2

Cover photo: Fawn Island kelp survey. San Juan MRC.

3

Nan McKay Governor’s Appointee, Chair Jamey Selleck Skagit County MRC, Vice Chair Ed Adams Island County MRC Paul Clampitt Snohomish County MRC Alan Clark Clallam County MRC Tom Cowan Governor’s Appointee Ken Carrasco San Juan County MRC Jerry Masters Governor’s Appointee Dale Moses Jefferson County MRC Dr. Ron Thom Governor’s Appointee Sheida Sahandy Puget Sound Partnership, Governor’s Appointee Doug Stark Whatcom County MRC Terry Williams Tulalip Tribes, Secretary of the Interior Appointee

Cecilia Gobin Alternate for Terry Williams Karin Berkholtz Alternate for Sheida Sahandy

Dr. Ron Thom, Chair Dr. Tessa Francis Dr. Tom Mumford Hugh Shipman

Rich Childers Executive Director Nicole Jordan Program Coordinator Dr. Lucas Hart Marine Program Manager Sasha Horst Communications Manager Suzanne Shull GIS Specialist, in partnership with Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Terry Stevens Director, Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Photo: Duane Fagergren

This project has been funded in part by the US EPA . The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Additional operating funds provided through NOAA Fisheries, WA Department of Fish and Wildlife.

4

Photo: Florian Graner

Our vision is to be an effective citizen-based organization working in partnership with many organizations to protect and

restore the waters and resources of the Northwest Straits region.

The Northwest Straits Commission, Northwest Straits Foundation and seven Marine Resources Committees accomplish

meaningful education, restoration, and conservation projects and achieve measurable results that protect and restore

the marine environment.

The Initiative’s mission is to protect and restore the marine waters, habitats and species of the Northwest Straits region to achieve ecosystem health and sustainable resource use. This mission is achieved by: • Empowering local citizens through MRCs and the Commission structure to identify and resolve marine environmental

concerns

• Designing and initiating projects that are driven by science, reflect local priorities, promote community-based deci-sions and provide the ability to measure results

• Building awareness and stewardship and making recommendations to improve the health of Northwest Straits ma-rine resources

• Maintaining and expanding diverse membership and partner organizations

• Expanding partnerships with tribal governments and continuing to foster respect for tribal cultures and treaties

• Recognizing the importance of economic and social benefits that are dependent on healthy marine environments and the sustainable use of marine resources

5

From the 2014-2017 Strategic Plan:

Goal 1: Accelerate the rate of shoreline and nearshore habitat protection and restoration with the goal of a

net gain of functional habitat. Work in harmony with regional planning efforts that have identified projects

that increase shoreline connectivity and complexity. Design restoration projects, where feasible, to help

mitigate the effects of sea level rise and changing ocean conditions.

Goal 2: Support water quality monitoring efforts and take measures to protect and improve water quality.

Goal 3: Protect and restore marine species and habitats to improve ecosystem health.

Goal 4: Educate local residents about the health of the Northwest Straits marine waters and habitat and pro-

vide opportunities for engagement. Raise attention to and take action on emerging and urgent issues related

to the health of the region’s marine waters and habitat.

NWSF: Northwest Straits Foundation—NWSC: Northwest Straits Commission—MRC: Marine Resources Committees

6

The Northwest Straits Commission maintains a close

partnership with the Washington Department of Fish

and Wildlife (WDFW) to monitor forage fish spawning

at index stations throughout North Puget Sound. In

2017, volunteers monitored 16 sites in six counties, log-

ging over 230 total surveys. Among the samples col-

lected, over 30 identified surf smelt or sandlance

spawning events.

The information produced by volunteer surveys is used

in informing Hydraulic Permit Approvals (HPA) and

contributes to Washington State Forage Fish Spawn-

ing Maps (http://arcg.is/11a5Pi).

MRC surveys are among the only forage fish monitor-

ing projects occurring monthly on a year-round basis,

which allows agency personnel to develop a clear pic-

ture of seasonal differences in forage fish spawning in

North Puget Sound.

Learn more about our work on Kelp Protection and Re-

covery at www.nwstraits.org/our-work//forage-fish.

Wade Crouch, Frank Handler and Troy McKelvey sampling for forage fish eggs at Fort Townsend State Park restoration site. Photo: Cheryl Lowe

7

Key to the work of the Northwest Straits Initiative is

outreach within the organization and among our many

partners and community members, as well as commu-

nication of our work throughout the Salish Sea region

and beyond.

