen to Mulkitio??? And other places?
Who the heck decided which pilings to remove?
Isn't anyone else a bit angry or disturbed by this???
K

Yes.....we DO hear what they plan to do. Those of us that dive Mukilteo regularly already KNOW what they are doing because they have already destroyed the log piling habitat that used to be there, replacing pier with concrete and metal pilings, but replacing the bottom structure that had been there with nothing at all. It saddens me every single time I dive there because I can remember the beauty that once flourished there with thousands upon thousands of animals enshrouding the piles of sunken logs.

My thoughts are that the state agencies have made the decision, backed by environmental groups, to remove creosote pilings wherever they currently exist within Puget Sound. They are not going to deviate from this one iota and the loss of such structure is inevitably based on the speed of government bureaucracy. We need to pick our fight. I submit that we have already lost when it comes to the removal of creosote pilings. I also submit, however, that if DNR's statement that they will "replace" the creosote pilings with something else be hammered at them every time it can be. In that way habitat may be altered, but not fully lost.

I know it sucks.....but if we try to stop them from doing what they intend, (and they are operating under the banner of "Save the Sound" from pollution, something that the general public will support) we will fail. If we insist that they put new structure in place at the time of old structure removal there may be a chance of some real success.

- John

[airsix]

I am with John. Opposing the piling removal will 'look like' opposing 'Save the Sound'. Above all else we as a dive community need to maintain zealous support of 'Save the Sound' both in action and appearances. As much as I hate it, appearances are important here. We can NEVER appear as an obstacle. We need to be seen as the guardians of the Sound! To appear to have ulterior motives will mean being shut out, and whatever trust has been fostered will be lost. We are the segment of the public with a finger on the pulse of the Sound. We have a responsibility to make sure that we are included in the process even when it means we have to sacrifice.

Sacrifice is when you give up something good for something better, and that's what the piling removal is in my mind. I love to dive pilings just like everyone else, but if they are poisoning the water they need to come out. That's not the end of the story though. They need to be replaced with something that does not harm the life they have attracted.

Rather than oppose the piling removal we need to demand that replacement habitat be created. We need to demand it. The message should be that piling removal is displacing habitat for thousands of species and replacement is an emergency. That message will foster more trust in the dive community than "we want the poison logs to stay in the water".

We need to get the message out that DNR's plan, while well intended, MUST include providing replacement habitat. If we're going to take up a vanguard that's going to have to be it.

Opposing piling removal will look bad to the public, to agencies, and to politicians. Instead of dragging our heels on piling removal I think the Sound will be better served by our unrelenting demand for replacement habitat - Habitat that will be better for the long-term health of the sound than these creosote logs. I know this will mean that many of our favorite sites will lose their flair for a while - even many years perhaps, but I see it as giving up a little now for the greater long-term good.

Maybe the WSA has already been working on this, but I think the dive community needs to come up with replacement habitat plans (since it is not a priority of DNR) and pitch it and pitch it and pitch it. If we are united , have a detailed and feasible plan, and are unrelenting in lobbying for it we can make it happen. I'm not talking about lobbying habitat plans to DNR. I'm talking about lobbying the message EVERYWHERE. We won't be able to influence the issue unless we get more people aware of it. Personally I'm going to take my opinions on this issue to the WSA and ask how I can help, because I see WSA as being the logical leadership body for us in this matter.


-Ben

[Sergeant Pepper]

I find it interesting that most of these people in the environmental groups probably aren't divers, and have never seen the life that the pilings harbor. Most environmentalist are environmentalist because it makes them feel good and not becasue they are necessarily interested in what improves the environment in the broad sense. Their thinking goes like this. Creosote is bad. Creosote in logs in Puget Sound. Get rid of creosote logs in Puget Sound. That's the extent of their thinking. Pathetic.

[PucKviruS]

I wonder the old ferry dock at titlow, wouldn't that be considered a historic place and the pilings then wouldn't that make them ineligible for the piling removal?

[GillyWeed]

Airsix and John make great points. We cannot be seen as opposing the "Save the Sound". That would look really bad and people who don't dive would just think we are crazy. I do believe we need to let the environmentalists know how much actual life they will be killing by removing the pilings though. I don't know to many environmentalists that like killing animals. So the push sould be for immediate replacement and possibly voulenteer dive teams that might be able to move some of the life before they pull the pilings out. Calvin is right in that it wont be great for the life there and probably a lot of the life will die anyway, but if we could save some of it it would be worth it, wouldn't it? We don't have much time. I think Maury Island is slated for March so we need to move fast. We could sign petitions that demanded replacements before removal. If enough names were on the list the governor wouldn't have a choice but to listen, unless she doesn't care about re-election. Lord knows she just barely got in there in the first place. There should be some kind of petition in each LDS about this, so that everyone who goes into the LDS can be made aware and sign.

