Little Cranberry Lake + Forest Management Plan Update
On April 6th, 2023 the Forest Advisory Board (FAB) began their process of reviewing and revising the Anacortes Community Forest Lands Plan, the guiding document for the management of the ACFL. The Forest Plan contains a breakdown of the history of the forest lands, the different areas of the ACFL, the goals for the management of the ACFL, and the policies and practices in place to achieve those goals. You can read a copy of the 2021 approved Forest Plan by clicking here.
The Forest Management Plan is both a great entry point to better understand how the forest is managed and, when it’s updated every 5 years, an opportunity for our community to get involved and participate in the process itself. While Friends of the ACFL works closely with the City of Anacortes in a number of ways, we don’t make decisions on the management or day to day operations of the ACFL. We do, however, provide our perspective as an organization and inform our members about important ACFL developments, decisions, or events.
One area of discussion that has surfaced over the last several months of the Forest Management Plan’s public comment period is the possibility of adding a kayak launch at the north end of Little Cranberry Lake, next to the dam. Although there are no firm plans to install a kayak launch currently, the Parks and Recreation Department is investigating the possibility of adding this launch as part of a broader shoreline restoration project for the area around the Little Cranberry dam.
Friends of the ACFL has been watching this project proposal closely since it was first brought to the Forest Advisory Board in 2022. At the FAB meeting on Thursday, February 1st, 2024, Parks Director, Jonn Lunsford, gave a presentation on the background, status, and “the why” of the proposed plan at Little Cranberry Lake, and opened the floor for the Q&A session about the project. After learning more about the project’s current status, Friends wanted to share our understanding and perspective on the proposed updates to Little Cranberry Lake.
A brief history of Little Cranberry Lake
Jonn Lunsford began his presentation by providing some history on the origin story of Little Cranberry Lake Park. Little Cranberry Lake is a human-made lake, originally dammed around 1910 when the basin that would become Little Cranberry Lake was earmarked as a future water source for the City of Anacortes. (Little Cranberry Lake is still, technically, a backup water supply for the city) The original dam failed catastrophically in 1921, but was rebuilt. The dam failed again in the 1950s.
(Pictures below are of the 1920s and 1950s dam breaks)
The bulk of the dam we know today was constructed in 1994, after inspectors with the National Dam Safety Program flagged numerous concerns with the previous dam’s structural integrity. Today, WA Department of Ecology has classified the Little Cranberry Lake dam as a High Hazard Dam (1B), since a future failure would threaten an estimated 29 houses as well as industrial facilities along the waterfront and the Oakes Ave/Highway 20 spur. (DoE Dam Safety Guidelines, 2021; 2022 Little Cranberry Lake Dam Periodic Inspection Report.)
Beyond annual inspections conducted by the Anacortes Parks & Recreation Department, the WA Department of Ecology’s Dam Safety Office makes regular inspections of the Little Cranberry Lake dam–and all dams within the ACFL–to monitor the dam’s structural integrity and mandate maintenance to reasonably assure the continued safety for the people and structures in the potential flood zone. In the past, some of these mandated maintenance requirements set by the DoE have included removal of woody vegetation on the dam’s slopes (to prevent erosion via plant roots) and shoring up parts of the spillway structure in the face of footpath erosion.
One concern persistently raised by the Dam Safety Office inspections is the presence of substantial surface erosion on the east and west upstream (lake-facing) slopes of the dam. Given enough time, without proper management, surface erosion will increase the dam’s vulnerability to damage from high water and during large storm events (FEMA 473, 2005).
(See below for recent photos of modern dam erosion)
As many of us will recognize, the dam’s eroding slopes coincide with many of the “ad hoc” access points that visitors to Little Cranberry Lake use throughout the year to put in kayaks/canoes/paddle boards, go swimming (or allow their dogs to go swimming), and generally gain access to the water’s edge. The erosion that we see today, then, is almost certainly due to the collective pressure of human foot traffic creating unplanned and unaccommodated-for access points to Little Cranberry. Knowing this, the Anacortes Parks & Recreation Department has been working on a plan for shoreline restoration along the Little Cranberry dam site, which would address both the need to mitigate existing erosion sites as well as change the pressures (mainly, human footpaths) fueling the erosion to begin with.
In Spring 2022, a private donor approached the Parks Foundation with a desire to improve the existing boat launch area (on the west side of the dam, near the parking lot) given that the sharp, eroded drops and exposed roots currently present at the site made it increasingly challenging to launch from. Taken in conjunction with native vegetation planting along the eroded sections of shoreline, an improved launch area could effectively provide a dedicated, human-durable access point to the lakeshore, thus decreasing the potential for further footpath erosion.
In April 2022, the proposal was brought to the Forest Advisory Board, who recommended beginning an initial Critical Areas review–paid for by the potential donor–knowing that the finalized plan would require additional permitting and public comment processes through local (Critical Areas Ordinance, Shoreline Master Plan, Anacortes Community Forest Lands Plan), state (Department of Ecology, Department of Fish and Wildlife), and potentially federal (Army Corps of Engineers) supervising agencies before being implemented. To date, the only actionable steps taken on this project are the beginnings of a Critical Areas review.
Community concern has been voiced over the last several months about the potential impacts of this project. Of note, community members have expressed concern that a new launch area might encourage more boating and draw more visitors to Little Cranberry, causing traffic impacts as well as increase disturbance to the lake’s wildlife and degradation of lakeside habitats.
Below is a summary of the comments raised at the February 1st Forest Advisory Board discussion on this project, as well as Parks Director Jonn Lunsford’s responses.
On a lake like Little Cranberry with bogs and extensive wildlife habitat, why not prohibit watercraft altogether?
