MRC Monthly Report County: Clallam

Month/Year: October 2016

Submitted by: Cathy Lear and Helle Andersen

Membership/Leadership Changes (including new members, departing members, changes to chair/vice-chair, NWSC representative/alternate, staff): none.

Events/Meetings (including upcoming events/meetings and/or information on meetings/events from past month such as number of participants or highlights):

MRC Meeting: The monthly Clallam MRC meeting was held October 17th in the large conference room at the County Courthouse. The topics included: a presentation by Geoff Baran from Department of Ecology about the oil spill response trailers at John Wayne and Boat Haven marinas, a presentation by Darlene Schanfald about the proposed navy pier on Ediz Hook, a discussion of revisions to the NWSC strategic plan, planning the booth at the MRC conference, and proposals for the MRC Opportunity Fund.

ERN/LIO Meetings: None

Forage Fish Surveys: Friday October 21st at 9 am three members from Island and Jefferson MRCs along with Lucas Hart met Ed Bowlby, Alan Clark and Helle Andersen at Pitship Point adjacent to John Wayne Marina. The goal was for the other MRC members and Lucas to give the three Clallam MRC members a refresher training in the forage fish survey methods. Helle brought all the newly purchased equipment provided by NWSC and the members of Island & Jefferson MRCs and Lucas showed how to assemble and use the equipment. One sample (for training only) was collected at the Pitship Point beach and processed at a fish cleaning station with ample amount of running water on the dock at John Wayne Marina (so we did not use the pump set-up). The Clallam MRC greatly appreciated the additional training.

The following Thursday October 27th Ed, Alan and Helle met again at 8:30 am and collected the first forage fish samples at Pitship Point and Old Town to be submitted to WDFW for analysis.

MRC Monthly Report County: Island Month/Year: October 2016 Submitted by: Anna Toledo Membership/Leadership changes (including new members, departing members, changes to chair/vice-chair, NWSC representative/alternate, staff): None. Events/Meetings (including upcoming events/meetings and/or information on meetings/events from past month such as number of participants or highlights): Meetings

- On October 4, Emily Terao, summer research intern with the Pigeon Guillemot project, presented on the 2016 summer pigeon guillemot survey. The MRC also discussed project ideas for the MRC Opportunity Fund.

- On October 18, the MRC discussed and approved the MRC Opportunity Fund proposal, with 1 project for outreach, and 1 project for a pigeon guillemot coordinator in collaboration with the Clallam MRC.

Events

- In partnership with Sound Water Stewards, the MRC co-hosted a storm surge monitoring training with Eric Grossman from USGS.

Funding updates (newly-awarded grants, in-kind support or other funding commitments): The Board of Island County Commissioners approved the 2016-2017 MRC agreement, effective October 1, 2016. The MRC is submitting a proposal through the MRC Opportunity Fund for $7,000 for outreach, and $3,000 for a pigeon guillemot coordinator. Project Updates (progress from past month on existing project or any new projects identified): Forage Fish: Surf smelt eggs were found at Cornet Bay! This is the first recorded instance of surf smelt eggs in Cornet Bay, where restoration work completed in 2012 included creosoted bulkhead and fill removal, and beach nourishment and re-grading. The eggs were found in the natural beach area just adjacent to the restoration site. Kelp Harvest Outreach: An informational kiosk was installed at Libbey Beach Park. The kiosk will host information on sustainable kelp and macroalgae harvest, and the importance of kelp forests. Eelgrass: Anna Toledo and Cheryl Lowe presented to the PSEMP Nearshore Workgroup about the Island County and Jefferson County MRC eelgrass projects. Other (anything not covered above, including local issues of interest to the regional group, questions to the Commission, etc): None. Photos (share a few photos of recent projects—include project, photo credit and additional info):

Lois Farrington and Ruth Richards sampling for forage fish eggs at Cornet Bay (Credit: Ruth Richards, Lois Farrington, respectively)

Installation of kiosk at Libbey Beach Park to hold information on sustainable kelp harvest (Credit: Linda Rhodes)

JCMRCMonthlyReportCounty: JeffersonMonth/Year: Oct2016Submittedby: CherylLoweMembership/LeadershipChanges(includingnewmembers,departingmembers,changestochair/vice-chair,NWSCrepresentative/alternate,staff):Nochanges.Events/Meetings(includingupcomingevents/meetingsand/orinformationonmeetings/eventsfrompastmonthsuchasnumberofparticipantsorhighlights):PastMeetings&Events:

• TheJCMRCmonthlymeetingwasheldOct4,2016.17members/staffand8guestsattendedthemeeting.The2candidatesforCountyCommissionereachgaveashortpresentationabouttheirexperienceandprioritiesrelatedtomarineandshorelineresources.ThenRichCarlson,USFWSPugetSoundCoastalProgramManager,gaveapresentationabouttheirvariousprogramsandresources.OthermeetingtopicsincludedprojectstatusreportsandanupdatetothePortofPortTownsend’sQuilceneBoatrampandfacilitiesplanningprocess.

