Eelgrass Project Front Page
This project is composed of two parts;
(1) A survey of shoreline property owners asking them to go to their beaches to locate and assist the MRC in mapping eelgrass beds and for the main goal of educating shoreline property owners about the value and significance of eelgrass habitat.
(2) An underwater video mapping of eelgrass beds in five priority areas of the Island County nearshore area. Those five areas include Oak Harbor, Penn Cove, Utsulady Bay, Holmes Harbor and the Maxwelton Creek outfall area. This part of the project involves actual video taping eelgrass beds and mapping them using the latest technology which incorporates real time GPS data on location. It will then be mapped via a GIS program and be used as benchmark information for assessing the health and vitality of eelgrass beds.
This project is supported by a grant from the Northwest Straits Commission for $29,280.
All work is being completed by subcontractors:
Part 1 - WSU Cooperative Extension - Beach Watchers
Part 2 - Marine Resources Consultants of Port Townsend
Part 1 - FINAL
Summary
Sample: 4500 shoreline property owners selected based on the Island County Assessor property records of those owners who had improvements to their shoreline property of $1,000 or more and shoreline property owners who lived in Washington State. Sample included, by error, all shoreline owners along freshwater lakes in Island County.
Survey was mailed mid June of 2000 and had a return rate exceeding 13%.
N = 4500
Responses= 595
Usable Responses = 560
Rate of Return = 13%
Number of respondents who live OFF island = 272
# who live on Medium or High Bank Property = 207
# who found Eelgrass = 392
Feet of Beach surveyed =78,623
Miles of Beach surveyed = Approx. 15
Part 2 - FINAL
The field work was carried out during November and December. Maxwelton, Oak Harbor, Penn Cove, Utsalady, and Holmes Harbor sites have been mapped and data analysis is available on the project.
Images of Mapped Areas
Underwater Videography of Eelgrass Beds
| Overview Map | Utsalady | Skagit Bay South | Oak Harbor |
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| Penn Cove | Holmes Harbor | Maxwelton | |
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Click the small images to see full-size versions. |