Oh and BTW I would pay a tax on fills to fund the program too. Heck this is the sort of thing we should be making donations to!

[gomi_otaku]

What is the solution for replacement habitat? That is what needs to be worked out, and fast, because every time you tell an environmentalist or politician that you want replacement habitat, you are going to have to be able to tell them what should go there as a replacement.

I, for one, don't see that anyone is going to be keen on replacing the existing structures, which look like the abandoned piers that they are, with non-toxic posts that replicate the same unusable (from the surface point of view) structure- nobody tears down an abandoned building to build a replica of an abandoned building! So I would assume that underwater habitat would be just that, underwater only, and not a threat to marine traffic on the surface, or an eyesore to passersby on the shore.

What type of material is as durable, but still supports the same level of life? I have never seen as much encrustation on metal or concrete pier surfaces as on poisonous logs- that darn sea life, it just doesn't know what's good for it! Reef balls are made of concrete, but I have never seen one and don't know the extent that life grows on them, or how quickly. Guess someone better consult with the experts who have used them, say JD at the Edmonds UWP?

A major debate in the Florida ship sinkings seems to be that the fishing industry has a major amount of money to pour into these endeavors- because habitat has a way of contributing to their industry. I think that we can't afford to alienate any potential ally, maybe by promoting habitat as not only beneficial for us and the *dive tourism* industry, it is also good for the *fishing tourism* industry, and the commercial fishery industries.

Plus, Gregoire is big on "cleaning up the Sound" right now- it doesn't make her look good if the DNR plan to "remove poisons from the Sound" is also seen as tearing the very organisms out that they are trying to save, and tossing them on a barge to dry in the sun. They need to offer alternate habitat. I knew this would be coming when they tear down the Edmonds Oil Dock to build the new ferry terminal- but now that it is so widespread a plan it needs to be worked with and manipulated in favor of preserving existing life, not simply rectifying unquantifiable damage.
gomi_

[enchantmentdivi]

This little guy and his buddy (had already flown away before I could snap the shot) will be losing his home if the pilings at the Barges are taken out. This photo was just taken on Sunday. Hmmm...endangered species...does this help our case to save the pilings at Maury Island???

--photo removed--

Jenn

[CaptnJack]

There is habitat there when the pilings are removed - mud. It may not be pretty to look or support the same types of life that artificial structures provided. But that was the historic character of Puget Sound, a muddy fjord. As you all know, there is much resistance by WDFW nowadays to attempts to "one-up" nature and use artifical habitats.

In order to replace these old, toxic wooden habitats the strongest arguement is economic. I.e. the business of diving and tourism can impress DNR to pony up mitigation structures.

But there will be no scientific support from WDFW.

[Pinkpadigal]

Everyone,

In the next few days, please check the WSA website. Our president, Mike Racine will post updates on what is happening. We will have full report at our meeting on March 11th.

WSA board is looking for input and volunteers. If you would like to get involved, please come to the general member meeting on March 11th at Tugboat Annie's in Olympia.

[nwscubamom]

I have put together a little photo essay of Life on pilings in Puget Sound and have posted it here:

http://nwgeogirl.smugmug.com/gallery/2478639

Gathering up these photos this morning just emphasized to me how important these areas are as habitat for marine life.

I have noticed that some pilings attract more life than others. I am wondering if it has to do with age of the pilings? Perhaps the ones put in at Titlow way back when did not contain as much creosote as, say, Mukilteo Fuel Dock, which has not nearly as much life on and around the pilings.

Titlow is an amazing area and I bring many, many fish and invertebrate ID classes there.

Oh! And I forgot to add that there's a great shot of Calvin in that gallery!!

- Janna

[nwscubamom]

Can we resize Jenn's very cool eagle photo? It's so large that it's skewed the format of the entire thread such that I have to scroll sideways to view people's messages.

- Janna

[CaptnJack]

Pilings were treated in different ways and have leached for different lengths of time. So yes they can support more/less life.

I recall a local NOAA study a few years ago on creosote pilings, leaching and toxicity , I'll see if I can dig it up.

[nwscubamom]

That would be GREAT! I recall seeing something somewhere too about that. I'd love to take a look at the report!

- Janna