Shoreline Description

Admiralty Inlet shores are generally characterized by sand and gravel beaches expanding at low tide, rocky beaches with driftwood, logs and fallen snags. These beaches are bordered by headlands, high sandy banks and wide forested shorelines. The area also contains marshes, sheltered tidal flats, exposed tidal flats, and sheltered inlets. At the northeastern Kitsap Peninsula there is a low sandy spit that extends over a quarter of a mile into the water and marks the entrance to Puget Sound from Admiralty Inlet. The shoal is a persistent, hazardous navigation feature, difficult to see from the deck of a ship.

The Navy operates on Indian Island with a dock on the west side of the island that is important for ships unloading and loading at the base. This area is marked with in-water boomed and should be avoided.

Dams & Irrigation

The City of Port Townsend’s municipal water supply is by gravity from the Big Quilcene and Little Quilcene Rivers via 30-mile pipeline held in two reservoirs from Quilcene to southwest Port Townsend Peninsula and to Port Townsend the Port Townsend Paper Corporation, Glen Cove, and parts of the unincorporated area west of town. The Holmes Harbor Sewer District (HHSD) in Freeland, WA, operates a Class III water reclamation facility that treats wastewater from over 400 homes. This water is stored in on-site lagoons during winter and used to irrigate the adjacent Holmes Harbor Golf Course during drier months. Additional areas to consider in response are Port Townsend Paper ASB Pond, Akers Dam Port Gamble, Owen Dam Suquamish, Dahlman Dam and Raden Dams Whidbey Island, Harbour Pointe Detention Dam and Lunds Gulch Stormwater Detention Pond, Mukilteo.

Superfund Sites & Other Historic Pollution Sites

There are no Superfund sites in the planning area, but some active cleanup sites may include old mill sites or other defunct historic industrial sites. There may be historic pollution, including creosote pilings or floating logs, throughout the area with concentrations at harbors and marinas.

Socio-Economic Features

Large Scale Restoration Projects

No large scale restorations projects were identified during the most recent plan update (July 2026).

Fishing and Sustenance

In Admiralty Inlet, communities rely on natural resources for sustenance and subsistence, including harvesting clams, geoducks, oysters, and crab, and sustenance fishing. Additionally, several hatcheries, shellfish farms, and other aquaculture are in the planning area throughout the year. Nets pens inside Port Gamble Bay are key parts of aquaculture farms for growing shellfish seed and holding fish. Coho salmon are received in February and stay until May. Chum salmon come to the Bay in October and stay until April or May. These net pens and other aquaculture systems need continual protection, as they are a key part of sustenance fishing and supply aquaculture farms with shellfish seed. Minimizing impacts to these specific resources could reduce food security impacts to communities in the Admiralty Inlet planning area.

Recreation & Tourism

Port Townsend and the surrounding areas and islands are renowned for their stunning beauty and notable history. The area supports tourism, providing a wealth of recreational opportunities for boating, beach combing, birding, hiking, fishing, kayaking and abundant marine and maritime exploration and learning opportunities. The area also hosts vast maritime, natural, cultural and military history. Port Townsend and the Admiralty Inlet area are a world-class destination for vacationers, mariners, fishermen and park goers. Ferries provide transportation to tourists and locals alike between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island with connections to the San Juan Islands, Anacortes, Bellingham and Canada via Deception Pass and to Mukilteo, north of Seattle, to anywhere in Washington and beyond.

Economic Drivers

The area has several significant parks, major tourism, extensive maritime and marine industry, ferry transportation, artists community, restaurants and hotels, historic areas and structures. Additionally, surrounding areas have sustainable forested land operations, farming and agriculture. In Port Ludlow the Resort and Marina along with private and retirement communities are the main economic drivers. In Port Gamble, the Historic district, water sports and recreation, operational military installations, and local farms are also solid economic contributors.

