The Marine Resources Committee (MRC) is an advisory group to the Board of County Commissioners. MRC members are citizen volunteers committed to protecting and restoring marine habitats in our ecologically rich corner of the world.

Pinto Abalone Featured at Next MRC Meeting

Dec. 4 MRC Monthly Meeting-- at the Northwest Maritime Center

WDFW experts Chris Eardley and Hank Carson will be giving a presentation on pinto abalone at the Dec. 4th MRC meeting. Their talk will include the natural history of the species, the history of the fishery, the current population status, and actions WDFW has taken so far to help the population.

Chris Eardley is WDFW's Puget Sound Shellfish Policy Coordinator. Hank Carson is a research scientist with WDFW, leading their shellfish dive team and in addition to abalone recovery, managing fisheries for geoduck, sea cucumber, sea urchin and scallop.

Pinto abalone are iconic marine snails valued for their cultural importance, role in the marine ecosystem, beautiful shells, and as food. Despite a ban on harvest and the establishment of a captive breeding program, there is concern that remnant populations are not reproducing in the wild and may be in peril of local extinction. WDFW is soliciting any available data on the species, and seeks public comment on a proposal to list the pinto abalone as a state endangered species. Data and comments received at this meeting and other correspondence will be summarized for a status review submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Commission. For more information contact our representative, or visit wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/pinto_abalone/

Attendees at the realtor workshop braved the pouring rain to learn about a successful soft-shore stabilization project site. Photo by Cheryl Lowe

Successful Shoreline Workshop for Realtors

The MRC, Northwest Straits Foundation and WSU Extension joined forces to sponsor a very successful 'Understanding Beach and Bluff Properties' workshop for realtors in Port Hadlock on Oct 26th. Over 30 professionals from Jefferson and Clallam Counties attended this all-day workshop, which also earned them clock hours for license recertification. Realtors are often the first contact for people looking to buy or sell waterfront properties. The more they understand about coastal processes, risks and best practices for shoreline vegetation and management, the more they can share with their clients. Four workshops were offered (Anacortes, Coupeville, Stanwood and here), with funding was provided by an EPA grant through the Marine Nearshore Grant program.

For more info about shoreline property best management practices, go to the Northwest Straits Foundation or look at the resource list provided to the realtors here.

Photo by Sarah Fairbank

New! Stormwater Outreach Toolkit & Curriculum Resources

Jefferson MRC and WSU Extension worked with Michelle Chow, our former Program Assistant, to reach out to local communities about stormwater issues and local actions. Michelle wrote articles for neighborhood newsletters, researched potential new rain garden sites and put together several resource packets for teachers and other community groups. Thank you, Northwest Straits Foundation, for the Opportunity Fund grant that supported this position, and thank you, Michelle, for moving us forward!

Two of these resource documents are now on our Resources Page:

Media Toolkit with curriculum resources for teachers and articles you can share
Brief presentation to explain "What is a Rain Garden" .

Resources

MRC Project Plans for 2018 include:
-- Expanding Olympia oyster habitat to benefit multiple marine species
-- More rain gardens to improve water quality
-- Maintaining voluntary no-anchor zones to protect shellfish and eelgrass
-- Community outreach & education programs
-- Citizen Science Monitoring (beaches, kelp & forage fish)

Photo by Cheryl Lowe