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.
Mystery Bay Harbor Management Plan
In 2009, Mystery Bay was threatened with a foreclosure for commercial shellfish operations by Washington Department of Health (WADOH). This was due to the high number of mooring buoys in the bay, and the environmental threat that the associated vessels for those buoys proposed on marine water quality.
Action was taken to combat this problem through the removal of ten derelict mooring buoys, drastically reducing the number of vessels and their subsequent pollution from the area. The Jefferson County MRC took action by establishing a Voluntary No-Anchor Zone in Mystery Bay, which proved to be effective. The result of these efforts was Mystery Bay being approved to allow commercial harvest of shellfish in April 2010.
By: Gabrielle LaRoche
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Jefferson County
Length: 11
Kayak Point Pre-Restoration Monitoring
In order to determine how the Kayak Point County Park beach changed due to restoration effort, WSU Snohomish County Extension Beach Watchers were contracted to complete pre-restoration monitoring including: elevation, intertidal vegetation and sediment baseline information.
By: WSU Snohomish County Extension Beach Watchers
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Snohomish County
Length: 53
Kayak Point County Park Restoration Project Design
This report shows a conceptual planting scenario for the proposed Kayak Point County Park Beach
Enhancement Project.
By: Coastal Geologic Services, Snohomish County Parks and Recreation
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Snohomish County
Length: 19
Proposed Installation Details for Parking Lot EBuffer
This report provides the objectives and details for proposed EBuffer parking lot design in Coupeville, WA. EBuffers incorporate the phyto-based rhizosphere treatment concept as an integral part of an engineered water treatment system. The EBuffer system is designed to remove organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater effluents, contaminated soils, and non-point source pollution
By: Dr. Louis Licht, P.E. Ecolotree Inc.
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Island County
Length: 22
Northwest Straits Initiative Annual Report 2009
The annual report for the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative for the year 2009.
By: Northwest Straits
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Northwest Straits
Length: 36
Snohomish MRC's 2009 Annual Report
The following is Snohomish MRC's 2009 annual report and recommendations.
By: Snohomish MRC
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Snohomish County
Length: 15
Oak Bay Archaeological Survey Report
This is an archaeological survey report of the Oak Bay County Park shoreline restoration area. Jefferson County MRC is considering a shoreline restoration project within the boundaries of a recorded archaeological site, that has a shell midden deposit known to contain human remains. This report analyses potential areas for removal and reconstruction, to promote a healthier shoreline and marine habitat.
By: Gary C. Wessen
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Jefferson County
Length: 27
Skagit Restoration Initiative
This report part of the Skagit Restoration Initiative, specifically the annual workplan for Natural Resources Damages Settlement payment from Kimberly-Clark, Scott Paper Mill Site, to the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Foundation. The work plan's objective is the restoration of sediment transport process and forage fish spawning habitat at March's Point and Padilla Bay.
By: Skagit Marine Resources Committee
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Skagit County
Length: 4
Pigeon Guillemot Study on Whidbey Island
This is a monitoring study of Pigeon Guillemots during breeding season on Whidbey Islands. Five beaches were selected as study sites, where several factors were documented: colony behavior, active burrows, prey selection, frequency of deliveries, and fledging success. The breeding success of these birds has been correlated with the overall health of the Puget Sound.
By: Govinda Rosling, The Evergreen State College
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Island County
Length: 13
Jefferson County MRC 2010 Annual Report
This is Jefferson County's MRC Annual Report for 2010.
By: Jefferson County MRC
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Jefferson County
Length: 9
Quality Assurance Project Plan for Monitoring Stormwater Contaminants in the Shallow Aquifer Near Seaquim, Clallam County, WA
This details the process of the Clallam County Marine Resource Committee investigating the groundwater quality in the shallow aquifer draining into streams and marine waters of the Dungeness watershed. The projects intent was first to determine the ambient quality of shallow ground water in the region, as well as determining the concentrations of specific storm water contaminates.
By: Anne Soule
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Clallam County
Length: 25
Data Inventory for Island County
This is a data inventory for Island County of various projects from 2000 - 2010.
By: Island County
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Island County
Length: 1
Marine Species mortality rate in derelict fishing nets in Puget Sound and financial logistics of derelict gear removal
This report provides a synopsis of detrimental issues that arise from derelict fishing gear in the Puget Sounds. Derelict gear artificially modifies the sea floor and rocky reefs, which can alter the entire marine ecosystem in an area. Derelict gear can also foul fishing boat props, clutter fishing grounds, and impede fisherman from safely and efficiently fishing an area.
Marine surveys in the Puget Sound have provided insight into the amount of derelict gear dispersed in certain regions, and this information is in turn being used to compose cost/benefit plans to remove it.
By: Kirsten V.K. Gilardi, Daphune Carlson-Bremer, Jeffery A. June, Kyle Antonelis, Ginny Broadhurst, Tom Cowan
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Puget Sound
Length: 7
San Juan County MRC 2010 Annual Report
This is San Juan County MRC Annual Report for 2010.
