Jan Holmes Island County Coastal Volunteers of the Year
The Jan Holmes Island County Coastal Volunteer of the Year Award is presented annually to individuals engaged in service, science or outreach relating to the health of Island County’s marine environment and whose work adds to knowledge about and/or protection of county marine waters and coastal resources. There were so many amazing volunteers to celebrate and acknowledge that this year the selection committee decided to update the award to “volunteers” of the year.
This year’s award winners are Lee Badovinus for education and Island MRC members: Barbara Bennett for service, PaulBen & Jeanie McElwain for science.
We are all very proud of them, noted Ken Collins, Island MRC representative to the Commission. Read more about this year’s winners!
The Northwest Straits Commission is a regional coordinating body comprised of people who care about the marine areas where they live, and who work together to protect and restore marine resources.
The Northwest Straits Commission carries out regional conservation projects and supports the work of seven Marine Resources Committees through funding, technical support, training and regional coordination.
Find us on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn
More About Us and the Northwest Straits Region »April 2025 NW Straits Commission Meeting
-
Be Whale Wise at the Seattle Boat Show
San Juan MRC joined other partners in promoting Be Whale Wise in February at the Seattle Boat Show, reaching over 1,300 boaters and distributing 450 whale warning flag packs. Frances Robertson, Marine Project Manager and head of the County's Southern Resident killer whale recovery efforts, joined NOAA, WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife, and Soundwatch South for the first weekend.
Most boaters were eager to learn about the new regulations and how to comply, and many already had their whale flags. It’s encouraging to see so many wanting to help with the recovery effort. Washington now has the strictest distance rules to protect whales from boat impacts, Frances said.
The Marine Program and MRC will continue supporting Be Whale Wise at dock talks this summer.
Learn more about San Juan MRC’s outreach efforts.
-
Transforming data into art
Jefferson MRC members Katie Kowal (MRC Coordinator), Betsy Carlson, and Frank Handler (MRC members) attend-ed the Art and Science Workshop at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center. Presentations discussed how to make science communication more approachable, and an activity on how to turn data (in graphs or chart form) into art that communicates results in picture form.
It was neat to see how the artist incorporated data and graphs into a visual art piece. This approach sparked new ideas about how the Jefferson MRC can share data with the public in creative ways, such as visually representing our Olympia oyster population surveys or bull kelp monitoring surveys. The workshop activities and conversations with other attendees left me feeling deeply inspired—not only to continue creating marine science-themed art but also to explore new opportunities for community partnerships in the future, said Katie Kowal, Jefferson MRC Coordinator, and workshop participant.
-
Tide pooling at night
Over 100 people attended the annual Starlight Beach Walk at Olympic Beach on February 8th, exploring tide pools at low tide with trained volunteers.
Hosted by WSU Beach Watchers, in partnership with Snohomish MRC and the city of Edmonds, the free, family-friendly event has been a community favorite for over a decade. Attendees explored the shoreline at night, discovering marine critters and learning about our coastal ecosystem.
In the news:
A different kind of winter fun: tidepooling at night on Puget Sound
February 27 | KUOW (event co-hosted by Snohomish MRC)
Member Spotlight: Barbara Bennett
Island MRCBarbara Bennett has loved the ocean for years. As a recreational scuba diver since the 1970’s and ocean kayaker since the 1980’s, she’s had the opportunity to observe marine life and habitat in many prime locations around the world. Through her explorations she became aware of the pressures on marine ecosystems and decided she was not content to stand by as marine resources declined. In 2008, she took an early retirement to enter the UW School of Marine Affairs and after completing her MMA, became Program Coordinator for WSU Island County Beach Watchers where she served for 5 years. She observed the work of the Northwest Straits Commission and the Island County Marine Resources Committee for 5 years and in 2016, was appointed to the Island MRC where she represents the MRC on the Island County Local Integrating Organization and works with other members on educational outreach and kelp research. I her words, “The tangible results of this work to date are impressive and I look forward to participating in the Commission's next generation of pro-active, solution-focused initiatives to conserve and restore the remarkable marine resources of Puget Sound and the greater Salish Sea.”
Continue Reading »Upcoming Events
-
Apr 03
NW Straits Commission Retreat
Thursday-Friday
April 03-April 04Retreat open to NW Straits Commissioners, NW Straits Commission staff, and MRC staff. Please contact Caitlyn Blair (blair@nwstraits.org) for more information.
-
Apr 25
April 2025 NW Straits Commission Meeting
Friday
April 25
10 AM-12 PMThis meeting will be virtual over Zoom: Zoom Link
-
May 30
May 2025 NW Straits Commission Meeting
Friday
May 30
10 AM-3 PMThis meeting will be in person in Clallam County. Stay tuned for official location.