• TheOctoberNWSCmeetingwillbeheldinearlyNovember.NotsurewhoisattendingfromJeffersonMRC.

• ExecutiveCommitteemetonOct.20(Al,Ashley&Cheryl).• Oct12FortTownsendcelebration:Greatcommunityturnoutforthisevent.Approximately49

peopleattended.Ashortprogramthankedallthefunders,partners,contractorsandvolunteers.Theprogramalsoincludedinformationabouthowtheprojecthaschangedtheshorelineforthebetter.Thenewinterpretivesignsarebeautiful!

• October1FortTownsendPlanting:SixdedicatedMRCandFriendsofFortTownsendvolunteersjoinedtheFTParkRangerandMRCCoordinatortoplant75plantsinrockysoilinthenewlyconstructedlandingattheFortTownsendshorelinerestorationproject.

UpcomingMeetings/Events:

• NextMRCmeetingisNovember1,2016.Fundingupdates(newly-awardedgrants,in-kindsupportorotherfundingcommitments): NA ProjectUpdates(progressfrompastmonthonexistingprojectsoranynewprojectsidentified):

1. Monitoring:(a)Kelp:Octoberregionalplanningmeetingwaspostponedduetoweather.(b)FortTownsend:Post-constructionforagefishmonitoringbeganinOctober,withthePNPTCbiologistsstartingthequantitativesamplingonOct5andMRCvolunteerscollectingsamplesonOctober17.(c)DiscoveryBayForageFish:Finalizingprivatelandownerpermissionformandpreparingforfirstsampling,probablyinNovember.

2. RainGardens:Planninghasbegunforthe2017raingardenprojects.3. VoluntaryNoAnchorZones:WepulledthePortTownsendbuoysforthewinterinOctober

(weatheronOctober4waschallenging,sowefinisheddeployingthewinterbuoysaweekorsolater.Duetofundinglimits,theadintheregionalboatingmagazine“48°North”aboutvoluntarynoanchorzoneswillappearinoneoftheirearly2017issues.

4. Education&Outreach:InitialworkhasstartedontheKingTidesprojectwithourLocal2020andWASeaGrant.Otherprojectideasareindiscussionaswell.

5. OlympiaOyster–(1)DiscoveryBay:MonitoringdataforshellstacksandenhancementprojectwassubmittedtoPSRFandNWSC.(2)QuilceneBay:MonitoringdatawassubmittedtoPSRFandNWSC.

Other(anythingnotcoveredabove,includinglocalissuesofinteresttotheregionalgroup,questionstotheCommission,etc.):

MRC Monthly Report County: Whatcom Month/Year: OCTOBER 2016 Submitted by: Austin Rose Membership/Leadership changes (including new members, departing members, changes to chair/vice-chair, NWSC representative/alternate, staff): The MRC Executive Subcommittee recommended Bon Seaman to fill the Environmental/Conservation vacancy on the MRC. Bob is an active member of the Tenmile Clean Water group and has attended several MRC meetings out of general interest in MRC activities. Events/Meetings (including upcoming events/meetings and/or information on meetings/events from past month such as number of participants or highlights):

• The Project Development Subcommittee met on October 25 to review the MRC project matrix for 2016-17 projects. Project champions provided details on next steps and needs for projects. A detailed timeline was also discussed.

• The MRC Public Speaker Series met on October 27 to review an updated list of speaker topics of what the group has done and will be doing for the rest of 2016, along with proposed topics for 2017.

• The MRC held their general meeting on October 6. There was no quorum present; however, member shared their nominations for officer positons (Chair, Vice-Chair, NWSC rep., NWSC Alt. Rep.). Elections will occur at the December meeting.

Funding updates (newly-awarded grants, in-kind support or other funding commitments):

• The MRC plans to submit a proposal to the NWSF for the MRC Opportunity Fund with interest in partnering with the Skagit MRC to expand the Salish Sea Stewards program to Whatcom County.

Project Updates (progress from past month on existing project or any new projects identified):

• MRC staff and Eleanor Hines met with WDFW Conservation Corps staff at Padilla Bay to assist with forage fish surveys and get a refresher on the process. Laura Hanna is drafting a schedule of sampling times. Laura and Eleanor met with Pete Haase at Fidalgo Bay to watch his technique, then conducted a pilot survey in Bellingham on 10/30.

