Nearshore Project
Description and Objectives
I. Submerged Vegetation Monitoring
The MRC recently awarded its initial underwater videographic mapping contract to James Norris, Ph.D., of Marine Resources Consultants, Port Townsend, WA [Consultants]. That work is underway and will cover five major harbors and established eelgrass habitats over eight days of vessel work. The MRC requests additional SRFB funding to complete this mapping county- wide. Importantly, the Department of Natural Resources also retained the Norris firm to perform eelgrass bed samplings in many other Puget Sound locations, using the protocols his firm designed for such sampling.
The Consultants proposal summarizes the eelgrass videography work as follows:
"The Island County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) is pursuing a multi-phased project to develop a comprehensive nearshore habitat baseline mapping and evaluation system. The first phase of this system is an underwater videographic survey of defined areas of the county's nearshore marine environment.
"In June 2000 the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) initiated a long-term Submerged Vegetation Monitoring Program to monitor eelgrass resources throughout Puget Sound (including the Strait of Juan de Fuca). Marine Resources Consultants is developing the DNR program protocols and conducting the field sampling for 2000. The methods used in the Island County program must comply with those of the DNR program.
"The DNR Submerged Vegetation Monitoring Project stratifies the Puget Sound shoreline and associated eelgrass resources into two types: "Flats" and "Fringe." The same field sampling protocols are used at each type of site, but the statistics for analysis are slightly different." (Norris Proposal, 8/15/2000)
The remaining Island County eelgrass beds will be mapped under the instant proposal, at an approximate cost of $62,000. Until the entire county is mapped, the MPA designations await data. This presents a remarkable opportunity for SRFB partnering with the NWSC and MEHP.
II. Forage Fish Spawning Sites Monitoring
It is critical for protection of these habitats that spawn deposition site inventories be complete and comprehensive.
University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories (Dennis Willows, Ph.D., Director) and Dan Penttila of WDFW have submitted their letters of support for this proposal. It will be the intention of the MRC to collaborate with them via an RFP procedure. This phase of the project will employ the San Juan County MRC's Early Action Grant training and collection protocols (June, 2000) for this undertaking. The San Juan MRC will submit similar funding requests to SRFB and MEHP for their county's spawn site mapping, so this effort is indeed regional and coordinated. This will ensure compatible datasets.
The primary objective of the forage fish assessment is to biologically identify county beaches utilized as spawning areas by surf smelt and Pacific sand lance, and subtidal regions supporting active herring spawning. With the supervision of marine biologists, groups of volunteers will be trained to assist actual field collections according to these protocols. The collected samples will be verified by laboratory analysis, and reported by locale and date. GIS maps will then be submitted for county use in planning and permitting. (The MRC desires the participation of UCD's MEHP for publication of this important project as well.) The full collection protocols for three species, equipment needs and and supplies will be submitted UPON REQUEST.
III. Shoreline Hardening Survey
In 1998 and 1999, PSAT provided a grant to the local WSU Beach Watchers program to survey and map the county's shoreline hardening. [Please see "Shoreline Armoring in Island County: A Protocol for Volunteers", 30 pages, 1999, prepared after the contract for monitoring protocol development on shoreline hardening.]
Most of Whidbey Island was surveyed thereunder, and this proposal is to complete the same survey for Camano Island. Recruitment will involve asking shoreline owners and WSU Beach Watchers to again become part of the data collection team. Local media will be used as well as an existing database of shoreline property owners held by WSU Beach Watchers. A goal of the project in the past has been to get shoreline owners to better understand the importance of shoreline processes and how bulkheads/hardening affects them.
Training will involve holding two to three separate half day trainings, two on Camano and one on Whidbey, to assure volunteers understand the data collection protocols, use of equipment, use of data forms, issues of concern related to volunteers walking across private beach property, access to shorelines, and how data needs to be handled following the field work.
IV. Shoreline Owner Outreach and Training
As an immediate and direct companion to the three field assessments, the MRC proposes to put the data to work. There are over 7,500 property owners in Island County with beachfront or banked shoreline lots. Simultaneously, the MRC will implement and oversee a focused outreach component introducing, training and recommending shade restoration, beach nourishment; intertidal habitat restoration, acquisition and other nearshore projects to the county's nearly 7,500 shoreline property-owners. This target audience can have a direct and permanent impact on the affected habitats. The recommended protections for these owners are planned to follow directly upon the project's newly established baselines respecting eelgrass, spawning and beach hardening.
The community-based MRC's outreach to our fellow neighbors and citizens will be designed so they understand that they are part of the solution, instead of being treated as part of the "problem." Strong public involvement efforts that address the shorelines/nearshore habitat will go a long way in helping local shoreline residents better understand their role in protection and enhancement of forage fish spawning areas. Teaming with an effective and respected university based program like Beach Watchers to carry out this Shoreline Owner Outreach is a sound investment.