Speed Dating with Scientists
The Science Advisory Committee began Speed Dating with a Scientist with the goal of engendering ever deeper interactions between the rich and diverse natural and social science conducted in the Northwest Straits Region of the Salish Sea and the Marine Resources Committees (MRCs) of the seven northern counties in Washington State.
For 30 minutes at monthly meetings, the Northwest Straits Commission speed dates with a researcher actively working in our region on projects that are, or could be, amenable to public involvement: they describe their work, Commissioners ask questions, science fills the airwaves, sparks fly, and new ideas emerge. We believe this is the essence of actionable science - authentic, place-based community engagement that speaks directly to the scientific merit and the broader impacts of grant-funded work.
Want to find a program that was mentioned or follow up with the researcher on an idea that came out of a speed date? Check out the resources from past speed dates below.
Thinking about how to engage coastal communities in your science? Interested in presenting to the Northwest Straits Commission on your actively funded work in our region, please feel free to contact Dana Oster (Marine Program Manager), or Julia Parrish (Chair of the Science Advisory Committee).
Overview of native Ostrea lurida restoration efforts in WA – Why MRC efforts are key
Julieta Martinelli, Olympia Oyster Program Lead, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Expertise:
- Olympia Oyster restoration & monitoring
- Benthic (paleo) ecology
- Shellfish aquaculture and associated pests/predators
- Microplastics
Contact: julieta.martinelli@dfw.wa.gov
Resources
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Plan for Rebuilding Olympia Oyster (Ostrea lurida) Populations in Puget Sound with a Historical and Contemporary Overview (2012)
- Native Olympia Oyster Collaborative
Collaborative Resource Management and Data-Driven Decision Making for a Sustainable Fishing Future
Liz Tobin, Shellfish Program Manager, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
Expertise & Resources:
- Managing treaty shellfish fisheries for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
- Co-management of Puget Sound shellfish stocks with Western Washington Tribes and the State of Washington.
- Shellfish research, restoration, and aquaculture projects
- Collaborating with the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group
- Co-PI on Dungeness crab Population Genetics study
Contact: etobin@jamestowntribe.org
Websites: Jamestown S'klallam Fisheries & Jamestown S'kallam Natural Resources
Long Live the Kings Salmon Recovery Projects and Ohop Creek Stormwater Management Pilot Project
Keith Estes, Project Manager at Long Live the Kings
Expertise:
- Salmon recovery by advancing science, implementing solutions and improving management
- Gamifying data to educate students and the public through Survive the Sound
- Monitoring Pacific Herring
- Testing an above ground biofiltration system to filter stormwater and protect salmon at the Ohop Creek Pilot Project
Contact: kestes@lltk.org
Website: LLTK Home - Long Live The Kings
Use of Science in Ecosystem Recovery Partnerships in the Puget Sound
Double Date:
Tom Koontz, Professor of Environmental Policy at University of Washington Tacoma
Craig Thomas, Professor of Public Policy in the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington Seattle
Expertise:
- Environmental social science – an interdisciplinary field focusing on human institutions, decisions and behaviors that affect and are affected by the environment
- Use of science in collaborative decision making among public, private, and nonprofit partners
- Science-policy interface
- Understanding human dimensions to allow for better use of science in decision making
- Collaborative environmental governance
Contact: koontz31@uw.edu; thomasc@uw.edu
Resources:
- Use of Science in Ecosystem Recovery Partnerships in the Puget Sound: A survey report for stakeholders
- Available for download pre-publication (free) version of Improving the Use of Science in Collaborative Governance a chapter from the Handbook of Collaborative Public Management.
Websites:
Measuring Demand for Freshwater Recreation in the North Puget Sound Region: A Revealed Preference Approach
Braeden Van Deynze, Natural Resource Economist for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Expertise:
- Recreation economics
- Design of landowner incentive programs
- Cost-effective conservation planning
- Research on the economics of restoration planning
Contact: Braeden.VanDeynze@dfw.wa.gov
Resources:
- Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation in Washington: Participation and Expenditures in 2022.
