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.
Island County MRC 2016 Annual Report
This report summarizes the work of Island MRC for 2016.
By: Anna Toledo
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Island County
Length: 14
Whatcom Education and Outreach 2016 Summary Report
This report outlines the various educational and outreach activities by Whatcom MRC throughout 2016 including: participation in Whatcom Water Weeks, clam surveys in partnership with the Garden of the Salish Sea Curriculum, development of the Jerry’s Journey interpretive trail, and other annual local events. The MRC typically focuses on outreach events promoting clean water and protecting shellfish resources and brings displays, fact sheets, and staff and volunteers to interact with the public and answer questions at these various events. These support materials are included in this report.
By: Whatcom County Public Works Staff
Published:
Benchmark: Education and Outreach
Location: Whatcom County
Length: 10
Chuckanut Pollution Identification and Correction Program
Whatcom MRC worked with the Whatcom County Health Department, Whatcom County Public Works – Natural Resources, Washington Department of Health, citizen volunteers, and the local community to establish a community driven Pollution Identification and Correction Program, and ultimately restore the recreational shellfish area of North Chuckanut Bay. Volunteers conducted intensive water quality sampling (in both the freshwater and marine water) with the goal to characterize fecal coliform levels within the Chuckanut watershed and seasonal variation of those bacteria levels to identify sources of pollutants, suggest water quality improvement projects, attain water quality standards, and protect beneficial uses (including recreational shellfish harvesting). This report includes maps, photos and information on an education and outreach event coordinated during the grant period.
By: Whatcom County Public Works Staff
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Whatcom County
Length: 6
Snohomish MRC 2016 Annual Report
This report summarizes the work of Snohomish MRC for 2016.
By: Kathleen Pozarycki
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Snohomish County
Length: 19
Fidalgo Bay Day 2016 - Final Report
This report details the 2016 Fidalgo Bay Day hosted annually by Skagit MRC to increase public awareness of the marine environment and foster environmental stewardship. The document contains photos of interactive displays, food and venue. It also contains details on participating organizations, donors, volunteer records, outreach materials and media coverage.
By: Skagit MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Education and Outreach
Location: Skagit County
Length: 34
Mussel Watch 2015/16 Summary Report
Candidate mussel monitoring sites were chosen as part of the Washington State Regional Stormwater Monitoring Program (RSMP) linking stormwater contaminiation affects in the urban growth areas of the Puget Sound. 2016 was the pilot round of RSMP mussel monitoring on new sites in Whatcom County. Volunteers were asked to go to candidate mussel monitoring sites during a daylight low tide in the spring and get permission from the land-owner to access the beach and evaluate the space mussel cage placement. The volunteers also were asked to deploy the mussel cage during a range of specified night-time low tides in October then retrieve the mussel cage during a range of specified low tides in February 2016. This report contains photos of volunteers, a list of volunteers and media coverage.
By: Whatcom County Public Works Staff
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Whatcom County
Length: 35
Salish Sea Stewards and Beach Naturalists Final Report
This final report summarizes the 2016 Salish Sea Stewards volunteer training and Beach Naturalist programs coordinated as part of the Coastal Volunteer Partnership at Padilla Bay, referred to as the CVP. In addition to a program summary and breakdown, the report also includes training hour details, publications and outreach materials.
By: Samantha Russell, Skagit MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Education and Outreach
Location: Skagit County
Length: 89
Pinto Abalone Recovery Project - 2016 Final Report
This report details the steps being taken in effort restore the pinto abalone population in northern Puget Sound waters. Skagit MRC and Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF), with oversight from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), has developed a conservation aquaculture program designed to supplement depleted wild stocks. Information on hatchery management and specific outplant locations can be found in this report.
