Public beach areas are few and far between

Carving out a slice of sand on a public beach to enjoy lapping waves and salty sea air keeps getting harder. In the Puget Sound region, population growth continues to spur demand -- and drive up prices -- for prime waterfront property.

Only 16 percent of the shoreline around the Sound is publicly owned and accessible, according to a study to be released today by The Trust for Public Land. That number shrinks if you don't count beaches reachable only by boat.

The non-profit conservation group spent more than a year mapping 2,300 miles of shoreline from the Canadian border to Olympia and sorting out who owns what. It's launching a $600 million, 20-year plan to boost the number of public beaches large and small from today's count of about 600 to 1,000.

The idea goes over swimmingly with local beachgoers.

Seated on bleached-out driftwood last week, Jetta Antonakos and Michael Dixon watched kite surfers skimming the waves at Seattle's Carkeek Park.

"I believe in public access," Antonakos said. "We have this thing in America where people want to possess everything."

People need the peaceful escape and connection with nature that beaches provide, she said. "It's something we should all be able to enjoy."

The Trust for Public Land is planning ways to open up the shoreline by purchasing waterfront land, securing easements to allow for public use of private property, and working with government agencies to make land they own more accessible.

Another piece of the plan is making sure public beaches are set up throughout the region -- with more shorelines available near high-density cities. The group has set a goal of having public shorelines every half-mile near population centers and every 5 miles in more rural areas.

The trust is working with two other environmental groups -- The Nature Conservancy and People for Puget Sound -- to identify and protect land that's important to marine life.

Species of seabirds, salmon and orcas are struggling to survive, and there are mounting concerns over the harm from pollution running off roads and rooftops. Although public use of beaches can disturb some animals, it's preferable to the damage caused by development, supporters of the plan say.

"The Sound's health is at a tipping point, as is our access to Puget Sound beaches," said Roger Hoesterey, vice president and director of the trust's regional office. "You have to start now or it will be too late 10 years from now."


		Paul Joseph Brown / P-I
	House construction is under way on a bulkheaded lot on West Seattle's Beach Drive. Only 16 percent of the shoreline around the Puget Sound region is publicly owned and accessible, a new study has found.

Realizing this dream is going to be expensive: Shoreline property in some areas costs about $1,000 a square foot.

Trust for Public Land officials are seeking donations and landowners willing to allow public use of their property, for example people living on bluffs allowing the use of the tidelands below. They'll also work with governments and communities to craft voter-approved measures to finance land purchases.

Last year, however, only two out of six ballot measures supporting open space and parks through bonds or tax increases passed in Washington.

"We are going to need to be very strategic," said Tim Raphael, the trust's associate director of conservation finance.

In the past, the trust has secured more than $50 million to protect 22 shoreline properties around the Sound.

Sprawl is a growing concern for advocates of public beach access.

By 2025, the population of the dozen counties ringing the Sound is predicted to swell by about one-third, adding 1.5 million people. That's like adding three more Seattles.

When Washington became a state in 1889, population growth was a celebrated trend. To fuel the growth, the state opted to sell off one of its best commodities: shorefront property. From statehood to 1971, when the Legislature finally stopped the sales, about 70 percent of the shoreline was in private hands.

"The thinking at the time was they were selling land cheap and trying to encourage industry and growth out here," said Ken Brown, aquatic lands surveyor with the state Department of Natural Resources.

Locally, Seattle boasts some large, well-loved public beaches, including Alki Beach and Discovery, Golden Gardens and Myrtle Edwards parks.

But it's important to have additional smaller access points to the beaches, say those with The Trust for Public Land and allied groups.

Friends of Street Ends is a Seattle organization working to open small, publicly owned chunks of waterfront land to residents.

"It's an opportunity to have a healthy city and encourage people to walk and enjoy the outside," said John Barber, Friends of Street Ends chairman. "Access to water is not just a right. It's a basic need."

PUBLIC BEACHES NEAR YOU

To take a detailed look at Puget Sound shoreline ownership, and to download the report on shoreline access by The Trust for Public Land, visit www.tpl.org/pugetsound.

P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com.

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