By: San Juan MRC
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: San Juan County
Length: 7
Pigeon Guillemot Prey Selection Informational Poster
This is an informational poster of prey selection for Pigeon Guillemots nesting on Whidbey Island, WA.
By: Phyllis Kind, Govinda Rosling, Kirsten Kreamer, Houston Flores, Frances Wood Whidbey Audubon Society, and Island County MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Island County
Length: 1
San Juan County MRC Annual Report
This is San Juan MRC's Annual Report for 2010.
By: San Juan MRC
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: San Juan County
Length: 6
Maynard Nearshore Restoration Project
This report outlines the details of the Maynard Nearshore Restoration Project. The site located at the head of Discovery Bay in Jefferson County, WA., while the northwestern shores of Discovery Bay are in Clallam County. Both counties are in agreeance with the need to restore this area to restore the streams, their estuaries, and associated shorelines that have been impacted by human activities.
By: Jefferson County MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Clallam County, Jefferson County
Length: 16
Coast Salish and U.S. Geological Survey Tribal Journey Water Quality Project
This report presents the findings of a water quality study of the Salish Sea to analyze the Coast Salish ancestral waters and the response of its coastal environments to climate change and land use impacts.
By: Sarah K. Akin, Dr. Eric E. Grossman
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Puget Sound, Skagit County
Length: 61
Habitat Restoration Feasibility Assessment: Cornet Bay/Hoypus Point Improvement Project
This report is a proposal and assessment of upgrading the Cornet Bay/Hoypus Point area in Deception Pass State Park. The proposed upgrades would include improvement to upland facilities, marine facilities, and nearshore habitat. This report focuses on the nearshore habitat improvement aspects of the project.
By: Herrera Environmental Consultants
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Island County
Length: 165
Bank Stabilization and Beach Nourishment at Weaverling Spit Samish Indian Nation
In this report, the Samish Indian Nation restored 550 feet of eroding shoreline via an engineered soft shore. During the execution of the project, efforts were made to protect an archeological site near the shoreline that was in danger of eroding onto the beach. Other areas of focus included providing habitat for forage fish spawning along with vegetation to promote shade.
By: Samish Indian Nation
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Skagit County
Length: 19
Report and Recommendations to the San Juan County Council for NOAA's Proposed Vessel Rule
In 2009, NOAA proposed new vessel regulations in order to combat the effects of boat proximity to the southern resident orcas population. Several years of monitoring indicate that the number of boats and the duration of the time they spend following the whales around the San Juan Islands has increased significantly over the last two decades. Boat traffic has negative effects on the orcas, by sound disturbance, impacts on foraging, communication, and resting.
NOAAs proposed vessel rule includes three factors: prohibiting boat traffic from approaching whales within 200 yards, keep clear of the whales forward path within 400 yards, and establishing a specific "no-go zone" during a set monthly time period. This report provides details for this proposed rule, as well as means to enforce it.
By: San Juan MRC
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: San Juan County
Length: 15
Lone Tree Creek and Pocket Estuary Restoration: Progress Report for 2004-2008 Fish Monitoring
This report presents the findings for monitoring sites upstream of the pocket estuary for 3 years prior to the restoration project being completed, and for 2 years of monitoring after completion. The main objectives of the project were to increase the size and ecological capacity of the estuary through two ways: restoring tidal hydrology and restoring freshwater hydrology and sediment dynamics.
Analysis of the area after completion indicate that these goals were met.
By: Eric Beamer, Rich Henderson, Karen Wolf
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Skagit County
Length: 11
Snohomish County 2009 Derelict Fishing Gear Project
The scope of work of this project entailed re-surveying the area cleaned of crab pots in 2008 with sidescan sonar and investigating and/or removing newly lost derelict crab pots to ascertain the number of pots lost in the 2008 crab fishing season.
By: Natural Resources Consultants, Inc.
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Snohomish County
Length: 16
Survey of Whatcom County Nearshore Rockfish by Remotely Operated Vehicle and Implications for Marine Protected Areas
To better understand rockfish
distribution in Whatcom County and to provide additional information for future marine protected area location decisions, video ROV surveys were conducted at four locations in Whatcom County to determine rockfish abundance, distribution, and habitat preference.
By: Sara Smith and Dr. David Shull
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Whatcom County
Length: 41
Restoration of the Native Oyster in Fidalgo Bay Year Seven Report
The Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, was a common shellfish species in the Puget Sound prior to over harvesting and increasing pollution from the late 1800s through the mid 20th century. Skagit County MRC, the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, as well as other partners have began attempting to reintroduce the native oysters in favorable areas in Fidalgo Bay. Continued monitoring and environmental enhancement are aiding in promoting the growth of the species in the area.
By: Paul Dinel, Neil Borman, Ivar Dolph, Dixon Elder, John Giboney, Erica Pickett, Jim Ramaglia, Tom Richards, Paul Sund, Christine Woodward
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Skagit County
Length: 36