From 2½ -5 miles wide Admiralty Inlet is the entrance to the Puget Sound, located at the eastern portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the shipping crossroads. Since ice retreated from the lowlands, the area has been in continuous use by the Coast Salish peoples and their ancestors. Their annual movements and villages were often planned around seasonal salmon runs, which remain central to their cultural celebrations, spiritual beliefs, and economy (WRIA 6 Salmon Recovery Plan). The area contains marine and estuarine waters that are biologically rich and sensitive while shoreline and marine habitats with sheltered and abundant food resources contribute to making the area home to a range of fish and wildlife. Manmade features include some marinas, docks, piers most notably in Port Townsend, and ferry terminals in Port Townsend and on Whidbey Island.

While Port Townsend and Mukilteo are more populated, there are several unincorporated communities, national and state historical places and forestry land. Naval bases are located at Indian and Whidbey Islands, and the planning area borders are shared with three other GRPs including the Strait of Juan De Fuca (west), Hood Canal (south) and Central Puget Sound (east).

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Wind speed remains relatively consistent throughout the year, ranging between 6-7 mph, but known to gust up to 12-50 mph. The Olympic Mountains of the peninsula west of the planning area split the cold incoming northwest winds in the upper atmosphere that re-converge over the Puget Sound causing updrafts of the warmer air, a process known as convection. Those updrafts can lead to rain showers or severe weather, in this area locally known as the Puget Sound Convergence Zone. Fog is also common throughout Admiralty Inlet during autumn and winter months. The area has a marine climate with cool summers, relatively mild winters, and abundant rainfall. Lowland temperature ranges in winter from lows in the 30s to highs in the 40s, spring lows are in the 50s with highs in low 60s, summer lows are in the 50s and the highs are in the 70s. Annual precipitation is between 18 and 50 inches in Port Townsend, some surrounding areas average 19 inches.

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Non-Floating Oils: Both refined petroleum products and crude oils are transported in bulk within this planning area. Crude oil contains a mix of hydrocarbons with a wide range of properties, while a refined product is a single type of oil, such as diesel or gasoline. Depending on the oil and the characteristics of the water the oil is spilled into, some of the oil transported in this planning area may not float.

Different oils will behave differently when spilled into water. Some heavy oils will sink immediately, some oil suspends in the water column, and lighter oils may remain on the surface and evaporate within hours. Over time, oil that initially floats can weather and mix with sediment, causing it to submerge or sink. Non-floating oils pose a specific risk to the environment because they can harm underwater or bottom-dwelling species that would otherwise be unaffected during an oil spill that remained floating on the water’s surface.

Traditional response strategies, including the booming strategies in this GRP, are designed for floating oil. However, there are steps we can take to plan for and respond to a non-floating oil spill. Non-Floating Oil Response Options and Considerations provides an overview of areas where non-floating oil might accumulate if spilled within this planning area, along with information on specific tactics that may be effective during a response. More response options recommended for finding and recovering oil below the water’s surface can be found in the Non-Floating Oil Spill Response Tool (NWACP Section 9412).

Facilities: The planning area contains no Class 1 regulated bulk petroleum facilities, however there is one Class 1 facility with potential to impact the planning area with large volumes transfers of oil over water north of Mukilteo. Smaller facilities that transfer oil over water in lesser volumes, known as Class 4, do operate in the planning area at the Port Townsend Fuel Dock and the Resort at Port Ludlow Marina. These regulated petroleum facilities, and the products they handle, can be viewed on the Ecology Spills Map.

Rail Transportation: Rail companies transport oil via both unit trains and manifest trains in this area. Unit trains include up to four locomotives, buffer cars, and 118 loaded tank cars transporting oil in 714-barrel (29,998 gallon) capacity USDOT-approved tank cars. Manifest trains include up to four locomotives, a mix of non-oil merchandise cars, and one or more 714-barrel (29,998 gallon) capacity USDOT-approved tank cars carrying refined oil products, such as diesel, lubrication oil, or gasoline. These trains may include emptied tank cars, each with residual quantities of up to 1,800 gallons of crude oil or petroleum products. Every train locomotive typically holds a few hundred gallons of engine lubrication oil, plus saddle tanks that each have an approximate capacity of 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Manifest trains may also transport biological oils and non-petroleum chemicals.

Unit trains carrying crude from the Bakken Formation in North Dakota enter Washington State near Spokane, continue along the Columbia River to Vancouver, and north along I-5. BNSF railway operates a track along east Possession Sound in the planning area through Mukilteo.