By: Josh Bouma, Puget Sound Restoration Fund; Paul Dinnel, Skagit MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Skagit County
Length: 15
Long-Term Maintenance and Management Funding Strategies Report Snohomish County Nearshore Beach Restoration
This Long-Term Maintenance and Management Funding Strategies Report identifies potential mechanisms for funding the maintenance activities at the sites of the Snohomish County Nearshore Beach Restoration Project. The project involved restoring the beach at Howarth Park and placing sandy material at five other beach locations between the cities of Everett and Mukilteo. The imported material supports shoreline habitats by adding beach sediments to the nearshore area that would naturally be supplied by coastal bluffs and streams if they were not disconnected as a sediment supply to the shoreline by the railroad. By design, the placed material will be naturally redistributed by waves and currents away from the locations it was deposited. Over time, there will be a need to place additional material in order to continue to realize the ecological and recreational benefits. In anticipation of the need for future maintenance to prolong the benefits of the restoration, this Long-Term Maintenance and Management Funding Strategies Report was prepared to estimate the costs of future maintenance and identify and recommend strategies to fund these activities.
By: Snohomish MRC, Anchor QEA
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Snohomish County
Length: 57
Restoration of the Native Oyster, Ostrea lurida, in Fidalgo Bay, Padilla Bay and Cypress Island Year Fourteen Report
Restoration of the Native Oyster in Fidalgo Bay, Washington - Year Fourteen Report. The Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, is native to the Pacific Coast of North America. Populations declined rapidly after the arrival of European settlers and overharvest was apparent in the late 1800’s. In the early 20th century, severe pollution from pulp and paper mills heavily impacted Pacific oyster cultivation and may have had significant adverse effects on native oyster populations, especially in South Puget Sound. In Anacortes, WA, a restoration project began in Fidalgo Bay in 2002, a cooperative project between Skagit County MRC, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, WA Department of Fish & Wildlife and other partners to establish several native oyster beds. Subsequent to successful planting of seed oysters in 2002 and again in 2003, 2004 and 2006, survival rate, growth and natural recruitment have been deemed high, and additional natural recruitment has been seen in Fidalgo Bay at areas outside the seed planting sites, with exceptionally high recruitment in 2015. Monitoring from 2014 to 2016 has shown native oyster recruitment to be exceptionally high in these new plots. Since 2002, the estimated abundance of native oysters in Fidalgo Bay has steadily increased from about 50,000 oysters to about 4.8 million oysters in 2016.
By: Skagit MRC, Paul Dinnel
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location:
Length: 0
Burrowing behavior, habitat, and functional morphology of the Pacific sand lance
The Pacific sand lance spends much of its life buried in the seafloor. This paper examines sediment preferences of the Pacific sand lance and candidacy for habitat-based management.
By: Joseph J. Bizzarro, Ashley N. Peterson, Jennifer M. Blaine, Jordan P. Balaban, H. Gary Greene, Adam P. Summers
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Northwest Straits
Length: 16
Northwest Straits Commission Handbook 2015-2016
This is a reference document for Commission Members that includes meeting dates, contact information for Commissioners, Alternates and Staff, Rules of Procedure, the Strategic Plan, financial information and roles and responsibilities for various elected positions and committees.
By: Northwest Straits Commission Staff
Published:
Benchmark:
Location: Northwest Straits
Length: 34
Northwest Straits Annual Report 2015
Annual report for the Northwest Straits Commission for the year 2015.
By: Northwest Straits Commission
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location:
Length: 0
Three-year Work Plan for MSA
This plan outlines the priorities for the Marine Stewardship Area Plan for San Juan MRC. Priorities include fostering a stewardship ethic, reducing harm to marine habitat and water quality, recovery of bottomfish species, reducing toxins entering food web, reducing risk of large oil spills and improving public access to shorelines.
By: San Juan MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: San Juan County
Length: 4
Assessment and Prioritization for Bioretention Projects in East Jefferson County
This project was undertaken by the Jefferson MRC to identify the highest priority sites in East Jefferson County to retrofit with bioretention to reduce pollution in marine waters. The project area includes all of E. Jefferson County with a focus on developed areas where stormwater reaches marine water in the form of surface water. Each site was assessed for drainage patterns, potential water pollution sources, feasibility and appropriateness for bioretention, available space for bioretention and other considerations. Sites were prioritized as high, medium, or low need for a retrofitting project.
