Resource Library
Our library contains a collection of materials from projects and meetings brought to you by the Northwest Straits Commission and the seven Marine Resources Committees. Please contact Commission staff if you are unable to find what you are looking for online.
Enter keywords to search below. Results will include resources that contain any, but not necessarily all, of the keywords.
Salish Sea Stewards & Beach Naturalist Programs volunteer Training & Coordination
This report is a summary of the Skagit MRC Salish Sea Stewards & Beach Naturalist programs volunteer training and coordination. Both of these programs were coordinated as part of the Coastal Volunteer Partnership at Padilla Bay, a collaborative program aimed at increasing citizens abilities to protect and restore natural resources along Skagit County shorelines.
By: Catherine Buchalski
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Skagit County
Length: 153
Island County MRC Aerial and Underwater Videography Assessments of Eelgrass in Island County
This is a report of a eelgrass beds monitoring project in Island County from June 2014 through August 2015. The goal of the project was to measure the largest eelgrass beds in the region, ones which are susceptible to environmental degradation due to human activity. Monitoring of the beds was carried out via underwater videography as well as aerial photography during low tides. The three core sites showed to have stable eelgrass beds in comparison to previous years.
By: Gregg M. Ridder
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Island County
Length: 38
Bowman Bay Nearshore Restoration: Project Background, Scope, and Objectives
This report presents the details of the proposed removal of 1,300 cubic yards of rock riprap, stretching over 540 feet of shoreline at the Bowman Bay Day Use Area of Deception Pass State Park in Skagit County.
The intended result of the removal is to restore nearshore natural processes, specifically to promote a natural beach gradient to match that of the adjacent unarmored shoreline.
By: Northwest Straits Marine Conservation
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Skagit County
Length: 4
Pinto Abalone Recovery Project
This report presents the details of the pinto abalone recovery project, a long term joint effort with state and federal agencies, NGOs, universities, and tribes. The main goal of the project is to generate genetically diverse, disease free, hatchery raised larval and juvenile pinto abalone for supplementation and restoration of wild stocks.
By: Josh Bouma- Puget Sound Restoration Fund
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Skagit County
Length: 9
Island County MRC 2015 Annual Report
This is Island County MRC's Annual Report for 2015.
By: Anna Toledo
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Island County
Length: 10
Intertidal Biota Monitoring at Boulevard Park
In order to assess the success the 2013 restoration project at Boulevard Park, Whatcom MRC conducted intertidal surveys examining beach slope, substrate, and diversity of intertidal organisms. In addition, these surveys helped provide a baseline for monitoring ecologic function at the park. Four different sites were assessed at four tidal elevations (+6', +4', +1', and -1'). Findings showed that the intertidal plant and animal life varied annually, site to site, and even in each quadrant.
By: Wendy Steffensen
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Whatcom County
Length: 58
Bowman Bay Nearshore Restoration Project Design
This is a report on the specifications regarding the bulkhead removal and shoreline restoration/enhancement for Bowman Bay. Located at Deception Pass State Park, Bowman Bay serves as a pocket estuary that provides habitat to small salmonoid and other forage fish. The goal of the project is to restore the beachfront to a more natural setting through bulkhead removal, resulting in beach nourishment.
By: Coastal Geologic Services Inc., Skagit MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Skagit County
Length: 16
Underwater Videography Procedure
This report shows the process of installing and operating an underwater videography system in a boat.
By: Island MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Sound Science
Location: Island County
Length: 12
Underwater Videography Task
This is a report on how to map and tract areas monitored via underwater videography.
By: Gregg Ridder
Published:
Benchmark: Sound Science
Location: Island County
Length: 43
QAPP Olympia Oyster Restoration in Sequim Bay
This Quality Assurance Project Plan outlines the restoration plan for the native Olympia oysters in Sequim Bay. These oysters once thrived in the Puget Sound, but over harvesting and pollution has decimated the population over the last 160 years. In recent years, efforts have increased to restore these native shellfish back to a viable population. This project in particular is working to restore 100 acres of Olympia oyster habitat in the Puget Sound area by 2020.
By: Victoria Cantelow, Clallam County MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Clallam County
Length: 13
Monitoring Plan: Status and Trends in Fidalgo Bay and NW March's Point Beach Nourishment Project
This report presents the monitoring plan for the Northwest March's Point Beach Nourishment Project. The plan was developed to ascertain the effectiveness of the beach nourishment project, and to learn about the effects of shoreline development, modifications, and restoration efforts.
By: Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Foundation
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Skagit County
Length: 127
Pinto Abalone Restoration Monitoring Plan
This is a report of the Pinto Abalone Monitoring Plan, Protocols and Abbreviated QAPP. Pinto abalone are in great decline and since 2009, outplanting of genetically diverse hatchery abalone have been used to restore populations in the wild. A important part of the restoration effort is continued monitoring of the abalone to determine is the project is working, and gather information about adaptive management strategies. In collaboration with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, the Skagit MRC will monitor the shellfish growth, density, and survival rate.
