Little Squalicum Beach Park Shoreline Enhancement

The project will enhance shoreline habitat, support salmon recovery and improve public access

This project removes industrial fill, wood waste, and large slabs of broken concrete from the shoreline creating a much larger and more accessible beach and creating priority habitat for forage fish that feed salmon and other species. Native plants and trees will be planted along the back of the new shoreline.

The primary purpose of the proposed Little Squalicum Habitat Beach Project is to improve shoreline habitat conditions for ESA-listed and other aquatic habitat dependent species, including juvenile salmon and forage fish. The improvements will remove shoreline armor, convert uplands into new aquatic area, provide suitable habitat substrate, and improve shoreline resiliency. In addition, public access and public safety will be improved by removing the existing exposed large concrete rubble and metal debris along the shoreline.

The Port secured a $1.5 million grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to complete this project and has hired local contractor RAW Land Construction of Bellingham to build the improvements. 

Little Squalicum Beach Park has been identified as a high-priority habitat restoration area by the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot, a partnership of 14 different, federal, state, local and tribal agencies working together to restore habitat, clean-up historic contamination, control pollution sources and revitalize under-utilized waterfront properties. The Port and its partner agencies are working to restore historically lost habitat throughout Bellingham Bay including the nearby Little Squalicum Estuary project now under construction by the City of Bellingham. 

Little Squalicum Beach Park is located northeast of 2929 Roeder Avenue.

For more information, pleaser contact Port Environmental Planner Kurt Baumgarten by phone at 360.676.2500 or by email at kurtb@portofbellingham.com