By: Jefferson MRC, Bob Simmons, Darcy McNamara
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Jefferson County
Length: 50
Monitoring Protocols for Community-Based Rain Gardens
This document outlines the instruments and protocols used to install rain gardens, including equations for measuring flow rate.
By: Bob Simmons, Associate Professor, WSU Extension; Ani Jayakaran, WSU
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Jefferson County
Length: 3
Jefferson County MRC 2015 Annual Report
This is Jefferson County MRC's 2015 annual Summary Report.
By: Cheryl Lowe
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Jefferson County
Length: 6
Jefferson County Voluntary Anchor-Out Eelgrass Protection Buoys Permitting Report
This is the permitting report conducted by Marine Surveys & Assessments to install 5 voluntary anchor out eelgrass protection buoys. These buoys will be an addition to the ones already in place off down town Port Townsend's waterfront, which will expand on the existing eelgrass protection zone.
By: Marine Surveys & Assessments
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Habitat
Location: Jefferson County
Length: 5
Public Speaker Series Summary Report for Whatcom MRC
This report is a summary of the Public Speaker Series held in Whatcom County in 2014-2015. The report includes summaries of each presentation, as well as the presentation material itself. Goals of the speaker series is to increase public knowledge of water related issues, generate awareness and encourage restoration, and to enhance coordination efforts.
By: Whatcom County Public Works-Natural Resources
Published:
Benchmark: Education and Outreach
Location: Whatcom County
Length: 57
Clallam MRC Final Marine Debris Cleanup Report
This report is a summary of Clallam MRC marine debris cleanup efforts in 2014-2015. Some of the highlighted events include the Earth Day cleanup, the International Coastal Cleanup, and the Ediz Hook beach cleanup.
By: Clallam MRC
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location: Clallam County
Length: 9
Chuckanut Bay Pollution Identification and Correction Project
This is the final report for the Whatcom MRC of the Chuckanut Bay Pollution Identification and Correction Project. The goal of this monitoring project are to restore the recreational shellfish in Chuckanut Bay, identify the sources of bacteria being introduced, and to guide water quality improvement projects to combat bacteria levels.
By: Whatcom County Public Works-Natural Resources
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Water Quality
Location: Whatcom County
Length: 6
Fidalgo Bay Day 2015
This is a report of Skagit County MRCs annual public outreach event, Fidalgo Bay Day 2015.
By: Skagit County MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Education and Outreach
Location: Skagit County
Length: 12
Water Weeks Summary Report for Whatcom MRC
This is a report of the 2015 Whatcom Water Weeks, an annual community event regarding water resources in Whatcom County. The two week celebration incorporates local sponsors and event host, creating a feeling of communal connection and cooperation protecting and improving water resources in the County.
By: Whatcom County Public Works-Natural Resources
Published:
Benchmark: All
Location:
Length: 51
Olympia Oyster Restoration Project in Sequim Bay
In an effort to restore native Olympia Oyster populations in Sequim Bay, monitoring seed spat distribution has been on going project the Clallam MRC. Population surveys in 2014 showed promising results for increased density of Olympias, prompting the decision to increase the habitat enhancement effort in the bay. This included distributing unseeded cultch bags (oyster shell) across the tidelands, which provides the oyster spat with something to adhere to and grown on. In addition, a spawning pool have been put in place on the tide flat to serve as small scale oyster bed. This leads to an increase in water temperature, inducing more frequent and successful spawning events.
By:
Published:
Benchmark: Marine Species
Location: Clallam County
Length: 7
Clallam MRC Outreach and Education Final Report
This report summarizes Clallam County MRC's public outreach and education evens in 2014-2015. Different training events such as HazWoper and Oiled Wildlife Training were useful learning opportunities for the public wishing to aid in marine conservation and restoration.
By: Clallam MRC
Published:
Benchmark: Education and Outreach
Location: Clallam County
Length: 27