Skagit MRC's 20th Anniversary celebration, with Board of County Commissioners, MRC members and partners.
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Skagit MRC celebrates 20 years!

In a special afternoon session this month, Skagit County’s Board of County Commissioners featured the accomplishments of the Skagit Marine Resources Committee and issued a proclamation celebrating the MRC’s 20th anniversary.

MRC Chair Sarah Tchang led the presentation, which featured a series of speakers sharing their experiences with the MRC. State Senator Liz Lovelett, a former MRC member told the group, “I served about three years on the MRC and got to see, as everyone has alluded to, the amazing volunteer effort that fuels that organization.”

Other presenters spoke to the value of the MRC from the perspective of a volunteer, a restoration project partner, a member of the MRC representing the Port of Anacortes, a local science teacher, the Northwest Straits Commission and Padilla Bay Reserve. You can watch the session online, or read the follow up article in the Skagit Valley Herald.

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.

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July Commission Meeting

July 26

WebEx

  • Member Spotlight: Eleanor Hines

  • Welcome to our 2019 Hollings scholar

    Northwest Straits Commission

    Meet Maddie Beaudry, a Biology and Geography major from the University of Maryland, who is spending her summer working as a NOAA Hollings Scholar researching trends in bull kelp distribution in Puget Sound by collecting local ecological knowledge from anyone who has had experience with bull kelp, particularly people who remember the location of bull kelp beds in past decades.

    The data collected in this project will be used to identify trends in bull kelp forests in Puget Sound, and will eventually be used to inform kelp recovery and conservation planning. Maddie is splitting her time working at the NOAA Mukilteo office and the Northwest Straits Commission. If you are interested in being interviewed by Maddie for her project please email her at madeline.beaudry@noaa.gov.

  • Kelp Management Workshop

    Northwest Straits Initiative

    How can we protect kelp in Puget Sound? The recent Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan workshop in Olympia took another step toward answering this question, bringing together representatives from state and federal agencies, tribes, non-profits, and scientists to discuss the current management framework for kelp, critical science needs to support regulations and management, and opportunities to strengthen conservation and recovery actions in Puget Sound.

    The Northwest Straits Initiative has been leading the development of the plan since 2018 along with NOAA, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Keep your eyes peeled for the draft plan available for public comment later this summer!

  • Northwest Straits road show

    Northwest Straits Initiative

    It was a busy month for our director, Lucas Hart, as he hit the road to share the work of the Northwest Straits with Washington Department of Ecology's Coastal Zone Management team, the Puget Sound Partnership's Leadership Council, and the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. These agencies are all valuable collaborative partners for the Northwest Straits Initiative and local MRCs.

    You can view the presentation to the Leadership Council at http://bit.ly/NWSC061119.

Member Spotlight: Eleanor Hines

Whatcom MRC

Eleanor has always been drawn to water since her high school senior project doing scientific research scuba diving in Roatan, Honduras. She has a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Toxicology from Huxley College at WWU. Eleanor comes to the MRC with experience in water quality, citizen science, marine policy, volunteer organization, and citizen engagement and has worked with the Surfrider Foundation, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, and the RE Sources for Sustainable Communities.

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Upcoming Events

  • Jul

    19

    July Planting Party – Cornet Bay

    Friday
    July 19
    10:00 AM-1:00 PM

     Join Island MRC and Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group in maintaining their restoration sites.

    Cornet Bay

  • Jul

    26

    July Commission Meeting

    Friday
    July 26
    10:00 AM-12:00 PM

    WebEx

  • Aug

    09

    August Planting Party – Cornet Bay

    Friday
    August 09
    10:00 AM-1:00 PM

     Join Island MRC and Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group in maintaining their restoration sites.

    Cornet Bay