The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

OLYMPIA - The public comment period has been extended through Jan. 8, 2015, on a tentative proposal for restoring more than 5,000 acres of Puget Sound shoreline habitat.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the extension to ensure all interested parties have the opportunity to provide their views on the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project (PSNERP) draft feasibility report and environmental impact statement (FR/EIS). The comment period was to have expired today (Nov. 24).

Theresa Mitchell, WDFW project manager, said the report identifies 11 sites for large-scale restoration to reverse human-caused degradation of the Puget Sound shoreline and nearshore area. The tentative proposal identifies the following sites for restoration:

Beaconsfield Feeder Bluff in Normandy Park;

Deepwater Slough south of Conway;

Deer Harbor Estuary at Orcas Island;

Dugualla Bay at Whidbey Island;

Everett Marshland in Everett;

Livingston Bay at Camano Island;

Milltown Island south of Conway;

Nooksack River Delta north of Bellingham;

North Fork Skagit River Delta southeast of La Conner;

Spencer Island in Everett; and

Telegraph Slough north of La Conner.

Mitchell said the Army Corps will include responses to the public comments in the final FR/EIS, which will be submitted to Congress in the fall of 2015. Congress will then consider whether to authorize the projects and appropriate funds to complete additional design and construction.

The public may comment on the draft FR/EIS by sending email to nearshore@usace.army.mil or by sending written remarks to Nancy C. Gleason at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CENWS-EN-ER, P.O. Box 3755, Seattle, WA 98124-3755. Mailed comments must be postmarked by Jan. 8.

Additional background information is available online:

Army Corps project site and NEPA review documents: http://bit.ly/PSNearshore

Tentatively selected projects: http://www.pugetsoundnearshore.org/selected_plans.html

PSNERP website: http://www.pugetsoundnearshore.org/