• MRC staff have made contact with Paul Dinnel regarding Whatcom MRC’s Olympia Oyster Restoration project in Chuckanut Bay. Paul can help with over wintering seed in Fidalgo Bay. Portage Bay may also be a possibility.

Other (anything not covered above, including local issues of interest to the regional group, questions to the Commission, etc):

MRC Monthly Report County: San Juan Month/Year: October, 2016 Submitted by: Phil Green and Arnie Klaus Membership/Leadership changes: There are three membership changes in process with County Council selection set for. Events/Meetings Seven people from San Juan Islands are planning to attend the NWS annual MRC meeting in Port Townsend on November 4 and 5. San Juan MRC is having its 20th Anniversary event from 5:30 to 7:30 on Tuesday, November 10, 2016 at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art in Friday Harbor with support from the Northwest Straits Foundation. The MRC is planning a one day annual retreat for December. The retreat will be open to the public. The MRC will present its annual report to the San Juan County Council on November 30, with a public presentation to the Council requested for December. Scheduling for the 2017 Marine Managers Workshop will be finalized in November. The final agenda is being developed around several Vessel Traffic studies, including two scheduled to come out in November. Funding updates - Orcas Landing Experience interpretive area. The MRC received $6,200 funding award from the San Juan County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee toward the development of interpretive displays at the planned Orcas Landing Experience Interpretive area. $50,000 in LTAC funds were also awarded to San Juan County Public Work Department to upgrade the old fuel tank site with new decking and improved access. Ecology - Northwest Strait Commission has awarded $19,270 for public outreach to participate in and help define the vision of the site and exhibits. The total project cost is estimated at $84,770. The MRC has applied for the Northwest Straits –MRC Opportunity Fund to complete the funding budget for interpretive panel construction which would include themes of citizen science. MRC Coordinator Position - The County is continuing discussion on the budget to increase the MRC Coordinator positon from .55 FTE to .80 FTE. Other San Juan County passed the MRC endorsed Plastic Bag Ban ordinance.

Photos

Two concept images of exhibit placement showing southeast and southwest views

Google Earth view of Orcas Landing with the deck area and viewing corridor identified.

San Juan MRC members briefed by MRC Coordinator Arnie Klaus on development plans the Orcas Landing Experience Interpretive display area, seen in the background from the waterside.

MRC Monthly Report County: Skagit Month/Year: November/2016 Submitted by: Jamey Selleck/Tracy Alker Membership/Leadership changes (including new members, departing members, changes to chair/vice-chair, NWSC representative/alternate, staff):

• Matt Reynolds was recently appointed to the MRC. Matt is currently the Assistant Public Works Director for the City of Anacortes.

Events/Meetings (including upcoming events/meetings and/or information on meetings/events from past month such as number of participants or highlights):

• MRC Meeting –October 13: Jason Morgan gave a presentation on nearshore monitoring in Skagit County. Samantha Russell gave a presentation on the 2016 Salish Sea Stewards program. Skagit MRC is proposing to partner with WA Sea Grant, WDFW, Coastal Volunteer Partnership, and the Samish Indian Nation to expand the green crab monitoring effort throughout Skagit County.

• Bowman Bay Nearshore Restoration Celebration – November 17: The Northwest Straits Foundation, Skagit MRC and Deception Pass State Park, are cohosting an event to celebrate the completion of the Bowman Bay nearshore restoration project and unveiling of the interpretive signage. The celebration will be held Thursday November 17, 2016 from 2:30 – 4:00PM at the Bowman Bay Day Use Area, Deception Pass State Park. Light refreshments and warm beverages will be served.

Funding updates (newly-awarded grants, in-kind support or other funding commitments): No funding updates Project Updates (progress from past month on existing project or any new projects identified):

• Salish Sea Stewards: 19 participants completed the Salish Sea Stewards training in 2016. Over 1,000 hours of volunteer service have been reported by the Salish Sea Steward volunteers in 2016. Over 262 hours were contributed to MRC projects. Planning is under way for next year’s training. The 40 hour training program will start March 7, 2017 and continue for 10 weeks through May 9, 2017. Classes will be held Tuesdays, 1:00pm-5:00pm at Padilla Bay. Applications will be accepted starting in December.

• Fidalgo Bay Day: The 2016 event report is now complete and available on the Skagit MRC website. Save the Date! The date for Fidalgo Bay Day 2017 has been set for: Saturday, August 12, 2017. The Fidalgo Bay RV Resort has been reserved.

