Lake Whatcom Policy Group

## Meeting Overview The Lake Whatcom Policy Group convened on the morning of December 20, 2024, for a rescheduled meeting originally planned for December 4th. Under the leadership of Chair Russ Shunkin from the City of Bellingham, the group gathered to address two primary agenda items: updates to the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program and the final review of the 2025-2029 watershed work plan. The meeting brought together representatives from all three managing jurisdictions—City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District—along with council members and community stakeholders for what would prove to be a substantive discussion about risk management, public engagement, and long-term watershed protection planning. The meeting's significance lay not just in its routine business, but in the culmination of nearly a year's worth of work on the five-year plan, which had generated 307 public comments from 37 individuals and six organizations. This level of public engagement represented an unprecedented response to a Lake Whatcom management document, setting the stage for both celebration of the collaborative process and tension over unresolved policy questions. ## Aquatic Invasive Species Program Updates and Fee Restructure Mike Schneider, Field Operations Manager for the City of Bellingham's Public Works Natural Resources division, opened the meeting's substantive discussion by presenting proposed changes to the AIS inspection program—changes driven by what he characterized as "changing risk" from invasive species threats. The catalyst for these modifications was a 2023 detection of quagga mussels in Idaho's Mid Snake River, marking the first introduction of these invasive species to a water body connected to Washington State. "This represents kind of the first introduction of quagga mussels to a water body connected to Washington State," Schneider explained, noting that an infestation could cost Washington's water and power infrastructure $100 million annually. Despite Idaho's rapid response treatment with a copper-based chemical called Natrix, 2024 monitoring still detected mussel larvae, indicating the eradication effort had not been completely successful. The proposed fee restructure would fundamentally change how boat permits are priced, moving from a system based primarily on vessel size to one incorporating both…