Our web presence includes social media, websites for

the Northwest Straits Commission and each of the

seven Marine Resources Committees, SoundIQ and

Story Maps. We engage people through Twitter, Face-

book and Instagram to promote the work of the Initia-

tive by sharing local events and volunteer opportuni-

ties, photos and updates on recent accomplishments,

and shared media stories about our work.

A video about the Northwest Straits Initiative, Engag-

ing Conservation Leaders, launched in July 2017. At

just over four minutes, this stop-motion animation ex-

plains what is so essential about the work the North-

west Straits Initiative does to restore and protect lo-

cal marine waters, and how each component of the

Initiative has unique skills and organizational charac-

teristics that allow for strong collective action. Watch

it at https://goo.gl/o5LZHh.

In November 2017 the Northwest Straits Initiative host-

ed our 19th annual Marine Resources Committee con-

ference in Bellingham. Over 130 attendees from all

seven Northwest Straits counties participated in ses-

sions presented by local and regional experts and

members of Marine Resources Committees on climate

change, vessel traffic, forage fish, and kelp recovery

among other topics. Information, presentations and

photos from the event can be found at http://

nwstraits.org/2017-mrc-conference.

Subscribe for updates

Subscribe to our monthly e-

newsletter featuring highlights

of our work and the people who

are part of the organization.

http://www.nwstraits.org/get-

involved/join-the-mailing-list/

Terry Williams puppet: Andrea Love

8

SoundIQ is the Northwest Straits Commission’s web-based ap-

plication to share data collected in an easily-accessible map

format. Developed in 2011 in partnership with the City of Belling-

ham, MRCs and the Commission contribute new data each year.

In addition to Northwest Straits and MRC data, SoundIQ users

can view complementary data from other sources, and discover

and download data for external use.

In 2017, the eelgrass data from SoundIQ was downloaded by the

Pacific State Marine Fisheries Commission to compile West

Coast eelgrass and fish data, and the WDFW SalmonScape fish

species and usage data was posted to SoundIQ for viewing in

combination with MRC data.

Learn more about SoundIQ at www.nwstraits.org/our-work/

soundiq/.

What can you do with SoundIQ?

Learn about MRC projects

Find MRC data and reports

View and change visible map

data layers

Print or share a map

Search and download data

Get inspired to fill additional da-

ta gaps

Sample map from SoundIQ featuring kelp survey locations.

9

Jefferson MRC volunteers searching for forage fish eggs. Photo: Cheryl Lowe

In 2017, the Northwest Straits Commission completed

the third year of bull kelp monitoring in North Puget

Sound. With the help of Marine Resources Committee

volunteers in seven counties, 26 kelp beds were moni-

tored in 72 independent volunteer monitoring trips. Vol-

unteer monitoring is critical to understanding how

kelp, an important food source and habitat for salmon

and forage fish, is changing in Puget Sound each year.

With the help of GIS specialists, MRC data is being

translated into publicly-available maps for use in de-

scribing how environmental changes, such as water

temperature, impact these habitats. In the past year,

the Northwest Straits Commission also provided a tool

for citizen scientists to inventory summer bull kelp

beds via photo submissions using Survey123, a

smartphone app.

The Northwest Straits Commission continues to work

closely with our partners at the Northwest Straits

Foundation, Washington Department of Natural Re-

sources, Marine Agronomics, and the University of

Victoria while forging a new partnership with the Na-

tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to

begin creating a Puget Sound Kelp Recovery Plan. The

Northwest Straits Commission is leading recovery

planning through a collaborative process that will

guide us toward restoring and protecting Puget Sound

kelp and the species that depend upon it.

Information about our kelp recovery work can be

found a www.nwstraits.org/our-work/kelp-recovery.

Kelp survey by kayak. Photo: Zoe Zilz

10

In 2017 the Northwest Straits Commission wrapped up

a project to deliver science to community leaders

about the changing state of local coastal waters, with

an emphasis on ocean acidification, including tools

and examples of ways to improve the health of local

marine waters.

This outreach was identified as a Key Early Action of

Washington’s 2012 Blue Ribbon Report on Ocean Acid-

ification and is a high priority action from the Washing-

ton Marine Resource Advisory Council formed by the

Washington state legislature. This work was funded by

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

and their long-term mission goal for Climate Adapta-

tion and Mitigation as well as Healthy Oceans.