• Bowman Bay Nearshore Restoration: The interpretive signs will be installed soon. The sign unveiling and nearshore restoration celebration will be held November 17, 2:30PM – 4:00PM. Bill Bailey, a Master Carver for the Samish Indian Nation, rescued a tiny cedar tree and raised it until it was about six feet tall. Two weeks ago they planted it at Bowman Bay as part of the beach restoration. The planting was followed by a ceremony and celebration. There was a great article about the planting in the October issue of the Deception Pass Park Foundation’s newsletter “The Current”.

Photo: Dean Alker Photo: Dean Alker

• Olympia Oyster Restoration: The final report is now complete. The report covered the last four years of Skagit MRC’s Olympia oyster restoration work which has been a huge success in Fidalgo Bay. Fidalgo Bay now has over 4 million native oysters! With the new shell plots, the amount of oysters has substantially increased over the last two years. New sites for distributing additional shell substrate along the west side of Fidalgo Bay are currently being investigated. Paul will be giving a presentation on Olympia oyster restoration at the upcoming MRC conference in Port Townsend. The Olympia oyster restoration manuscript that Paul co-authored was recently accepted for publication by the Journal of Ecology! Paul is now working on a new manuscript that will cover all fourteen years of native oyster restoration work.

• Kelp Monitoring: The last kelp survey of the season took place in September at coffin rocks at the mouth of Bowman Bay. Kelp monitoring will be included in the 2017 Salish Sea Stewards training curriculum.

• Nearshore Monitoring: The Northwest Straits Foundation was able to secure enough funding to continue monitoring at Bowman Bay for at least one more year. The Samish Indian Nation will also be helping with the beach seining at Bowman Bay later this year to help leverage funding.

• Forage Fish Index Site Surveys: Skagit County intern Charlette Turman and Rachel Price from Shell Refinery, continue to conduct forage fish surveys at the Ship Harbor and Similk Bay index sites. Two eggs were found at Ship Harbor and Bowman Bay. The third index site will likely be at the Fidalgo Bay property recently purchased by the Skagit Land Trust and will be part of Charlette’s class project with Skagit Valley College.

Other (anything not covered above, including local issues of interest to the regional group, questions to the Commission, etc):

• Shell Anacortes Refinery Unloading Facility Project Canceled: Shell recently canceled the rail unloading facility project, due to economic factors. State and County agencies have ceased all work on the environmental impact statement for the project. There will be no more public meetings for this project.

MRC Monthly Report County: Snohomish Month/Year: October 2016 Submitted by: Kathleen Herrmann Membership/Leadership changes (including new members, departing members, changes to chair/vice-chair, NWSC representative/alternate, staff): The Snohomish MRC is recruiting for three new members! Events/Meetings (including upcoming events/meetings and/or information on meetings/events from past month such as number of participants or highlights): The Snohomish County MRC had their monthly meeting on September 21, 2016. MRC members Paul Clampitt, Mike Ehlebracht, Bob Hillmann, Lincoln Loehr, Franchesca Perez, Traci Sanderson, Cathy Stanley, Susan Tarpley, and Sarah Brown attended. SWM staff Kathleen Herrmann, and Elisa Dawson attended as well as SWM Director Will Hall and Special Projects Coordinator Erik Stockdale. Will Hall thanked the MRC members for their service on behalf of Executive Somers and himself. Will said that Executive Dave Somers is in the process of drafting the Puget Sound Initiative, centered on the restoration of the Puget Sound, which Executive Somers will focus on during his administration. Erik reported that in his new position with Snohomish County he would be sharing the work done by Surface Water Management. Erik emphasized that telling the story of the MRC to the public is important, and he will work the MRC staff and members to develop a storyboard of the MRC’s accomplishments. The Snohomish County MRC had their monthly meeting on October 19, 2016. MRC members Paul Clampitt, Mike Ehlebracht, Bob Hillmann, Lincoln Loehr, Franchesca Perez, Traci Sanderson, Cathy Stanley, Susan Tarpley, and Sarah Brown attended. SWM staff Kathleen Herrmann, and Elisa Dawson were present. Kathleen presented on potential grant funding for a the Creosote Log Estuary Clean-up project from the LIO as well as another funding opportunity from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (UWFWS) Large Coastal Project 2017-2019 Grant. The group also discussed progress on the Storm Surge monitoring grant which began October 1, 2016. MRC members discussed Forage Fish Sampling and signed up to volunteer with sampling for dates in November, December, and January. For November, December, and January there are enough MRC members who feel sufficiently trained to collect our forage fish samples without assistance from our consultant. One set of volunteers, led by Franchesca, will meet at Howarth Park; another set of volunteers, led by Paul, will sample at Meadowdale and Picnic Point. Elisa will lead the boat volunteer crew.

