Island County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) is an advisory body to county government established in 1999 and comprised of many community volunteers who represent diverse interests and industries, with the common goal to protect and restore marine resources in the Puget Sound area through scientific monitoring, restoration projects, and community education.

About Us
Photo credit: Rich Yukubousky
MRC Meeting
: Zoom
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Meet Your Island County Natural Resources Team!

We invite you to join Island County staff in discussing the wide range of services provided by your local natural resources team! From soil to stream to shoreline, factors such as noxious weeds, septic systems, and bulkheads can play a significant role in watershed health.

During this 90 minute interactive webinar, panelists will discuss how Island County Public Health is monitoring water quality and taking action to protect you from harmful pollutants in the local drinking water, shellfish beds, and beloved beaches! This event will take place virtually on Thursday, April 15th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please visit the link below for free registration.

 

Register Here

Congratulations, Karis!

Meet Karis Barnes, the recipient of the 2021 Jan Holmes Island County Coastal Volunteer of the Year award!

Karis went above and beyond in her volunteer work at Deception Pass State Park this past summer. Her educational efforts and stewardship messaging helped reach over 20,000 visitors, leaving them with positive memories and nuggets of information about tide pool ecosystems.

Read more about Karis and her volunteer work here!

Volunteer of the Year
Kelp surveyors. Credit: Ron Beier

Bull kelp in Island County

Our amazing bull kelp volunteers conduct boat-based surveys as well as aerial photography of kelp beds around Island County to observe changes throughout the growing season, and compare results from year to year. 

Read all about this year's findings in the 2020 report. You can also learn more about the project and check out videos of the variety of creatures observed within kelp beds on our project page!

Bull Kelp Project Page

Here's What We've Been Up To!

From kelp surveys to crabber outreach, restoration planning to vegetation planting, art contests to Zoom meetings, our work has taken us onto the beach, under the water, and to our community!

Despite the changes that 2020 has brought, we've been able to adapt and continue to work on projects that protect and restore our marine species and environment. Read more about our projects and accomplishments in our 2020 summary sheet or full annual report!

2020 Annual Report