Oil Pipelines: There are no refined petroleum pipelines inside the planning area boundary though if pipelines were to leak or rupture, the impact on natural, cultural, and economic resources could be significant. The 299-mile-long Olympic Pipeline distributes refined products from the northern refineries to most of the terminals and refineries in this area, as well as SeaTac airport, and continues south into Oregon. This pipeline transports refined petroleum products, mainly diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel.

Large Commercial Vessel Traffic: Bulk vessels transport crude and refined oil, and large commercial vessels typically carry significant amounts of heavy fuel oils and other refined products transit the north and east area of the Admiralty Inlet planning area. Vessel traffic passes through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to refineries and facilities in north Puget Sound. Ships transiting to Puget Sound destinations board pilots at Port Angeles and proceed east through the Coast Guard Precautionary area and into Admiralty Inlet. A petroleum storage facility with transfer dock north of Mukilteo in the east area of the planning area. Each vessel has the potential to carry millions of gallons as cargo plus hundreds of thousands of gallons of engine fuel for ocean crossings. Bulk oil is also moved by tug and barge, including crude and other potentially non-floating oils. Washington State Ferries operate multiple routes across Puget Sound, with passages many times daily. Currently most ferries use diesel fuel but are in the process of transitioning to an all-electric fleet.

Road Systems: Vehicle traffic on roadways pose an oil spill risk in areas where they run adjacent to the shoreline, or cross over lakes, rivers, creeks, and ditches that drain into the Admiralty Inlet planning area. Numerous highways in the planning area parallel the shoreline, including WA-20, WA-116, WA-3, and WA-104. Hood Canal Bridge (WA-104) connects the Olympic Peninsula with routes north to Port Townsend and east to north Kitsap Peninsula. Narrow, windy and hilly roads provide access to remote areas on Whidbey Island and the north Kitsap Peninsula, also a risk for accidents and spills, and limit access for responders. A vehicle spill onto one of these bridges or roadways can cause fuel or oil to flow from hardened surfaces into the Admiralty Inlet or its tributaries. Commercial trucks can contain hundreds to thousands of gallons of fuel and oil, especially fully loaded tank trucks, and may carry almost any kind of cargo, including hazardous waste or other materials that might injure sensitive resources if spilled. Smaller vehicle accidents pose a risk as well, a risk commensurate to the volume of fuel and oil they carry.

Aircraft: Several airports are located within the Admiralty Inlet GRP area including: Jefferson County Int’l Airport, Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) in Coupeville, and Whidbey Airpark in Langley. Landing strips at these airports are used for recreational, commercial, and transit purposes. With airports in the area, the potential exists for aircraft failures during inbound or outbound flights that could result in a spill with the release of jet fuel and lubricants to the Admiralty Inlet planning area.

Recreational Boating: Accidents involving recreational watercraft in all waters in the Admiralty Inlet planning area have the potential to result in spills from a few gallons of gasoline, up to hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel. Examples of such accidents include collisions, vessel grounding, catching on fire, sinking, or exploding. These types of accidents, as well as problems with bilge discharges and refueling operations are the most typical types of spills to occur and have a negative impact on sensitive and vital marine and estuarine resources.

Other Spill Risks: Other potential oil spill risks in the area include road run-off during rain events, onshore or near shore construction activities where heavy equipment is being operated, and the migration of spilled oil through soil on lands adjacent to the river or along creek or stream banks. There is a submerged obstruction in the waterway of the planning area that must be avoided to prevent incidents, and sand bars at shallow depths across Port Townsend Passage over the mid channel bank to Fort Flagler. Submerged cables are in the area and can pose a hazard, which run from Port Townsend to Marrowstone Island to north Indian Island over Kilisut Harbor, and from Port Hadlock-Irondale to west Indian Island and the Port Townsend Canal where there may be naval craft movement and can damage vessels, cause gear loss, or lead to capsizing for smaller boats. They require careful charting and avoidance. In addition, be aware of wrecks and obstructions submerged and visible within the area, and ferry route changes by seasons throughout the area.