Over the course of this two-year project, the Commis-

sion hosted, led or participated in seventeen outreach

events related to ocean acidification, including com-

munity forums on ocean health in four counties. As a

result of the community forums, 95% of survey re-

spondents gained knowledge about ocean acidifica-

tion, and 83% of respondents gained knowledge on

how to help their local waters adapt to ocean acidifi-

cation. Non-traditional audiences included in our out-

reach efforts included the Chef’s Collective and the

Washington Conservation Commission.

The Northwest Straits Commission serves as a primary

contact on ocean acidification outreach in the region.

The network we established as result of this project

has allowed continued engagement in the ocean acid-

ification community. Learn more about our work on

Ocean Acidification at www.nwstraits.org/our-work/

ocean-acidification.

Installing a rain garden in Jefferson County. Rain gardens decrease

nutrient inputs to marine waters. Photo: Cheryl Lowe

11

In 2017, the Commission and its Science Advisory

Committee initiated the Net Ecosystem Improvement

project to bolster our understanding of MRC volunteer

contributions to Puget Sound protection and recovery.

Using existing Net Ecosystem Improvement concepts,

we are exploring a framework for evaluating and de-

signing MRC projects that will help document their

connection to and influence on the broader ecosys-

tem. This will provide a conceptual view of how our

work nests within Puget Sound, and offer a mechanism

for volunteers to see the impact of their work. MRC

volunteers are a critical piece of building the project.

As part of this project, we will evaluate ways in which

the framework can be amended to examine the eco-

system benefits of outreach, education and engage-

ment— key aspects of MRC work. We will pursue this

in parallel with designing Net Ecosystem Improvement

evaluation criteria for monitoring and restoration

based projects.

In our next phase, we’ll begin reviewing projects side-

by-side with MRCs to identify projects for further eval-

uation. We will create conceptual models around pri-

oritized projects to illustrate the connection between

MRC work, environmental and biological variables and

functional changes in the surrounding ecosystem.

Through literature review and existing MRC data sets,

we will make assessments to determine the impact of

MRC work on local environments. Learn more about

Net Ecosystem Improvement on our website at

www.nwstraits.org/our-work/net-ecosystem-

improvement/.

Net Ecosystem Improvement is defined as “…

following development [an action to improve

conditions such as restoration, enhancement,

creation and protection], there is an increase in

the size and natural functions of an ecosystem

or natural components of the ecosys-

tem.” (Thom et al. 2005).

Smith Island Photo: Sasha Horst

12

In 2017 the Commission and MRCs continued a region-

al social marketing outreach campaign for Puget

Sound called Catch More Crab, with an overall goal to

reduce the number of lost and abandoned crab pots in

Puget Sound waters by promoting best crabbing prac-

tices among recreational crabbers.

Originally a pilot program in Snohomish County, Wash-

ington Department of Fish and Wildlife funding made it

possible to expand the program to include all seven

Northwest Straits counties. The campaign includes a

strong web and social media presence.

This campaign was done in collaboration with the

Northwest Straits Foundation, which focuses on dere-

lict gear removal and prevention, as well as outreach

to commercial, tribal and recreational crabbers.

Volunteers carried out dockside and boat launch

events, and worked with local retailers and license

sales locations to place outreach materials at the point

of sale for both crab pots and crabbing licenses.

The Northwest Straits Commission developed an eval-

uation survey to determine how people are learning

about the campaign and whether the best practices

tips caused a change in behavior. Of those responding

to the survey, over two-thirds reported that the cam-

paign influenced them to change their crabbing ac-

tions. The two actions most frequently noted as

changed as a result of the campaign were adding ex-

tra weight to pots and using longer line.

Information about our Catch More Crab campaign can

be found at nwstraits.org/our-work/catchmorecrab/

Best Practices to Catch More Crab

Add weight to your pot

Know if tide is rising or falling

Know direction of the current

Use longer line

Add a high-visibility buoy

Avoid high-traffic (ferry lanes)

Watch your pots

Use a weighted line

“Crabby” volunteer sharing information about best crabbing practices in

Snohomish County. Photo: Snohomish MRC

13

Photo: Al Bergstein

Marine Resources Committees receive support from the Northwest Straits Commission to identify and carry out

marine conservation projects of local importance. They leverage their grant funds with volunteer hours as well

as in-kind and financial support from local government, state and federal grants and private dollars.