By: Puget Sound Restoration Fund
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Skagit County
Length: 7
Intertidal Biota Monitoring in the Cherry Point & Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserves
This report is the Quality Assurance Project Plan for Intertidal Biota Monitoring in the Cherry Point and Fidalgo Bay Washington Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Reserves. This study analyses the intertidal shoreline on these two reserves, observing the diversity, distribution, and abundance of species. Monitoring results are to be used as a baseline for noticing changes, then determining if these changes are beneficial or detrimental, and natural or human induced.
By: Washington Department of Natural Resources
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location:
Length: 33
Port Townsend Waterfront Video Eelgrass Survey Map
This is a map from the Port Townsend waterfront video Eelgrass survey.
By: National Geographic Society
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Jefferson County
Length: 1
Northwest Straits Annual Report 2014
The annual report for the Northwest Straits Commission for the year 2014.
By: Northwest Straits Commission
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Northwest Straits
Length: 18
San Juan MRC 2015 Marine Managers Workshop: Increased Vessel Traffic
In March 2015, people living and working around the San Juan and Gulf Islands gathered to discuss implications the inevitable increasing volume of vessel traffic will have on ecosystem management in the region. The workshop focused on three concepts: understanding risk from marine vessel traffic, reasonable responses for marine managers, and strategizing potential actions to address vessel traffic risks.
By: San Juan MRC
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: San Juan County
Length: 25
Development of Plans for Renewed Forage Fish Spawn Surveys in Island County, WA
This report is a summary of information for developing plans for forage fish surveys in Island County, WA. Forage fish focused on in the surveys include Surf smelt and Pacific Sand lance. The report includes spawning habitat surveys, habitat ecology reports, survey protocols, etc.
By: Dan Penttila
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Island County
Length: 159
QAPP Island County MRC Eelgrass Monitoring Program
This is a quality assurance progress plan for monitoring eelgrass beds in Island County. Eelgrass is a critical ecological aspect for nearshore habitat in the Puget Sound and Northwest Straits. It provides habitat and food for a diverse group of organisms, and consequently serves as an indicator species for the marine environment. Using aerial photography and underwater videography, the health of eelgrass beds in Island County are monitored in 3 main areas: Holmes Harbor, Penn Cove, and Cornet Bay.
By: Anna Toledo
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Island County
Length: 73
QAPP Island MRC Beach Seining Program
In response to declining salmon populations resulting from habitat degradation, there are increasing nearshore habitat evaluations via beach seining. The information gathered from seining will be used to monitor current population trends and density, as well as serving as a baseline for future monitoring.
By: Anna Toledo
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Island County
Length: 14
Phytoremediation Program in Island County
Phytoremediation is the process of using plants to extract and contain contaminants from soil and water via uptake from their root systems. Plants are then able to concentrate these harmful elements and even metabolize some molecules into their tissue. Clallam MRC is using this technology around storm water runoff areas to reduced the amount of detrimental contaminants from reaching the marine environment.
By: Joe Hillers
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Island County
Length: 11
Pigeon Guillemot Long Range Study Results
This report presents the findings of a six year study by the Island County MRC and Whidbey Audubon of Pigeon Guillemots in the Salish Sea. Being that these birds serve as indicator species, it is important to tract and understand the overall health of the species. This study provided a baseline for guillemot breeding success as well as the type of prey they feed their young.
By: Frances Wood, Govinda Rosling, Kristen Kreamer, Kelly Zupich, Phyllis Kind
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Island County
Length: 4
North Chuckanut Bay PIC Water Quality Monitoring
This report is the Quality Assurance Project Plan for North Chuckanut Bay Pollution Identification and Correction Water Quality Monitoring for Fecal Coliform. The main goals of this project are to understand fecal coliform levels within the Chuckanut watershed, observe seasonal variations of bacteria, identify sources of pollutants, and develop solutions for combating them.
By: Austin Rose
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Whatcom County
Length: 29
Fidalgo Bay Day 2014 Beach Seine Report
The annual Fidalgo Bay Day community education and outreach for 2014 was held on September 12, 2014 at the Samish Tribes RV Park on South Fidalgo Bay. The event drew a lot of community observers, as MRC members executed a beach seine before a crowd of local residents.
By: Skagit County MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Education and Outreach
Location: Skagit County
Length: 3
Northwest Straits Commission Ocean Acidification Fact Sheet
This fact sheet details the actions being taken by the Northwest Straits Commission and seven MRCs to address the issue of ocean acidification. Actions are linked to the Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification report.
By: Northwest Straits Commission
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Northwest Straits
Length: 2
Sequim Bay Olympia Oyster Restoration Area Map
This is picture of the area of focus for the Olympia oyster restoration project in Sequim Bay in Clallam County.
By: Clallam MRc
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Clallam County
Length: 1