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This section is purposely broad in scope and should not be considered comprehensive. Some of the sensitive resources described in this section cannot be addressed in Response Strategies and Priorities because it is not possible to conduct effective response activities in these locations.

Additional information from private organizations or federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies should also be sought during spills. This material is presented with enough detail to give general information about the area during the first phase of a spill response. During an actual incident, more information about resources at risk will be available from the Environmental Unit in the Planning Section.

Note: specific resource concerns related to areas that already have designated protection strategies may be found in the “Resources at Risk” column of the matrix describing the individual strategies.

The information provided in this section can be used in:

• Assisting the Environmental Unit (EU) and Operations in developing ad hoc response
• Providing resource-at-risk “context” to responders, clean-up workers, and others during the initial phase of a spill response in the GRP area.
• Briefing responders and incident command staff that may be unfamiliar with sensitive resource concerns in the GRP area.
• Providing background information for personnel involved in media presentations and public outreach during a spill incident.
• Providing information on benthic and water column species or cultural resources present to assist in planning for oils with the potential to sink or submerge.

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Classification types are listed below:

• Federal Endangered (FE)
• Federal Threatened (FT)
• Federal Candidate (FC)
• State Endangered (SE)
• State Threatened (ST)
• State Sensitive (SS)

Federal and State Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive species that may occur within this area, at some time of the year, include:

Mammals:

• gray whale [SS]
• humpback whale (Central American population) [FE/SE]
• humpback whale (Mexican population) [FT/SE]
• killer whale (southern resident) [FE/SE]

Birds:

• common loon [SS]
• marbled murrelet [FT/SE]
• northern spotted owl [FT/SE]
• sandhill crane [SE]
• short-tailed albatross [FE]
• tufted puffin [SE]
• yellow-billed cuckoo [FT/SE]

Fish and Shellfish:

• bocaccio rockfish [FE]
• bull trout [FT]
• chinook salmon (Puget Sound) [FT]
• chum salmon (Hood Canal) [FT]
• green sturgeon [FT]
• pinto abalone [SE]
• steelhead (Puget Sound) [FT]
• yelloweye rockfish [FT]

Insects:

• monarch butterfly [FC]
• Taylor’s checkerspot [FE/SE]

Critical habitats:

These are the specific areas occupied by an endangered or threatened species that contain the physical or biological features that are essential to the conservation of that species – and that may need special management or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that were not occupied by the species at the time of listing but are essential to its conservation.

The following species have designated critical habitat within this area.

• bocaccio rockfish
• bull trout
• canary rockfish
• chinook salmon (Puget Sound)
• chum salmon (Hood Canal Summer)
• killer whale (southern resident)
• steelhead (Puget Sound)
• Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly
• yelloweye rockfish

