Bull kelp monitoring in Snohomish County.
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Summer kelp surveys

In August, the Snohomish MRC Kelp Team was joined by County Council Member Megan Dunn and her Legislative Aide, Paula Rhyne, to monitor bull kelp at their Edmonds site.

Marine Resources Committees in six counties participate in this effort to monitor how much kelp remains in the region and how it changes over time.

Learn more about the kelp monitoring project here. You can also view the collected kelp data in our SoundIQ web mapping application here. 

Photo left to right: Megan Dunn, Paula Rhyne, Tom Doerge (MRC member), Alex Pittman (MRC staff), Traci Sanderson (community volunteer; former MRC member), Brie Townsend (MRC member), Elisa Dawson (MRC staff).

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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October 2021 Commission Meeting

October 29

Zoom

  • Member Spotlight: Tim Cochnauer

  • Welcome Leah!

    Northwest Straits

    This month we are pleased to welcome Leah Robison as the Northwest Straits Commission Ecosystem Projects Assistant. Leah will be coordinating and providing support to various projects and programs such as green crab trapping and forage fish spawn monitoring. Read more about Leah here. 

  • Oyster check up

    Jefferson MRC

    Jefferson MRC members and volunteers spent some time out on the beach checking up on how their Olympia oyster restoration site fared after the summer heat wave. The MRC has worked on restoring these native oysters in Discovery Bay since 2013.

    After monitoring the site and analyzing the data, they were relieved to see that the oyster population fared surprisingly well during the heat wave, with no significant die off and good recruitment from last year. Learn more about Jefferson MRC's Olympia oyster project here.

  • Clallam MRC Intern Celebration

    Clallam MRC

    Clallam MRC held their annual 2021 Internship Celebration recently to mark the conclusion of their summer internship season. The virtual format did not diminish from the attendees’ enthusiasm and the impressive presentations given by the three students from the program.

    Each delivered an overview to the group with data, pictures and summary findings from their respective field projects that they completed with an assigned mentor from the MRC. Click here to read more about Clallam MRC’s 2021 interns.

Member Spotlight: Tim Cochnauer

Clallam MRC

“For as long as I can remember I have always enjoyed the water and wide array of activities that the water provides,” says Tim Cochnauer, Clallam MRC member. “My first love is fishing (catch and release), but I am an avid boater, a certified SCUBA participant, a snorkeler, and a general all-around observer.”

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Upcoming Events

  • Oct

    29

    October 2021 Commission Meeting

    Friday
    October 29
    10:00 am-12:00 pm

    Zoom

  • Nov

    18

    2021 Northwest Straits Conference

    Thursday
    November 18
    3:30pm-5:00pm

    Our annual conference will be held virtually this year, as a series of four virtual informative sessions centered on climate change impacts and local action in the Salish Sea region. This is the first event in the series, open by invitation only to MRC members, staff, and other Northwest Straits Initiative participants. More information will be sent by email. 

    Zoom

  • Dec

    10

    December 2021 Commission Meeting

    Friday
    December 10
    10:00 am-12:00 pm

    Zoom