Beaver Lake Managment District
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Mission statement
Background
Goals
Projects
Contact info
Board members and meetings
Role of the advisory board
Current Members
Agency staff support
Past Members
Board meetings
Reports and Newsletters
Reports
Newsletters
Photo gallery
Photo categories
How to submit photos
Projects and milestones
Water quality data
Charts
Tabular data
Links
Mission (Draft):
To track environmental conditions at Beaver Lake and to promote actions and behaviors
among area residents that will minimize negative impacts to the lake and its surrounding
ecosystems.
Goals (Draft):
- To conduct comprehensive water quality monitoring
- To regularly update the Beaver Lake Management Plan and implement the plan’s recommendations
- To provide Beaver Lake Management District residents with regular water quality
reports, and
- To regularly distribute educational information to residents of the BLMD
Earlier versions:
"Conduct comprehensive water quality monitoring upon which to base the development
and implementation of a lake management plan that protects the health of Beaver
Lake and provides Beaver Lake Watershed residents with information regarding the
lakes’ condition and how to ensure its continued good health."
Provide Beaver Lake Watershed Residents with current Beaver Lake Environmental Conditions
through Water Quality Monitoring, Data Analysis Reporting and Distribution of Educational
Information.
Background
Lake management districts (LMDs) are special purpose districts which are formed
to fund a variety of lake protection or restoration activities. Beaver Lake Management
Districts No. 1 and 2 were formed by a public votes in 1995 and again in 2001 to
support the implementation of key recommendations from the Beaver Lake Management
Plan.
The Executive-appointed advisory board approves expenditures and oversees the performance
of the LMD's work program. The District's advisory board is comprised of two lake-front
property owners and one watershed property owner.
Current Projects
Staff from King County’s Lake Stewardship program and the city have been monitoring
Big Beaver Lake and Little Beaver Lakes at regular intervals from May through October
for the Management Plan update. Future monitoring of lake water quality will continue
next summer through contracts with the City of Sammamish and King County.
The streams flowing into each lake will be monitored twice-monthly this fall and
winter, and also during major storms.
Contact info
For questions related to escrow and LMD fee assessment, contact
anita.salter@metrokc.gov or call 206-296-3913.
For all other questions about the BLMD, contact any of the
board members or Sally Abella sally.abella@metrokc.gov
with the King County Lake Stewardship Program at 206-296-8382.
Role of the advisory board
The advisory board of the BLMD determines which projects and programs consistent
with the wording of the resolution will be most beneficial to the lake, based on
current conditions and the overarching goals of the LMD. Once the work program is
determined, the City of Sammamish, acting upon the advice of the LMD Board, contracts
with public agencies or private contractors to complete the work. The city also
manages the LMD budget.
Current Members
Sheldon Fisher
50 years ago the fledgling Beaver Lake community, by forming the Beaver Lake Community
Club, recognized the tremendous value that the lake brings to the community. Beaver
Lake is a natural beauty, an asset to our lives and essential to the wild life in
our midst.
By its very nature, our presence in the Beaver Lake Watershed places pressure on
the natural balance of the lake ecosystem. Because of the precarious balance between
watershed development and the lake ecosystem, we should think of Beaver Lake as
our “canary in the coal mine.” It is up to each of us to decide the part we will
play in maintaining the lake in a healthy state for the local wildlife, as well
as for our own benefit. Making the right decision in the growth and management of
our community and the environment requires solid information. The Beaver Lake Management
District has been providing this unbiased information on the state of Beaver Lake
and the Watershed for years. I look forward to continue to serve the BLMD in order
to ensure our community and civic leaders have the solid information they need to
keep the Canary singing
Ray Petit
Age-Birth Date: 70; July 13, 1935, in Seattle, Washington.
Education: BS in Civil Engineering, 1970, University of Washington.
Experience: Member, Board of Directors, Beaver Lake Management District, 2001 –
present; Member, past Treasurer and past member of the Board of Directors, Beaver
Lake Community Club, The Boeing Company, 1953 – 1995.
Family: Wife, Joan; 6 children, 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
The Lake Management District provides a means for monitoring and reporting the quality
of Beaver Lake. “Why we should care about Beaver Lake” is an important question.
For me, a significant reason stems from the great memories I have of my childhood
vacations here at Beaver Lake. When I was in grade school my Dad and Mother would
pack up enough food and family items to last for two weeks and we would come to
Beaver Lake for our vacation. It was during the Second World War and we didn’t have
a car. A relative would bring us up to the lake, drop us off and return in two weeks
to pick us up.
At Bartell’s Resort we always stayed in cabin number 10, a log cabin right on the
shore line. The first thing my brother and I would do was to run down to the boat
house and make sure we could have rowboat number 21. It was our lucky fishing boat.
Everyday was an adventure at the lake. It was fishing in the morning at our secret
fishing spot, swimming in the afternoon and a fire in the fireplace in the evening.
The lake is a really a special place for me and the family. My brother and I still
talk with our mother about the fun times we had at Beaver Lake.
My Dad was a great one for meaningful sayings, and I remember him telling me more
than once that “if you want nice things, you have to take care of what you have.”
The memories I have of my childhood times at Beaver Lake still bring on a smile,
and I recognize that my Dad’s saying could very easily be applied to Beaver Lake
and to the functions of the Lake Management District. The question of “why we should
care” may be answered by providing another young child the opportunity to come to
Beaver Lake and create memories that can last a lifetime.