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• Eelgrass beds occur in a narrow band along the shorelines of much of Admiralty Inlet. These habitats provide critical nursery areas for juvenile rockfish and other fish and shellfish, as well as feeding areas for Extensive beds of eelgrass are found in Cultus Bay, Useless Bay, Port Townsend, Kilisut Harbor, Oak Bay, Port Gamble, and Port Ludlow.
• The kelp beds scattered throughout this region serve as important fish rearing
• Salt marshes and wetlands occur in sheltered areas throughout the region and support a diverse array of fish and wildlife species.
• Of the relatively few salmonid-bearing streams occurring in this region, Chimacum Creek has the greatest species diversity, with documented presence of chum, coho, steelhead, and pink salmon. The benthic habitats in streams and rivers may include freshwater mussels and immature lamprey. The associated riparian scrub and woodlands play a crucial role in supporting a large diversity and abundance of songbird species as breeding, migrating, and overwintering habitat.
• The open waters of Admiralty Inlet are an important migration corridor for many species of fish, birds, and marine It is also an important foraging area for large numbers of seabirds.
• Sandy/rocky shorelines can be found throughout the region. These areas support marine mammal haulout and pupping, nesting for birds, spawning habitat for forage fish.
• Protected bays such as Kilisut Harbor, Port Gamble, Deer Lagoon, Cultus Bay and Mats Mats Bay, are important to many fish and wildlife species including juvenile salmonids, crabs, forage fish, waterfowl, herons, and shorebirds.
• Human-made structures such as pilings, rock jetties or log rafts may be used as roosting or nesting areas for a variety of birds and raptors and haulout areas for seals.
• A variety of subtidal habitats exists within this area, each of which supports a different assemblage of wildlife species as generally described below:
  • Soft sediment: This category includes areas of clays, mud, sand and gravel, which typically possess relatively low vertical relief. Animals that tend to live on the surface in these habitats can include sea cucumbers, sea stars, crustaceans such as crab and shrimp, and bottom fish such as skate, cod, and the flat fishes. These soft sediment habitats also support shellfish and other invertebrates including bivalves, worms, brittle stars, shrimplike crustaceans whose burrowing or foraging activities can penetrate up to one meter below the subsurface bottom. In deeper waters, this habitat type may also include the deep sand fields that are necessary overwintering habitat for sand lance, an environmentally critical forage fish.
  • Rock reefs: These areas serve as important habitat for a wide range of species including mobile invertebrates (e.g. snails, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, sea stars, etc.) and immobile species (e.g. anemones, barnacles, shellfish, sponges, tubeworms, etc.). Macro algae and kelps also widely utilize the structure that this type of habitat provides. The crevices and overhangs associated with these reefs serve as valuable habitat for a wide variety of other species such as crabs, shrimp, octopus, wolf eel, rockfish, and lingcod. If located within their capabilities to dive, these areas may also serve as important foraging areas for birds and marine mammals.
  • Boulder and cobble fields: Larger, relatively stable boulders provide many of the same ecological functions described for rock reefs while the spaces between boulders offer enhanced refuge areas for bottom dwelling invertebrates and fish. The relative instability of the smaller cobble makes them less valuable than reefs or boulders to immobile marine life. Nonetheless, many marine organisms may live on or between the cobblestones and predatory species often utilize these habitats as foraging areas. As with the rocky reefs, these habitats may also serve as important foraging areas for birds and marine mammals as well if they are located within a species ability to dive. Depending on how much sediment the currents move through the area, the spaces between the rocks may be filled with sediment that can also support bottom dwelling life forms.
  • Water column: Much of the primary marine productivity in this region occurs in the upper 30 meters of the water column due to limited light penetration and nutrient availability. Because of this, this upper part of the water column tends to concentrate the planktonic larval forms of fish and a wide range of invertebrates, particularly during the spring plankton blooms. The deeper water column also serves as habitat for wide-ranging fish such as salmon, forage fish (herring, smelt, and sandlance), sharks, as well as a wide variety of birds and marine mammals that utilize this habitat as foraging areas.

Fish and Shellfish:

• Juvenile Chinook, pink, chum and coho salmon use the shallow nearshore areas within Admiralty Inlet for feeding, rearing, and as a migration Resident variations of Chinook and coho salmon are present in marine waters year-round.
• Forage fish spawning in this region includes some critical stocks of herring. Major herring spawning areas include Port Gamble and northern Hood Canal, Kilisut Harbor, and Port Townsend. Surf smelt and sandlance spawn on intertidal beaches throughout area. Important areas for spawning surf smelt and sandlance include Port Gamble, Kilisut Harbor, and Port Townsend.
• Diverse habitats in Admiralty Inlet also support a variety of species of other marine fish, including rockfish, flatfish, sole, cabezon, and lingcod.
• Large populations of hardshell clams and geoducks support important commercial, recreational and tribal fisheries throughout Admiralty Inlet.
• Large populations of Dungeness crab adults and juveniles also occur in this region, primarily in Cultus Bay, Useless Bay, Port Townsend, Oak Bay, Kilisut Harbor, and Port Ludlow. Juveniles tend to stay within intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats and are particularly vulnerable to oil spills.

