Island County MRC
Island MRC web site: www.islandcountymrc.org.
Island County encompasses over 212 miles of shoreline along Whidbey and Camano islands. More than 81,000 people call the county home, with Oak Harbor the largest city at just over 20,000 residents. Military history runs deep on Whidbey Island, where the Naval Air Station is a major contributor to the Oak Harbor area culture and economy. Island County maintains a strong rural/agricultural base, and holds miles of pastoral scenery. The marine environment here is rich and productive, and many Treaty Tribes have Usual and Accustomed fishing areas in county waters. Admiralty Inlet, the entrance to central Puget Sound, is also the location of an experimental tidal energy pilot project slated to begin in 2013.
The MRC has a strong focus on science, education and stewardship and intrinsic connection to the Washington State University Beach Watchers and Shore Stewards programs. These programs lend critical support to many conservation efforts around Puget Sound.
Island County is home to Cornet Bay State Park, site of a major ongoing shoreline restoration project by the MRC in cooperation with county and state partners. The MRC has leveraged more than $700,000 for this effort with limited funding from the Commission.
The MRC is also at the forefront of a project in partnership with the Town of Coupeville, aimed at using a tree plantation to naturally filter contaminants from local stormwater before it drains into the nearshore. In addition, they are actively engaged in conservation planning toward the Marine Stewardship Area in Port Susan Bay.
Working with the City of Bellingham, the MRC has initiated SoundIQ, a pilot project to archive and share their data online, including recent aerial and underwater surveys of eelgrass. On Whidbey Island, a 3rd year of surveys was conducted on nesting pigeon guillemots, documenting colony behavior, prey selection and fledgling success. The breeding success of these beloved seabirds has been correlated with the health of Puget Sound.
The MRC's stated purpose is to “contribute to the protection of the local and Northwest Straits marine environments through education, research and voluntary action. In so doing the MRC recommends remedial actions to local authorities and builds community awareness of the issues and support for the remedies.”
Island MRC recent projects include:
- Cornet Bay Nearshore Restoration Project - Leveraged over $700,000 to date; recently removed 3,000 square feet of riprap from the shoreline
- Eelgrass Monitoring - Analyzed and mapped GIS data collected through aerial and underwater surveys
- Interpretive Signage - Designed and installed four new signs highlighting marine life, habitat and ecosystem processes
- Penn Cove Water Quality Monitoring - Partnered with UW Program on the Environment to analyze existing water quality conditions and identify obstacles to improvements
- Phytoremediation Project - Planted 200 seedling trees for a pilot phytoremediation project to filter stormwater
- Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Survey - 3rd year monitoring nesting sites on Whidbey Island
- Port Susan Marine Stewardship Area - Partnered with the Snohomish MRC and others to develop a community-based marine stewardship plan
- Shore Stewards Support - 57 new members recruited, 30 articles and presentations promoted stewardship
- SoundIQ Online Data System - Collaborated with the City of Bellingham to develop an online GIS mapping application to share data collected and information about projects of the MRC
Click here to see a list of reports in our bibliography by the Island County MRC.
MRC Members
- Marshall Bronson
- Lenny Corin
- Maribeth Crandall
- Leal Dickson, PhD
- Joe Hillers, PhD
- Angie Homola, ex officio
- Ian Jefferds, Chair
- Chris Jerome
- Linda Rhodes, PhD
- Dick Toft
- Ken Urstad
- Stan Walsh
- Frances Wood
- Todd Zackey
Rex Porter, Executive Director
Dan Pedersen, Communications Manager
Contact
Timothy Lawrence, County Lead
PO Box 5000
Coupeville, WA 98239
360-240-5558
timothy.lawrence@wsu.edu
The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, authorized by Congress, is nationally recognized as an innovative approach to bring sound science and an ecosystem perspective together with citizen energy and entrepreneurship.