D. Bruce Morgan
Degree in Mechanical Engineering
Work experience in hydrology and related field.
"I have been a regular visitor to the Lake since late 1953, when my grandfather
built a cabin. While that cabin is no longer there, my brother and I own property
on the lake and live nearby. I have a 50-year perspective on what has gone on at
Beaver Lake."
Dennis O`Neill
Shawna Blyth
April – December 2005 Served on the Sammamish Citizen Advisory Committee for the Critical
Areas Ordinance Update
1999-2002 Volunteer Wetland Surveyor, King County
2000 – Present Beaver Lake Community Club Member
"The Pacific Northwest has been the home of my family for four generations and the
place my husband and I have chosen to raise our children. Our efforts now to preserve
the beauty of Sammamish will help to ensure a future with healthy lakes and streams,
wildlife and trees. I am eager to put the work in now to create natural surroundings
that are thriving and accessible to our citizens."
Agency staff support
Sammamish: Evan Maxim
King County: Sally Abella, Lake Stewardship Program Manager
Beth Cullen, Lake Stewardship Program
Michael Murphy, Lake Stewardship Program
Past Members
Sharon Freechtle
Vicky Giannelli
Tom Harman
Ruth Shearer
Cory Wolfe
Donna Carlson
Joe McConnell
Al Sauerbrey
Lisa Shank
Sharon Steinbis
Board meetings
All meetings of the BLMD board are open to the public. They occur approximately
every 2 months and will be advertised to the public through an announcement on this
website.
Reports
In 1993 King County published the Beaver Lake Management Plan
There was an update to the plan in 2000, and another update will be completed in
2006.
There have also been several reports to the BLMD Board reporting data resulting
from monitoring of the lake and streams. The most recent reports is available here.
For copies of past reports Contact Sally Abella with the King County Lake Stewardship
Program
Coming Soon:
2005 Beaver LMD Report (Link to .pdf)
Newsletters
Every four to six months, members of the BLMD advisory board work with King County
and City of Sammamish staff to publish a newsletter which is mailed to all members
of the district. These newsletters are primarily updates on the current status of
LMD work, but also include useful information about how residents can take simple
steps to help protect Beaver Lake.
Most recent issue:
Past issues:
Photo gallery
Beaver Lake Beach: Photo by Maren Van Nostrand - September, 2006 | Beaver Lake Deer: Photo by Maren Van Nostrand - September, 2006 |
Beaver Lake Dog: Photo by King County Lake Stewardship Program | Beaver Lake Ice: Photo by King County Lake Stewardship Program |
Beaver Lake Reflection: Photo by King County Lake Stewardship Program | Beaver Lake Rock: Photo by Maren Van Nostrand - September, 2006 |
Beaver Lake Trees: Photo by Maren Van Nostrand - September, 2006 | Beaver Lake West: Photo by King County Lake Stewardship Program |
During regular monitoring trips, King County staff members take pictures of the
lake and surrounding natural areas. Browse these photos to take a quick tour of
the natural wonders that abound in the Beaver Lake watershed.
How to submit photos
If you have a photo related to Beaver Lake that you would like to submit, send a
copy via email to the Web Master,
(425) 295-0594 or mail a disk with electronic files to (City of Samm mail address)
In mid-April, 2006, the third Beaver Lake Management District was voted into existence
by a vote of 82% YES to 18% NO, with a 44% voter response.
The next Beaver Lake Management District will run from 2007-2016.
Details of the 2007-2016 BLMD:
The Beaver Lake Management District will raise $465,980 from 2007 through 2016 to
fund a series of lake management actions. This revenue will be raised through annual
assessments of waterfront and non-waterfront property owners inside the proposed
district boundary.
Waterfront property owners (Zone 1, 121 parcels) will pay $230 per year, while non-waterfront
properties (Zone 2, currently 600 parcels) will be assessed $23 per year. The number
of zone 2 parcels is expected to increase as development continues inside the LMD
boundaries and the increase is included in the calculations. Parcels will begin
to be charged the LMD fee as they receive individual addresses during the life of
the LMD; however, owners of multiple parcels will be charged only one fee.
Through these assessments, the district will raise approximately $41,630 the first
year, rising incrementally to an estimated $51,566 in Year 10, the final year of
the District. If the number of parcels rises higher than estimated, the fee amount
will be adjusted downwards to yield the required total sum.
This revenue will fund the following activities:
- biweekly stream monitoring; regular stormwater quality sampling to assess development
impacts; specific sampling as directed by the Board for unusual events or new concerns;
- comprehensive lake monitoring in 2011 and 2016 to evaluate whole-lake water quality,
with appropriate updates to the Lake Management Plan;
- semi-annual newsletters and community outreach activities as directed by the Board;
- administrative support, including facilitation of Board meetings and management
of work program.
The following table contains a breakdown of the LMD budget by general task with
annual estimated revenue.
King County has been working with the BLMD for more than 10 years to collect water
quality data. The data collected help to determine current state of the lakes and
identify long-term trends.
Charts and data will be added to this page in the near future, and then data will
be updated periodically as new data become available. The King County Department
of Natural Resources and Parks (and its predecessor agencies) have collected all
water quality data, to date. Data requests can be sent to mailto:Sally.abella@metrokc.gov
or by calling 206-296-8382.
Coming soon:
Charts
These charts will show water quality data compiled by King County. Not all data
will be charted. Tabular data will include the entire dataset.
Tabular data
The tabular data will show available data for all parameters.
General Links
Critical Area Links