Wildlife:

• • Admiralty Inlet serves as a travel corridor for many marine mammals including resident and transient killer (aka ‘orca’) whales, gray and humpback whales, harbor porpoise as well as Steller and California sea lions. Harbor seal haulouts are scattered throughout the region with the largest concentrations occurring near the mouths of Kilisut Harbor and Mats Mats Bay.
  • Bald eagles and great blue heron nest in abundance throughout the region and forage in intertidal and nearshore waters.
  • Seabird concentrations can occur year-round in Admiralty Inlet and in the tide rips adjacent to areas such as Possession Point and Point Wilson, with the greatest numbers being present from fall through The few seabird nesting colonies in this region are in the area around Port Townsend Bay and on nearby Protection Island. Marbled murrelets occur in nearshore waters throughout the region.
  • Waterfowl concentrations may be found throughout the region from fall through spring; especially in Kilisut Harbor, Deer Lagoon, and Cultus Bay.
  • Many areas in Admiralty Inlet support large numbers of migrating and wintering shorebirds. Chief among these are Crockett Lake, Hancock Lake, Deer Lagoon, and Cultus Bay (all on Whidbey Island).
  • A wide variety of terrestrial and semi-aquatic mammals (e.g. raccoons and river otters) are present throughout this area and forage within the intertidal areas.
  • Resident and migratory songbirds heavily utilize riparian habitats year-round throughout the area year-round and are susceptible to both oil and to response activities that disturb riparian vegetation.

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1. Port Townsend Bay: Extensive fringing eelgrass beds and some small kelp Spawning habitat for herring, sandlance and surf smelt. Hardshell clams, geoducks, and Dungeness crab. Salmonid spawning streams. Marine bird and waterfowl concentrations; especially at the northern entrance to bay. Habitat restoration sites.
2. Kilisut Harbor: Extensive eelgrass beds and scattered salt marshes. Spawning area for herring, surf smelt and sandlance. Hardshell clams and Dungeness crab. Large concentrations of over-wintering waterfowl. Localized seabird nesting. Shorebird concentration area in southern portion of Foraging area for resident nesting eagles and herons. Harbor seal haulout at the mouth of the bay.
3. Oak Bay: Eelgrass and saltmarsh habitats. Sandlance spawning habitat. Hardshell clams, geoducks, and Dungeness Waterfowl concentrations (fall through spring). Foraging area for resident nesting eagles and herons.
4. Crockett Lake (Whidbey Island) and vicinity: Wetland Important shorebird and migratory bird concentration area. Golden paintbrush present in upland.
5. Lake Hancock (Whidbey Island): Emergent saltmarsh, freshwater marsh, lagoon, and mudflat habitats. Seasonal waterfowl and shorebird concentrations.
6. Port Ludlow: Eelgrass habitat, intertidal mudflat and forage fish beach spawning habitat. Dungeness crab and hardshell Salmon spawning streams. Seabird colonies are located at head of bay and on rocks at mouth. Foraging area for resident nesting eagles and osprey.
7. Foulweather Bluff: Two large salt marshes on the west side of bluff are important to many fish and wildlife species. Waterfowl concentrations (fall through spring). Foraging area for resident nesting eagles and osprey.
8. Bywater Bay (Hood Head): Eelgrass, saltmarsh, intertidal mudflat and forage fish beach spawning habitats. Dungeness crab and hardshell clams. Foraging area for herons.
9. Squamish Harbor: Eelgrass, saltmarsh, intertidal mudflat and forage fish beach spawning habitats. Herring Salmon spawning streams. Hardshell clams. Seasonal waterfowl concentrations.
10. Port Gamble: Eelgrass, intertidal mudflat and forage fish beach spawning habitats. Herring spawning. Salmonid spawning and rearing Hardshell clams. Small concentrations of marine birds. Tribal lands and resources.
11. Deer Lagoon (Whidbey Island): Intertidal mudflat and saltmarsh Significant seasonal concentrations of waterfowl and shorebirds.
12. Cultus Bay: Eelgrass, saltmarsh and intertidal mudflat habitats. Significant seasonal concentrations of waterfowl and Foraging area for resident nesting eagles and herons.

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During a spill response, after the Unified Command is established, information related to specific archeological concerns will be coordinated through the Environmental Unit. In order to ensure that tactical response strategies do not inadvertently harm culturally sensitive sites, WDAHP should be consulted before disturbing any soil or sediment during a response action, including submerged soil or sediments. WDAHP and/or the Tribal governments may assign a person or provide a list of professional archeologists that can be contracted, to monitor response activities and cleanup operations for the protection of cultural resources at risk. Due to the sensitive nature of such information, details regarding the location and type of cultural resources present are not included in this document.