Funding updates (newly-awarded grants, in-kind support or other funding commitments): None at this time. Project Updates (progress from past month on existing project or any new projects identified): Nearshore Beach Restoration Project: SWM Staff and City of Everett staff are working with Anchor QEA who has contracted an artist to design a series of interpretive signs. Signs will be ordered and installed at Edgewater Park, Howarth Park, and Pidgeon Creek Park. SWM Staff have begun designing thank-you placards for key stakeholders and project supporters to commemorate the project. MRC Nearshore Long Term Maintenance Project: The MRC and Anchor QEA completed a Long-Term Maintenance and Management Funding Strategies Report to identify potential mechanisms for funding the maintenance activities at the sites of the Snohomish County Nearshore Beach Restoration Project. In anticipation of the need for future maintenance to prolong the benefits of the restoration, this Long-Term Maintenance and Management Funding Strategies Report was prepared to estimate the costs of future maintenance and identify and recommend strategies to fund these activities. The report was informed by comments from the Stakeholder Workshop hosted September 8, 2016 and the Community Meeting hosted September 12, 2016. The report also summarizes recommendations on preferred funding strategies and next steps to move forward. This information is intended to guide Snohomish County’s selection of funding strategies to secure funding for the anticipated future maintenance needs of the Nearshore Beach Restoration Project. Nearshore Restoration Estuary and Salmon Recovery Program (ESRP) Learning Grant: SWM Staff continue to work with a team of researchers from the University of Washington on this ESRP Grant. SWM staff met on August 24th and selected the sites for forage fish monitoring. On August 30th MRC Staff Kathleen Herrmann, Elisa Dawson, and Hannah Spohn participated in a conference call with Jamey Selleck from NRC Corp who has been hired to support the MRC’s efforts. Jamey began monitoring and egg identification at the selected sites in September in partnership with the volunteers and staff. Storm Surge Monitoring Project: The MRC is collaborating with the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) to calibrate a wave model in development. The purpose of the grant is to connect citizens with the USGS to conduct monitoring on storm events and tide heights in Snohomish County. This project is part of the MRC’s Annual Grant and began on October 1, 2016. The MRC has contracted with Blue Urchin LLC, which has made a website and companion app for the project called “MyCoast.” MyCoast will allow the citizen scientists involved in the project to collect and submit their data easily for this project via phone or computer. A citizen science training on this project was conducted on October 21, 2016 from 4PM-6PM at Kayak Point Park in the large picnic shelter at the southern end of the park. The training was led by SWM Staff Kathleen Herrmann, Elisa Dawson, and Eric Grossman from the USGS. The audience for this event was local shoreline landowners or others with beach access. There were over 20 participants, almost all of which own shoreline waterfront, and most have agreed to participate in the storm surge monitoring project and use the MyCoast app to collect and report data. Oil Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response: The MRC has been communicating with the National Response Corporation (NRC) who is hosting a Tabletop Drill will be November 9 and 10 in Lynnwood. November 9th will be a training day, and the exercise will be on the 10th. MRC members have been invited to attend the exercise, and MRC member Susan Tarpley has been as to participate as a Community Liaison representing the MRC and environmental groups. MRC members are brainstorming

to think of a list of stakeholders and gathering their name, agency, title, phone number, and email to compile a list for the table top exercise. Franchesca will be at the NRC Tabletop Drill representing the Stillaguamish Tribe. Port Susan: During the Storm Surge Monitoring Training on October 21, 2016 at Kayak Point, SWM Staff Kathleen Herrmann and Elisa Dawson, and MRC Members Franchesca Perez, and Paul Clampitt passed out Keep Port Susan Healthy Brochures, and Port Susan MSA Progress Report, and Your Marine Waterfront: A guide to protecting your property while promoting healthy shorelines to attendees, many of whom live in the Port Susan area. Staff also collected information on any shoreline residents who would be interested in a site visit should funding become available. Kelp Project: SWM staff Kathleen Herrmann and Elisa Dawson, and MRC Members Lincoln Loehr conducted kelp monitoring on September 14, 15, and 16. The monitoring replicated the same sites as July and August (Edmonds, Meadowdale and Mukilteo). We entered Mukilteo at the Mukilteo Lighthouse Beach Park and had fair weather. Weather on day 2 at Edmonds was also fair. Transect Films joined us on sampling on day three at Meadowdale to get footage of the monitoring for their education film. The data was gathered and given to Snohomish County for GIS analysis. Maps were creating comparing kelp bed size between the three months, July, August, and September, as well as comparing between 2015 and 2016.