In 2017, over 11,000 volunteer hours

were contributed by Marine Re-

sources Committee members and oth-

er community volunteers in support of

MRC projects. Dixon Elder and Jack Middleton having a good day on the

beach in Fidalgo Bay. Photo: Paul Dinnel

14

Photo: Al Nam Siu, Jefferson MRC

Tracy Alker, Skagit MRC

Alyson Rae and volunteers, Snohomish MRC

2017 Projects

Nearshore

Habitat

Protection and

Water

Quality

Protect and

Restore

Marine

Educate

Local

Residents

Marine Debris – Participated in two cleanup events, enlisting over 274 volunteers and removing more than 2,600 pounds of debris from 11 beaches.

1

Oil Spill Response – Trained 49 volunteers in HAZWOPER (over 500 to date) and 41 in oiled wildlife response (over 330 to date).

2

GRP Update – Identified georeferenced data that may contrib-ute to update of Strait Geographic Response Plan.

1

Olympia Oyster Restoration – Monitored previously planted site finding bed areas has increased by 40% with an estimated 33,978 oysters. Monitored Sequim Bay test plot planted in 2016, found not suitable for additional restoration effort so two new sites being explored with test plots.

2

1

Kelp Monitoring – Conducted surveys of two kelp beds in Fresh-water Bay, and one site in Clallam Bay.

1

Pigeon Guillemot Survey – Team of 25 volunteers surveyed 10 colonies during summer 2017, documenting 607 adult birds.

1

Education & Outreach – Hosted science Saturday community event, 4 internships, Dungeness River Festival reaching 1,500 participants.

1

Forage fish – Conducted monthly forage fish spawn surveys at

two index sites, and additional monitoring of four restoration

sites.

1

2

Operations – Hosted regular monthly meetings, maintained

website, presented to local government (County Commissioners

and Sequim City Council), representation on NWSC, participated

in LIO steering committee and technical task force as well as

Strait ERN quarterly meetings.

For more information: www.clallamcountymrc.org 1– Primary Goal 2 - Secondary Goal

15

Top: All-ages welcome at the Food Webs Can Be Fishy family outreach event. Bottom: Volunteers participating in annual oiled wildlife training. Pho-

tos: Helle Andersen

16

Top: Volunteers beach seining in Cornet Bay. Photo: Anna Toledo

Bottom left: Island MRC member Elsa Schwartz demonstrating her Catch More

Crab techniques. Photo: Island MRC. Bottom right: Pigeon guillemots nesting in

the bluff on Whidbey Island. Photo: Island MRC

17

2017 Projects

Nearshore

Habitat

Protection and

Restoration

Water

Quality

Protect and

Restore

Marine

Species

Educate

Local

Residents

Forage fish – Conducted surveys at 4 restoration sites and 5 in-

dex sites. Surf smelt eggs found for the first time in Cornet Bay

restoration area (2012).

1

Bull kelp surveys – Conducted surveys at 6 sites and trained

new volunteers, collected over 5,000 aerial images and under-

water imagery.

1

Eelgrass monitoring – underwater video monitoring at 6 loca-

tions, multi-beam sonar at 10 sites, aerial photography of Whid-

bey and Camano islands; analyzed 2016 data, comparing results

of multi-beam and aerial/underwater.

1

Seining – Analyzed 8 years of pre- and post-restoration seining

data at Cornet Bay. Population density of juvenile Chinook, pink

and chum salmon are all increasing at the restoration sites.

1

2

Pigeon guillemot – Conducted in-depth surveys at 2 colonies

and volunteer surveys at 25 colonies and trained volunteer

group in Clallam County. Published in Northwestern Naturalist

and presented at Pacific Seabird Conference.

1

2

Education & outreach – participated in 4 conferences and 2

events including Sound Waters University. Completed outreach

needs assessment with county staff, department heads and offi-

cials.

1

Operations – Held 14 meetings, including a joint meeting with

Jefferson and Clallam MRCs; presented to Board of County

Commissioners; participated in LIO technical committee.

For more information: www.islandcountymrc.org 1– Primary Goal 2 - Secondary Goal

18

For more information: www.jeffersonmrc.org

2017 Projects

Nearshore

Habitat

Protection and

Restoration

Water

Quality

Protect and

Restore

Marine

Species

Educate

Local

Residents

Eelgrass and Shellfish voluntary no anchor zones – maintained

3 buoy fields to protect eelgrass and shellfish beds: 52 acres of

eelgrass beds in Port Townsend, and 92.5 acres including shell-

fish harvest areas in Port Hadlock and Mystery Bay. Continued

outreach to boaters, including the program guide to the WBF,

reaching 30,000 attendees.