Table 6‑1: AI-GRP Cultural Resource Contacts

Discovery of Human Skeletal Remains

The finding of human skeletal remains will be reported to the county medical examiner/coroner and local law enforcement in the most expeditious manner possible. The remains will not be touched, moved, or further disturbed. The county medical examiner/coroner will assume jurisdiction over the human skeletal remains and make a determination of whether those remains are forensic or non-forensic. If the county medical examiner/coroner determines the remains are non-forensic, then they will report that finding to the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) who will then take jurisdiction over the remains. The DAHP will notify any appropriate cemeteries and all affected tribes of the find. The State Physical Anthropologist will make a determination of whether the remains are Indian or Non-Indian and report that finding to any appropriate cemeteries and the affected tribes. The DAHP will then handle all consultations with the affected parties as to the future preservation, excavation, and disposition of the remains.

Any human remains, burial sites, or burial-related materials that are discovered during a spill response must be treated with respect at all times (photographing human remains is prohibited to all except the appropriate authorities). Refer to National Historic Preservation Act Compliance Guidelines (NWACP Section 9403) during an emergency response.

Procedures for the Discovery of Cultural Resources

If any person monitoring work activities or involved in spill response believes that they have encountered cultural resources, all workers must stop immediately and notify the Unified Command and Cultural Resource Specialist. The area of work stoppage must be adequate to provide for the security, protection, and integrity of the material or artifact(s) discovered.

Prehistoric Cultural Resources (may include, but are not limited to, any of the following items):

• Lithic debitage (stone chips and other tool-making byproducts)
• Flaked or ground stone tools
• Exotic rock, minerals, or quarries
• Concentrations of organically stained sediments, charcoal, or ash
• Fire-modified rock
• Rock alignments or rock structures
• Bone (burned, modified, or in association with other bones, artifacts, or features)
• Shell or shell fragments
• Petroglyphs and pictographs
• Fish weirs, fish traps, and prehistoric watercraft
• Culturally modified trees
• Physical locations or features (traditional cultural properties)
• Submerged villages sites or artifacts

Historic cultural material (may include any of the following items over 50 years old):

• Bottles, or other glass
• Cans
• Ceramics
• Milled wood, brick, concrete, metal, or other building material
• Trash dumps
• Homesteads, building remains
• Logging, mining, or railroad features
• Piers, wharves, docks, bridges, dams, or shipwrecks
• Shipwrecks or other submerged historical objects

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General Information

Sites Recommended for alternative shoreline protection

The following sites have identified sensitive resources, but traditional booming strategies may not be effective or practical in most circumstances. Alternative options, such as sorbent, enhanced on-water skimming nearby, or other strategies should be considered for these sites.

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Wildlife Deterrence

The Wildlife Deterrence Unit within the Wildlife Branch (Operations Section) manages wildlife deterrence operations. These are actions intended to minimize injuries to wildlife by keeping animals away from the oil and cleanup operations. Deterrence activities may include using acoustic or visual deterrent devices, boats, aircraft or other tools. The Wildlife Branch works with state and federal agencies, and the Environmental Unit (Planning Section), to develop deterrence plans as appropriate.

For more information see the Northwest Wildlife Response Plan (NWACP Section 9310) and Northwest Area Wildlife Deterrence Resources (NWACP Section 9311).

Oiled Wildlife

Capturing oiled wildlife may be hazardous to both personnel and the affected animals. Incident personnel should not try to approach or capture oiled wildlife but should report any observations of oiled wildlife to the Wildlife Branch (Operations Section).

For more information see the Northwest Wildlife Response Plan (NWACP Section 9310).

Wildlife Refuges and Wilderness Areas

There are no federal wildlife refuges or wilderness areas within this region.

Aquatic Invasive Species

The waters of this region may contain aquatic invasive species (AIS) – species of plants and/or animals that are not native to an area and that can be harmful to an area’s ecosystem. If so, preventative actions may be required to prevent the spread of these species as a result of spill response activities and the Environmental Unit is able to recommend operational techniques and strategies to assist with this issue.

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