CITY OF DES MOINES SHORELINE MASTER PROGRAM

Des Moines Shoreline Inventory and Characterization
The sand lance’s habit of spawning in the upper intertidal zone of protected sand-gravel beaches
throughout the increasingly populated Puget Sound basin makes it vulnerable to the cumulative
effects of various types of shoreline development. The WAC Hydraulic Code Rules for the
control and permitting of in-water construction activities in Washington State include
consideration of sand lance spawning habitat protection.
Shorebirds and Upland Birds
Adjacent to the open waters of Puget Sound, the upland terrestrial environment provides habitat
for birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. A variety of shorebirds utilize the nearshore
environment for wintering and breeding. Seventy-five species of birds are associated with marine
nearshore environments in Washington (O’Neil et al., 2001). The Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife Priority Habitat and Species (PHS) maps (2004) indicate the presence of blue
heron (Status-State Monitor) nesting colony near the mouth of Des Moines Creek in Des Moines
Beach Park (Segment A) (Figure 14).
WDFW PHS data from 2001 also indicates the presence of pigeon guillemots (7 breeding
individuals) in Saltwater State Park. WDFW personnel collected seabird colony data for the Des
Moines area shoreline from 1999 to 2003 and have identified the use of cliff areas in Segments
C, D, and E as containing a low of eight breeding pigeon guillemot adults in 2000 and 2003 to a
high of 17 in 2002 (Evanson, personal communication, 2004) (Figure 14).
Bird populations were surveyed twice in January 1995 at Saltwater State Park and fourteen
species were identified including six species of diving birds (cormorants, mergansers, and
grebes) and five species of surface feeders (KCDNRP, 2004). Adolfson biologists observed
several bird species during an October 6, 2004 site visit including: American widgeons,
American crows, several gull species, bald eagle, belted kingfisher, great blue heron, mallards,
mergansers (Segment A), cormorants (Segments B and E), surf scoters (Segment C), rock doves
(Segment F), and killdeer (Segment G).
The PHS maps also indicate a breeding occurrence of bald eagles (federally and state listed as
threatened species) is located within one mile of the Puget Sound shoreline in the vicinity of the
southern Des Moines city limits. The territory for nesting eagles likely extends into shoreline
Segments G. It is likely that bald eagles utilize all shoreline segments for foraging.
Page 38 March 2005