Snohomish County MRC
Snohomish MRC web site: http://www.snocomrc.org
Snohomish County is the most populous and urban of the seven Northwest Straits counties. With a population of nearly 695,000, more people live in Snohomish County than the other six MRC counties combined. Its 130 miles of shoreline are largely developed, with the Port of Everett a major industrial presence, naval base and marine transportation hub. The Edmonds Underwater Park, located next to the Edmonds-Kingston ferry terminal, draws 25,000 scuba divers each year to see its enormous resident rockfish, lingcod, Pacific giant octopus, and other creatures. Snohomish County waters support economically and ecologically valuable Dungeness crab, salmon populations, and productive estuarine habitat. The Tulalip and Stillaguamish Tribes have Usual and Accustomed fishing grounds here.
Since its inception in 1999, the Snohomish MRC has received staff support from the County’s Surface Water Management Department. The MRC’s 11 members represent local and tribal governments, resource management, economic, real estate, and environmental interests, recreational divers, and scientists. Their mission is to “address local marine issues, recommend remedial actions to local authorities and build local awareness of the issues and support for remedies.”
Among other noteworthy achievements this year, they conducted extensive outreach to the recreational fishing community, working closely with WSU Beach Watchers to reduce the risk of lost crab pots by distributing a Crab Fishing Hazard Chart to 1,700 people on docks and boats. They also significantly expanded the Mussel Watch contaminant monitoring program to include 25 sites in western Washington.
At the popular Kayak Point County Park, the MRC is supporting the ongoing collection of data and educational outreach as part of a collaborative venture to restore the beach to its natural state. Demonstrating their commitment to restoration around Snohomish County, the MRC leveraged Commission funding to secure state salmon recovery funding, which will be used to identify new sites for habitat restoration along shorelines that have been impacted by railroad.
Snohomish MRC recent projects include:
- Beach Watchers - 23 new members trained, contributing 1,700+ volunteer hours making 5,000+ educational contacts
- Kayak Point County Park Restoration - Completed backshore restoration design and planting plan, 17 volunteers conducted pre‐restoration monitoring, public visioning workshop on conceptual designs
- Mussel Watch Program - Expanded monitoring program to 25 sites in western Washington
- Nearshore Sediment Study - Prepared outreach workplan in support for restoration of shoreline impacted by railroad
- Port Susan Marine Stewardship Area - Inventory of citizen science projects; convened marine resource managers to identify threats to key conservation targets
- Recreational Crabber Outreach - Materials distributed to 1,700+ recreational crabbers
- Shore Stewards - 67 new members, 413 now enrolled in the County
Click here to see a list of reports in our bibliography by the Snohomish MRC.
MRC Members
- Chrys Bertolotto, Ex Officio
- Jared Bond, Chair
- Simon Geerlofs
- Brent Hackney
- Tom Hoban
- Lincoln Loehr
- Jerry Masters
- Mike McHugh
- Keeley O'Connell, Vice Chair
- Franchesca Perez
- Cathy Stanely
Contact
Kathleen Herrmann, Marine Resource Steward
3000 Rockefeller Ave., MS/607
Administration Building-West, 3rd Floor
Everett, WA 98201-4046
Kathleen.Herrmann@co.snohomish.wa.us
(425) 388-6414
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.