1

2

Rain gardens – installed two new rain gardens in areas identi-

fied as priority stormwater management areas in their 2016 re-

port. To date, have installed 5,532 square feet of raingarden. In-

stallation will be featured in upcoming WSU Extension film.

1

2

Olympia oyster restoration – monitored project sites at Discov-

ery Bay and Quilcene Bay.

1

Bull kelp surveys – Six volunteers conducted three kayak-based

surveys at North Beach and explored two other potential sites.

1

Outreach and Education – Over 1,250 direct contacts and 58

new volunteers participated in 7 events and 7 ongoing projects.

2

1

Digging for Dinner – Hosted family program on safe and sustain-

able clam harvest and water quality with 86 participants at 2

locations.

2

1

Forage fish – Six trained volunteers conducted monthly post-

restoration sampling at Fort Townsend and monthly sampling at

the Adelma Beach index site.

1

2

Operations – Hosted three-county MRC meeting and 10 monthly

meetings, presented to Jefferson County Commissioners, partic-

ipated in the Strait ERN and the Hood Canal Coordinating Coun-

cil, and PSEMP Nearshore Working Group.

1– Primary Goal 2 - Secondary Goal

19

201

5

Top: Digging For Dinner participants at the “shellfie” station in Quilcene. Photo: Cheryl Lowe

Bottom: Volunteers monitoring Olympia oysters at the MRC restoration site. Photo: Cheryl Lowe

20

Top: 2017 Marine Managers’ Workshop held at Camp Orkila. Photo: Ken Carrasco. Bottom left: San Juan Marine Resources Committee logo. Photo:

Rich Childers. Bottom right: Rhinoceros auklet feeding on Pacific sandlance. Photo: Phil Green.

21

Elementary students and mentors surveying clams in Chuckanut Bay Photo: Julie Hirsch

2017 Projects

Nearshore

Habitat

Protection and

Restoration

Water

Quality

Protect and

Restore

Marine

Species

Educate

Local

Residents

Bull kelp surveys – Volunteers monitored two kelp beds by kay-

ak during summer growing season.

1

2

Education and outreach – Hosted two design charrettes and

completed an exhibit design plan for an interpretive site at the

Orcas Island ferry landing. Engaged local audiences through a

San Juan Islands Facebook page.

1

Southern Resident Killer Whales – Hosted a workshop to ex-

plore what local government and citizens can do to protect the

Southern Resident Killer Whale, with 100+ participants and over

20 potential actions identified.

1

2

Marine Managers’ Workshop – Hosted 12th annual event fo-

cused on environmental and socioeconomic impacts of vessel

related spills. More than 70 participants attended.

1 2

Operations – Held 12 monthly meetings and participated in the

San Juan Action Agenda Oversight Group (LIO). The MRC’s

Near Term Action, addressing topics in the Marine Stewardship

Area, was selected for funding.

For more information: www.sjcmrc.org 1– Primary Goal 2 - Secondary Goal

22

Youth Conservation Corps in San Juan Photo: Marta Branch

For more information: www.skagitmrc.org

2017 Projects

Nearshore

Habitat

Protection and

Restoration

Water

Quality

Protect and

Restore

Marine

Species

Educate

Local

Residents

Salish Sea Stewards – Graduated the program’s fourth cohort of

34 participants, with over 16,000 volunteer hours contributed to

date on marine projects.

2 1

Pinto abalone restoration – Outplanted an additional 1,800 pinto

abalone at four restoration sites, with over 9,100 abalone plant-

ed to date in partnership with Puget Sound Restoration Fund.

2 1

Olympia oyster restoration – Monitored restoration sites in Fi-

dalgo Bay, documenting the success of previous restoration

efforts in bringing the population up to nearly 5 million oysters.

2 1

Fidalgo Bay Day – Hosted the 14th annual event, drawing over

400 visitors and engaging volunteers and dozens of local busi-

nesses/organizations.

1

Bowman Bay restoration – Partnered with NW Straits Founda-

tion to conduct monthly post-construction monitoring, and work

with SFEG to install native plantings.

1

Forage fish – Volunteers completed monthly sampling for forage

fish eggs at three index sites.

1 2

Tidepool Interpretive Signage – Developed and installed sign-

age at Washington Park to promote best practices for beach

visitors.

