Whatcom County MRC

Whatcom MRC Stepanie Williams

Whatcom MRC website: http://whatcom-mrc.whatcomcounty.org.

The northernmost county in the Northwest Straits, Whatcom County has 118 miles of shoreline that include Birch Bay, Drayton Harbor and Chuckanut Bay, Bellingham’s historic industrial and urban waterfront and Lummi Island. A population of more than 200,000 includes the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe. Timber, fishing and agriculture remain important to the county’s economy.

Whatcom MRC's 17 members include scientists, commercial fishermen, recreational divers and clam harvesters, conservationists, natural resource managers, elected officials and local government staff, the Nooksack Tribe and Lummi Nation. They maintain a strong interest in water quality and restoration of local beaches by removing creosoted debris. The MRC has an admirable track record of collaboration with the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington Department of Ecology and Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Outreach in local communities is a strong suit for the MRC, and in 2010 they hosted several presentations by invited experts on marine issues, co-sponsored the annual Salmon Summit, and worked with Beach Naturalists to train and reach out to nearly 4,000 people. Maintaining healthy shellfish populations remains a top priority, and the MRC completed its 7th year of clam surveys with community volunteers on beaches around the county. They also helped plant native trees and shrubs around the Nooksack estuary, in partnership with Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, to improve salmon habitat.

The Whatcom Marine Resources Committee works with community partners to help identify marine protection and restoration priorities and support the implementation of recovery plans. The MRC responds to emerging opportunities and challenges, as well as working proactively to speed recovery efforts.

Whatcom MRC recent projects include:

Clam Surveys - Conducted pilot project to enhance native clam population, citizen volunteer surveys at four sites
Chuckanut Village Marsh - Monitored fish use upstream of a culvert prior to removal
Creosote Log Removal - Removed 6.9 tons of treated wood debris from .65 miles of beach
Outreach - Four public speaker events, co-sponsored annual Salmon Summit with 260 participants. Beach Naturalists trained and contacted 3,507 people. Outreach to 250 Chuckanut area community members at two events
Restoration - 24 volunteers planted native vegetation in the Nooksack estuary to improve salmon habitat
Rockfish Surveys - Compared the effectiveness of scuba and ROV surveys of rockfish at seven locations
Shellfish Water Quality Monitoring Program - Monthly sampling at 25 sites by trained volunteers
Strategic Plan - Finalized and adopted

Click here to see a list of reports in our bibliography from the Whatcom MRC.

MRC Members

Contact

Whatcom Marine Resources CommitteeMelissa Roberts
Whatcom Co. Stormwater Division
322 N. Commercial, Suite 110
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-676-6876
MRoberts@co.whatcom.wa.us

MRCs

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