MRC Projects

To preserve the natural abundance of Island County's waters and restore what's been lost over time calls for data -- good information, accurate maps and the best available science. Island County MRC is working in partnership with the Northwest Straits Commission and other public and private organizations to inventory our county's stocks of forage fish, map near-shore eelgrass beds and spawn deposition areas, and identify the number and locations of hardened shoreline features. Projects to gather this information are priorities that will equip the MRC to provide solid advice to regulatory agencies about the most effective strategies to benefit the county's marine environment.

The Marine Resources Committee advises County Commissioners, planners and policymakers about the county’s nearshore and intertidal conditions using science-based information.
To achieve the ‘benchmarks’ set for MRCs in the 1998 Northwest Straits Initiative, and ensure that any advice is based on objective facts, the Committee seeks-out and provides third-party grant funding for many important investigation & mapping projects.
In most cases the MRC contracts with the best scientific and technical investigators available, as the quality of project results shows.

Current Projects:

Marine Stewardship Areas for Island County:

County Commissioners Support local MRC to create marine stewardship areas...(more)..

Near-Shore Project:

"No man is an island," but Whidbey and Camano are. Review the interrelated components of the MRC projects; how they fit into the broader 'Nearshore Project' to provide an accurate understanding of exactly what comprises our marine resources. . . . (more)

Forage fish spawning habitat assessments:

Island County is at the center of a three-year, multi-county, award-winning effort to survey, sample, identify and GIS map the spawning habitats of Pacific sand lance, Surf smelt & Pacific herring led by WDFW biologist Dan Penttila. . . . (more)

Eelgrass Project:
Our nearshore forests? Jim Norris, Ph.D. uses submerged cameras linked to on-board computers to locate and identify the eelgrass beds that still flourish in our county waters; now they are entering GIS maps . . . . (more)

Shoreline Hardening, mapping bulkheads and armoring:

Using satellite GPS-location technology, this MRC endeavor is mapping the man-made structures along 212 miles of the county's shorelines. . . . (more)

Feeder bluffs and coastal processes:

The MRC sponsors Coastal Geologic Resources, Inc.'s principal geologist Jim Johannessen in an innovative study to map and evaluate the Island County's feeder bluffs and accretion shoreforms, using both historic and new data. . . .(more)

"Certified Shore Stewards":
Shoreline property owners join Shore Stewards for nearshore information and recognition of their choice to care for - and protect the valued resources of - their special waterfront properties. . . .(more)

Bluff bird nesting surveys:
Audubon volunteers led by author/naturalist Frances Wood partner with MRC shoreline GPS data to survey the nesting sites of three different bluff-breeding birds. . . .(more)

Database management and GIS maps:
Hydrogeologist Doug Kelly and his wife Beth are managing the field data collected for each of the marine resources under investigation in new databases that are used to produce GIS maps. . . . (more)

Cama Beach State Park Restoration:
While State Parks readys this historic 1930's-style fishing camp for a 2004 opening, the MRC is contributing to remove concrete from the beach and replant shade trees. . . . (more)

The MRC -- indeed all seven MRCs -- also support and participate in several regional projects affecting the whole of northern Puget Sound, with project coordination and technical support provided by the NORTHWEST STRAITS COMMISSION:

Derelict fishing gear removal from northern Puget Sound:
Winner of a coveted 2003 Coastal America Partnership Award, the MRC is proud to be closely associated with this landmark effort to rid the waters of our inland sea of its 'killing fields' . . . .(more)

Assessments of MPAs in the Northwest Straits:
What already has been designated? Where, when and by whom? What levels of protection have been set by federal, state and local actions? A comprehensive mapping and inventory of what exists is underway. . .(more)

Response to WDFW MPAs and reserves in Island County 2002; About Marine Protected Areas, on the The Northwest Straits Commission website