Sheri Hanson walks her dog Rosie along the beach near the mouth of Chimacum Creek, which is protected by a no-shooting area that was updated by the Jefferson County commissioners Monday. (Cydney McFarland/Peninsula Daily News)

Sheri Hanson walks her dog Rosie along the beach near the mouth of Chimacum Creek, which is protected by a no-shooting area that was updated by the Jefferson County commissioners Monday. (Cydney McFarland/Peninsula Daily News)

Jefferson County commissioners clear changes to Chimacum Creek no-shooting area

IRONDALE — The Jefferson County commissioners approved changes to a no-shooting ordinance already in place around lower Chimacum Creek in Irondale in an effort to make the ordinance easier for law enforcement to enforce.

Both changes were approved unanimously by all three commissioners during a public hearing Monday after hearing comments from some of the roughly 20 community members in attendance.

“I do think this is a safety issue, not a hunting issue,” said Commissioner Kathleen Kler. “It’s our responsibility as commissioners to promote public safety.”

The no-shooting ordinance has been in place since 2008. The two approved changes now specify that shooting into a no-shooting area while physically outside the area is prohibited and sets a more rigid boundary along the mouth of the creek where it meets Port Townsend Bay.

A number of Irondale-area residents spoke in favor of the changes, citing safety concerns due to hunters shooting in and around the area, which is a popular recreation area for walking.

“There’s just too many people,” said Howard Learned. “It’s just not a good place. We’re not stopping duck hunting, we’re just stopping duck hunting in that area.”

A small group of hunters from Kitsap County came to voice their opinions against the changes. Paul Stevick called the changes “unnecessary, unenforceable and unfair,” and said at minimum the hunters from outside the county needed clarity on where they would be allowed to anchor their boats and hunt from.

“I think this is more about preventing hunting in the area than it is about safety,” said Mark Hanson, also from Bremerton.

A local hunter, Brian Werner, said the changes would take away the hunting that is a good thing for young people in the community and something that brings people to Jefferson County as counties farther south get more and more populated.

Commissioner David Sullivan said that hunting near Irondale and Port Hadlock is mostly out of the question due to the development plans for that area and the safety concerns over hunting near populated areas.

“I know people feel like they’re losing something but there’s an argument to be made that you lost it a long time ago when we started developing those areas,” Sullivan said.

Commissioner Kate Dean said the no-shooting ordinance, along with the combined land use plans of Jefferson County and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has allowed lower Chimacum Creek to continue to be a mixed-use area for recreation, conservation and hunting.

“There has been shared use in this space for a long time,” Dean said. “It sounds like we’re not questioning the value of hunting. What I have heard is these amendments won’t impair the ability to hunt in a significant way.”

The new boundary, which is now a line drawn at roughly the low tide mark between two GPS coordinates, is actually closer than the original boundary, which fluctuated with the tide, making it difficult to enforce.

The boundary was redrawn with the help of Fish and Wildlife and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Both departments had complained in the past that the original boundary was difficult for them to enforce.

While there were suggestions of possibly putting buoys out as visual signs of the boundary, the commissioners said that should this new boundary still prove difficult to enforce, other solutions could be looked at in the future.

“Everything can be revisited,” said Kler. “If this doesn’t work I’m sure we’ll hear about it.”

The new changes go into affect in 30 days, on Dec. 6.

________

Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.

The Jefferson County commissioners approved changes to a no-shooting ordinance at lower Chimacum Creek, which is meant to keep a safe distance between hunters and the community members who use the area for recreation. (Cydney McFarland/Peninsula Daily News)

The Jefferson County commissioners approved changes to a no-shooting ordinance at lower Chimacum Creek, which is meant to keep a safe distance between hunters and the community members who use the area for recreation. (Cydney McFarland/Peninsula Daily News)

More in News

Peninsula College to continue without budget

Board expects plan in September

An Olympic marmot stands as the star of the show at Hurricane Ridge on Monday. These tourists from Alaska stopped and photographed the creature from a distance as he slowly ate his meal of wildflowers. The marmot is a rodent in the squirrel family and is unique to Washington state. The hibernating mammal’s burrow is only about 50 feet up the paved path away from the parking lot. The group had just photographed deer at the Ridge. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Olympic marmot

An Olympic marmot stands as the star of the show at Hurricane… Continue reading

Eighth-graders Saydey Cronin and Madelyn Bower stand by a gazebo they and 58 other students helped to build through their Sequim Middle School Core Plus Instruction industrial arts class. The friends were two of a handful of girls to participate in the building classes. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Middle school students build gazebo for academy

Businesses support project with supplies, flooring and tools

Frank Nicholson and David Martel.
Veterans in Warrior Bike program to pass through Peninsula towns

Community asked to welcome, provide lodging this summer

Special Olympian Deni Isett, center, holds a ceremonial torch with Clallam County Sheriff Brian King, right, accompanied by Lt. Jim Thompson of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Police on a leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run on the Olympic Discovery Trail at Port Angeles City Pier. Tuesday’s segment of the run, conducted mostly by area law enforcement agencies, was organized to support Special Olympics Washington and was to culminate with a community celebration at 7 Cedars Casino in Blyn. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Carrying the torch

Special Olympian Deni Isett, center, holds a ceremonial torch with Clallam County… Continue reading

Hopefuls for Olympic Medical Center board debate

Talk focuses on funds, partnership

An encapsulated engineered coupler used to repair a January leak. The leak occurred along a similar welded joint near to the current leak. (City of Port Townsend)
Port Townsend considers emergency repair for pipeline

Temporary fix needs longer-term solution, officials say

Traffic to be stopped for new bridge girders

Work crews for the state Department of Transportation will unload… Continue reading

The Peninsula Crisis Response Team responded with two armored vehicles on Tuesday when a 37-year-old Sequim man barricaded himself in a residence in the 200 block of Village Lane in Sequim. (Clallam County Sheriff’s Office)
Man barricaded with rifle arrested

Suspect had fired shots in direction of deputies, sheriff says

An interior view of the 12-passenger, all-electric hydrofoil ferry before it made a demonstration run on Port Townsend Bay on Saturday. Standing in the aisle is David Tyler, the co-founder and managing director of Artemis Technologies, the designer and builder of the carbon fiber boat. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Demonstration provides glimpse of potential for ferry service

Battery-powered hydrofoil could open water travel

Electronic edition of newspaper set for Thursday holiday

Peninsula Daily News will have an electronic edition only… Continue reading

Juliet Shidler, 6, tries on a flower-adorned headband she made with her mother, Rachel Shidler of Port Angeles, during Saturday’s Summertide celebration in Webster’s Woods sculpture park at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center. The event, which marks the beginning of the summer season, featured food, music, crafts and other activities for youths and adults. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Summertide festival

Juliet Shidler, 6, tries on a flower-adorned headband she made with her… Continue reading