1

Kelp surveys – Volunteers surveyed three kelp beds during the

growing season.

1 2

Green crab monitoring – Volunteers monitored for invasive

green crab, finding two in Skagit County waters.

1

Operations – Held 12 monthly meetings; hosted 9 presentations

and updated display materials with a focus on tide pools; at-

tended the Leadership Council meeting at Padilla Bay.

1– Primary Goal 2 - Secondary Goal

23

Top: 2017 Salish Sea Stewards graduating class. Photo: Morty Cohen Bottom: Fidalgo Bay Day art mural produced by participants. Photo: S. Horst

24

Top left: Snohomish MRC member Susan Tarpley at the Mukilteo starlight beach walk. Top right: Derelict vessel in the Snohomish estuary slated for

removal as part of the Snohomish MRC’s Near Term Action. Below: Interpretive signage located at the MRC’s Nearshore Restoration project site.

Photo: Snohomish MRC

25

For more information: www.snocomrc.org

2017 Projects

Nearshore

Habitat

Protection and

Restoration

Water

Quality

Protect and

Restore

Marine

Species

Educate

Local

Residents

Nearshore restoration project – Developed and installed sign-

age to provide interpretive information on beach restoration and

nearshore environment at the previously-completed restoration

site.

1

Bull kelp surveys – Volunteers surveyed three kelp bed areas in

the summer growing season.

1

Community involvement – Co-hosted two starlight beach walks

with WSU Beach Watchers.

1

Forage fish spawning surveys – Volunteers collected samples at

Howarth Park, finding eggs at this index site.

1

Recreational crabber outreach – Partnered with Beach Watch-

ers to directly engage with more than 1,000 recreational crab-

bers to promote best practices for reducing the number of lost

pots.

2

1

Storm surge monitoring – Installed monitor that gathers data on

water level every 5 minutes at Kayak Point to provide data to

USGS for calibration of a wave model.

2

1

MyCoast – A citizen science tool that engages local beach visi-

tors through collection and submittal of data through a

smartphone application called MyCoast.

Oil spill preparedness – Participated in Local Emergency Plan-

ning Committee and submitted comments on the Stillaguamish

Geographic Response Plan.

1

Snohomish Estuary – Secured funding to carry out a Near Term

Action to clean up derelict vessels in the Snohomish estuary

and identified targets for removal.

1

Operations – Held 12 monthly meetings, hosted field trip to

Howarth Park for Congressman Larsen, participated in

Snohomish LIO and LIO Implementation Committee. Made annu-

al presentation to County Council.

1– Primary Goal 2 - Secondary Goal

26

2017 Projects

Nearshore

Habitat

Protection and

Restoration

Water

Quality

Protect and

Restore

Marine

Species

Educate

Local

Residents

Community outreach – Hosted 6 public speaker series events,

developed 3 panel kiosk for interpretive trail in Birch Bay. Par-

ticipated in Whatcom Water Weeks, co-hosting a film festival,

the Baker to Bay Symposium, a beach cleanup, and other local

events. Hosted local screening of A Plastic Ocean.

1

Chuckanut clam surveys – Partnered with local science educa-

tion program to teach 100+ elementary students how to perform

clam population surveys in the Bay.

2 1

Bull kelp surveys – Surveyed 2 sites and collected DNA samples

to contribute to a kelp population genetic study in Puget Sound.

1

North Chuckanut Bay pollution identification and correction –

Conducted 21 sampling events at freshwater and marine sites to

characterize fecal coliform levels.

2 1 2

Mussel watch – Deployed and retrieved mussel cages at 2 sites

and expanded the monitoring area as part of a regional pro-

gram.

1 2

Forage fish – Trained volunteers conducted surveys and identi-

fied eggs at two index sites.

1 2

Olympia oyster restoration – Received 39 bags of oyster spat on

shell to overwinter for outplanting

Operations – Held 11 monthly meetings and host county for an-

nual MRC conference. Participates in LIO staff team meetings.

For more information: www.whatcomcountymrc.org

1– Primary Goal 2 - Secondary Goal

27

Top: Whatcom MRC members Doug Stark and Bob Seaman at the Bellingham SeaFeast .

Photo: Nicole Jordan

Below left: Bull kelp at Alden Bank. Photo: Eleanor Hines. Below right: Whatcom MRC

member Eleanor Hines conducting a tidal survey at Chuckanut Bay. Photo: Doug Stark

28