Several reasons: (1) Current city management plans do not support closing recreational access to the lake. The current Shoreline Master Program for the city of Anacortes calls for a balanced increase in recreational access and conservation initiatives along local lakeshores. Additionally, the current Anacortes Community Forest Lands Plan encourages infrastructure for accessible/ADA compliant recreation access from the Georgia Ave trailhead. (2) Banning one specific recreational use entirely–especially a use that has been ‘grandfathered’ into this lake for the last 60 years–would require data showing that these specific user groups are having undue impacts on the lake ecosystem. (i.e. Are boaters having a greater impact on Little Cranberry than dog walkers? Mountain bikers? Hikers?) From what Parks has seen, this data currently does not exist in either direction for this lake, nor for suitably equivalent ecosystems.
Is the Critical Areas Review being done currently, or is it complete?
GeoEngineers have evaluated the physical site, but to complete the evaluation they will need a project proposal from Parks. Parks has not yet submitted any proposals to them, and so the Critical Areas Review is not complete.
Does Parks anticipate that this project will increase visitor use/traffic to Little Cranberry?
In short, no. Visitor use is already increasing across the ACFL, with or without this project. Parks does not believe an improved boat launch alone will be a driver for more people to seek out Little Cranberry (as opposed to Heart Lake or Whistle Lake), but that increased visitor use is happening and will continue to impact the ACFL’s ecosystems.
Was the donor funding earmarked specifically for an improved boat launch, or for shoreline restoration, or both?
Both.
Other community projects (like the new skate park) involved several community donors, not just one. How can one donor fuel the Park Department’s decision making process?
One donor came to Parks with the idea, but the concept brought to Parks meshed with an ongoing conversation about shoreline restoration at Little Cranberry. One donor will never sway public decision making, but one donor can move the conversation forward if their donation is consistent with the goals of the forest management plan. Any actual action on the lakeshore will be the reflection of a long series of public comment and public permitting processes, which will be reflective of community input.
How does this project mesh within the framework of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands Plan update process?
These are two separate processes. Community members can, of course, comment on the Little Cranberry shoreline management goals as mentioned in the Forest Management Plan during the update process. But if the Little Cranberry kayak launch project goes forward, it will require additional permitting and public comment processes through local (Critical Areas Ordinance, Shoreline Master Plan, Anacortes Community Forest Lands Plan), state (Department of Ecology, Department of Fish and Wildlife), and potentially federal (Army Corps of Engineers) supervising agencies before being implemented.
Friends of the Forest’s Role
Friends of the Forest has long believed that the communities we build in and around the ACFL, between humans and non-humans alike, are the most powerful tool we can use to ensure continued protection of the forest. From the beginning, education and community-building has been the cornerstone of our stewardship strategy, with the belief that to be a good steward of the forest, you need to be connected to it, and to connect to it, you need to experience it. We firmly believe in the importance of a healthy balance between conservation and recreation, and we believe that choices made for one principle do not unilaterally impact the other. As part of our commitment to the continued stewardship of the ACFL, we have been watching this project proposal closely since it first was brought to the Forest Advisory Board in 2022.
While we work closely with the City of Anacortes, we are not bound to their opinions. We believe strongly that the erosion and ad hoc access to the lakeshore, as it currently stands at Little Cranberry, should not continue. A shoreline restoration project is needed to both halt further damage to the dam structure as well as limit additional sediment influx into the lake habitats themselves. However, without further data to support such a decision, we cannot support limiting access (and therefore the potential for engagement) of any user group to the lake.
We believe that a solution exists to the erosion problem that maintains recreational use of the lake and achieves robust conservation goals. Finally, while a well-designed, durable kayak launch area may solve some of the existing drivers of erosion, neither Friends nor our wider community can assess the ecological impact of such a launch without a plan in hand.
One aspect of this discussion that is noticeably missing is the lack of user data informing this proposal. Without an understanding of current recreational use at this trailhead, it’s challenging to make robust decisions about the management of the lakeshore. Who, specifically, are the ad hoc users of the lakeshore? Is erosion being driven by paddlesport access, or by dog walker access, hikers looking to get close to the water, swimming groups and/or families, or another user group entirely? What is the overall proportion of these user groups at this trailhead, and what other behaviors may be causing ecological damage at this site? Answers to these questions would inform the best practices for managing and mitigating further erosion, and pave the way to better accomplish both recreation and conservation goals at the trailhead. Friends wants to continue to partner with the city in order to get the answers to these questions, and ask that this data be prioritized before any further action is taken on this proposal.
Friends of the ACFL has always been a community-based organization that was founded to preserve the forest lands and stop logging in the ACFL. Friends wants to continue our work to educate the public to be great stewards of the ACFL so people and the forest can coexist sustainably. We feel extremely lucky to have such an incredible forest to discuss and debate. And we are fortunate enough to have these conversations about the ACFL because our community cares enough to be involved and engaged in the stewardship of the forest lands. Thanks for your support, your involvement, and your dedication. We’ll continue to keep you informed as the Little Cranberry Lake process unfolds.
Quick References for the Article
Forest Advisory Board Meetings- 6:00 pm on the first Thursday of every month, City Hall, Main Floor Conference Room or via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88308344363
2021 Approved Forest Plan- the most up-to-date version of the guiding document for ACFL management
Anacortes Meeting Document Dashboard- database with all agendas and minutes for City Council and Committee meetings, including the Forest Advisory Board and Planning Commission
Email alerts for Anacortes Committees & Councils- sign up for email alerts when meeting agendas and minutes are posted, as well as a whole host of other city-related alerts