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, Washington
- What influences spatial variability in restoration costs? Econometric cost models for inference and prediction in restoration planning
- Potential supply of Midwest cropland for conversion to in-field prairie strips
Eyes on Kelp
Double Date:
Jodie Toft, Deputy Director, Puget Sound Restoration Fund
Hilary Hayford, Nearshore Ecologist and Habitat Research Director, Puget Sound Restoration Fund
Expertise:
- Integrating people and partners in in-water habitat monitoring and restoration
- Coastal biological and oceanographic research
- Science-based restoration design and implementation to rebuild native shellfish and kelp habitat
- Underwater kelp community monitoring
Contact: hilary@restorationfund.org, jodie@restorationfund.org
Resources:
- Eyes on Kelp - Puget Sound Restoration Fund
- Bull Kelp Recovery - Puget Sound Restoration Fund
- Olympia Oyster Restoration - Puget Sound Restoration Fund
- Pinto Abalone Recovery - Puget Sound Restoration Fund
Beneficial Use of Dredge Materials in the Lower Columbia River
Chanda Littles, Coastal Ecologist and Science Lead, Estuary Program, Portland District of the US Army Corp of Engineers
Expertise:
- Coastal resource management and environmental stewardship.
- Population biology, seagrass ecology, wetland policy and regulation, and coastal ecosystem services.
- Beneficial use of dredged material to enhance habitat for juvenile salmonids and other species in the Lower Columbia River Estuary.
- Applied research that can inform decision-making.
Contact: Chanda.J.Littles@usace.army.mil
Resources:
REEF Environmental Education Foundation
Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Co-Executive Director, for Science & Engagement Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)
Expertise:
- Fish and marine invertebrate identification for recreational divers.
- Use of fish count data to track abundance, migration, reproduction, effects of disease, and ocean warming
Contact: christy@REEF.org or Janna Nichols, Citizen Science Program Manager: janna@reef.org
Website: https://www.reef.org/
Disease Outbreaks in Eelgrass Heating up with Climate Change
Drew Harvell, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University;
Affiliate Faculty and researcher at University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories
Expertise:
- Ocean biodiversity
- Ocean health and sustainability
- Ecology of infectious disease
- Invertebrate resistance to disease
- Climate change impacts in the ocean
Contact: cdh5@cornell.edu
Website: https://drewharvell.com/
COASSTers among us
Jackie Lindsey, Science Coordinator Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)
Expertise:
- Marine ecology
- Marine bird identification and monitoring
- Marine debris monitoring
- Beach surveys
- Public engagement in science
Contact: coasst@uw.edu
Website: https://coasst.org/
Yellow Island Intertidal Monitoring Project
Chris Mantegna, PhD graduate student, UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Yellow Island Intertidal Monitoring (video)
Expertise:
- Mentorship Program Coordinator for BWEEMS - Black Women in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Science
- Science Communication Content Creator for BIMS - Black in Marine Science
- Research Mentor for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the UW, a decade-long program dedicated to making U.S. conservation a more inclusive, socially just and diverse space.
Contact: cnmntgna@uw.edu
Monitoring Washington’s marine wildlife by air, water, and land
Scott Pearson, Senior Research Scientist Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
Expertise:
- Western Washington Wildlife Research Team Leader for WDFW
- Wildlife ecology with a particular focus on birds, from Streaked Horned Larks to Snowy Plovers, Marbled Murrelets and Tufted Puffins
- Working to identify the mechanisms responsible for the decline of marine species of conservation concern, including habitat change, and climate change
Contact: Scott.Pearson@dfw.wa.gov
Resources:
Backyard Buoys Project
Jan Newton, Senior Principal Oceanographer, UW Applied Physics Lab & Affiliate Professor in the School of Oceanography and the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs
Expertise:
- Biological oceanography, with a focus on the physical, chemical, and biological dynamics of Puget Sound and coastal Washington, including understanding effects from climate and humans on water properties.
Ocean observing, including:
- Lead PI for Backyard Buoys, a project to empower Indigenous and other coastal communities in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and the Pacific Islands to collect, steward, and use wave data to support their blue economy: maritime activities, food security, and coastal hazard protection.
- Executive Director of the Northwest Association of Networked Observing Systems
- Co-Director of the Washington Ocean Acidification Center
Contact: janewton@uw.edu
Shoreline restoration for nearshore fishes
Tessa Francis, Lead Ecosystem Ecologist, Puget Sound Institute at the UW Tacoma and the Managing Director of the Ocean Modeling Forum
Expertise:
- Ecosystem-based management and indicators of change: systems-based approach to marine natural resource management and stewardship.
- Nearshore habitat restoration and function to support forage fish and juvenile salmon.
- Aquatic food webs and the impacts of environmental variables and human activities on aquatic species and food-web dynamics.
- Model-based advice for ocean management using multi-model approaches.
Contact: tessa@uw.edu
Resources: pugetsoundinstitute.org
- Co-PI on Dungeness crab Population Genetics study