How to Help

You can help many ways. Learn all you can about the rich history, geology and marine biology of Admiralty Inlet and Saratoga Passage. Teach others to understand, respect and value these natural assets. Adopt more environmentally sound practices for your home, farm, garden, business, boat and motor vehicles. Here are some places to start:

Read our stewardship guide, Getting to the Water's Edge, a field guide to shoreline access, marine life, trails, history and natural history of Island County (right).

WSU Beach Watchers. Consider applying for training to become a WSU Beach Watcher. These involved citizens receive more than 100 hours of classroom and field training in forestry, coastal geology, marine biology, watersheds, septic systems, beach monitoring, estuaries and more. This is an eye-opening, deeply satisfying program that will enrich your life with new friends and purpose.

Shore Stewards. If you live along the Island County shore, rent shoreline property or belong to a community with shared beach access, become a Certified Shore Steward. You will receive recognition and a free copy of the Guide for Shoreline Living, containing many practical ideas for your property and garden.

10 Guidelines. Practice as many as you can of the 10 Guidelines for Shoreline Living (top right).

Waste Wise Volunteers. Become a Waste Wise Volunteer. Learn how to recycle and reduce household waste, convert garbage to compost, care for your septic system, reduce your carbon footprint and live more sustainably.

• Use water wisely
  
• Maintain septic systems
  
• Limit pesticide and fertilizer use
  
• Manage upland water runoff
  
• Encourage native plants and trees
  
• Know shoreline permit procedures
  
• Develop on bluffs with care
  
• Minimize bulkheads and docks
  
• Respect intertidal life
  
• Preserve eelgrass beds and forage fish spawning habitat

Stewardship Guide
Getting to the Water's Edge

Getting to the Water's Edge is a 176-page, full-color field guide to the Island County Marine Stewardship Areas, co-published in 2006 by Island County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) and WSU Beach Watchers. It describes 67 places the public may access the shoreline and includes 18 pages of trail maps and nearly 100 color photographs. Nearly half the 5,000-copy print run was distributed to sponsors or sold to the public in the first six weeks at 28 bookstores and shops in four counties. Purchase book.

Concept for the book was to crate a high-appeal guide that could serve as a platform to provide education about nearshore best practices, stewardship, Island County's marine stewardship areas and the Shore Stewards and Beach Watchers programs.

Getting to the Water's Edge outlines the Shore Stewards' 10 guidelines for shoreline living, the benefits of becoming a Shore Steward, and includes short essays on such subjects as eelgrass, forage fish, beach shading, feeder bluffs, shoreline alterations, living on bluffs, pocket estuaries, citizen science, derelict fishing gear, bulkheading, septic systems, large woody debris, marine mammal stranding and other shoreline topics.