Jefferson rain gardens are growing!

Jefferson MRC hosted summer gardening events to water, weed, and monitor the 16 rain gardens throughout Port Townsend that they have planted over the years. Rain gardens filter stormwater runoff to remove contaminants before water enters the bay. The gardens also provide an educational opportunity for community members through signage that explain why the rain gardens were installed, how they work, and who maintains them.

Volunteer maintenance includes weeding and mulching gardens to keep them thriving and functioning well. The MRC is also gearing up for installation of their newest garden later this month, planned for Port Hadlock to improve water quality entering South Port Townsend Bay. Click here to sign up to help plant the new rain garden. 

Fidalgo Bay Day fun for the family

Skagit MRC’s 18^th annual Fidalgo Bay Day at Fidalgo Bay Resort was a great success with 20 participating organizations and activities for all ages. The event kicked off with a welcome from Samish Elder Rosie Cayou James and remarks by Jay Lind from Skagit MRC. 

Crafts, interactive displays, and games drew people in to the booths, and a chowder competition among four local restaurants, Taylor Shellfish oysters, and a no-host salmon barbeque contributed a taste of the Salish Sea. Thanks to all the organizations and businesses that participated!

Read more about the event and watch for the next one on Skagit MRC’s website

San Juan MRC shows off local conservation projects

San Juan MRC representatives recently hosted a site visit with Representative Rick Larsen at False Bay to share information with him about their work to conduct outreach to beach visitors about the biodiversity of the bay, why it is protected, the importance of eelgrass, and why visitors must keep their dogs on leash. The MRC also shared information about their monitoring efforts with Friday Harbor Labs, which is looking to better understand the growth of algae in the Bay.

Representative Larsen spoke with them about ongoing marine resource conservation projects in the area and the MRC discussed how their federal funding supports their local projects. Learn more about San Juan MRC’s work in False Bay here.