Blaine residents take action to protect deer in Semiahmoo

It’s been a busy past two fawn seasons on Drayton Harbor Road and other wooded roads around Blaine and Birch Bay, with locals reporting multiple traffic collisions that have proved fatal for wildlife and costly for drivers.

Jennifer Plombon, who holds a position on Blaine Planning Commission and Whatcom County Wildlife Advisory Committee, received multiple complaints from residents last spring when vehicles struck fawns in consecutive days on Drayton Harbor Road.

Plombon reached out to Blaine City Council after the deer fatalities to inquire about reducing the speed limit on Drayton Harbor Road below the current 35 mph limit.

“Maybe a speed limit of 35 is a little inappropriate on that road because it’s not just deer,” Plombon said. “It’s walkers and bikers and dogs and other wildlife.”

City council initiated a traffic study December 6-15, split between east and westbound traffic on Drayton Harbor Road. The study showed that while eastbound traffic roughly stayed within the posted 35 mph limit, westbound traffic was faster, with an average speed of 45 mph, and trucks averaging 51.2 mph.

After petitioning city council to put up radar speed signs at Drayton Harbor Road, the city installed its first in June on the eastbound lane. Plombon walks that road as a pedestrian frequently, and said she immediately saw the results.

“I could see people literally slowing down when they saw the sign and continuing to be slower,” Plombon said. “So I cannot wait until they flip it around and put it westbound, and then hopefully they’ll do another study.”

Deer collisions have become so commonplace on Drayton Harbor Road that Plombon began collaborating with city council member Sonia Hurt to create their own deer crossing signs along the two-lane road.

“Everybody is in such a big hurry,” Hurt said of speeding drivers. “You’re driving around the harbor, you’ve got this beautiful landscape, slow down and enjoy it. A lot of people would give their right arm to live in a place like we do, and yet everybody just takes it for granted and just keeps speeding around.”

Fawn season runs roughly from spring through early summer, and usually causes an uptick in not only deer on the road, but doe followed closely by their young fawns. People who see a deer or fawn in the roadway should come to a stop when safe and engage hazard lights to warn other cars, Plombon recommends.