Clallam County MRC
Overview
Clallam County's 254 miles of shoreline stretch from the northern third of Washington’s rugged outer coast and the length of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the middle of Discovery Bay. Its rich nearshore and marine waters are entry to the Northwest Straits, transited thousands of times each year by container ships, tankers and barges bound for Puget Sound ports. This geography fuels marine economic activity - commercial and sport fishing, marine transportation services, ship building, tourism and a strong Coast Guard presence.
Much of the county is rural, with westernmost marine waters bounded by Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and its southern border cutting across Olympic National Park. Home to 71,000 people - nearly 20,000 of whom are in the county seat of Port Angeles – Clallam County boasts a mild marine climate and unique blend of native and non-native cultures.
Since 2012, Clallam MRC has partnered with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe restoring native Olympia oysters in Sequim Bay. Their efforts have resulted in a thriving oyster bed of approximately 0.64 acres with an estimated population of over 46,000 oysters. The MRC is looking at new sites to expand Olympia oyster restoration in coming years.
Clallam MRC boasts a successful marine debris program, resulting in the removal of 2.12 tons of debris from local beaches in 2015. Beach cleanup projects mobilized 170 volunteers at seven locations, including their annual 5th of July cleanup event where volunteers of all ages collected sparkler sticks and other firework remains along with other marine debris.
To provide community members with skills needed to respond to an oil spill, Clallam maintained their oil spill preparedness and response training series in 2015. Due to high demand, the MRC expanded the program to include additional trainings, reaching 125 volunteers this year and over 600 since the MRC began.
Recent Projects
- Olympia Oyster Restoration in Sequim Bay - Results include a thriving oyster bed, approximately 0.64 acres with an estimated population of over 46,000 oysters.
- Oil Spill Response Training - HAZWOPER & Oiled Wildlife Training/Certification reaching 125 total participants.
- Student Intern Program - 5 interns support work in oyster restoration, community outreach, marine debris removal, oil spill preparedness and invasive shoreline plants.
- Education and Public Outreach - Dungeness River Festival reaching 3,000 + attendees and other events.
- Marine Debris Program - Removal of 2.12 tons of debris from local beaches mobilizing 170 volunteers at seven locations.