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Commissioners Office
JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
Philip Morley, County Administrator
FROM: Cheryl Lowe, MRC & Beach Naturalist Coordinator
DATE: February 4, 2019
SUBJECT: UPDATE re: Jefferson Marine Resources Committee Report
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee (JCMRC) would like to provide a semi-annual
report to the BOCC to keep them informed about current grants, 2018 accomplishments and
plans for 2019. This presentation gives the BOCC an opportunity to provide input and guidance
regarding marine resource education, outreach and nearshore restoration activities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact. Jefferson County receives grant funds for this program from the Northwest
Straits Commission (Dept of Ecology) and the Northwest Straits Foundation.
RECOMMENDATION:
A 30-minute presentation on the JCMRC's 2018 accomplishments and plans for 2019.
REVIEWED BY:
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Philip Morle)County.Administrator Date
-_ . County
2018 Summary Report
i-•::: Jefferson
"� Marine Board of County Commissioners
— ,e', Resources February 2019
a Committee
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2018 MRC Projects Summary
Olympia Oyster Projects
In Discovery Bay, the Olympia oyster habitat enhancement project is going well. Data collected in
2018 supports our premise that Olympia oyster larvae are continuing to settle and grow on the
distributed shell. In Quilcene Bay, the MRC, WDFW and tribal co-managers are continuing to
monitor test plots. 2019 plans include working with Co-Managers to add more clean shell to
Discovery Bay near the extant population and continue to monitor test plots at Quilcene Bay.
Citizen Science Monitoring
Forage fish spawner surveys continued at Fort
Townsend State Park&Adelma Beach in 2018, in
partnership with WDFW & Point No Point Treaty Council.
New community volunteers are engaged, and forage fish
eggs have been found at both sites during the winter
months. Forage fish monitoring will continue in 2019. 0 } -
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Bull Kelp Monitoring--Jefferson MRC also continues -,,-
citizen science monitoring of local bull kelp beds near ib
North Beach Park. Monitoring will continue in 2019. -
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Rain Gardens
In 2018, MRC and WSU Jefferson Extension partnered with City of PT to install two more rain
gardens that filter stormwater before it enters Puget Sound (a total of 8 so far). Rain garden
volunteers included students, MRC members and community volunteers. Adjacent neighbors have
committed to taking care of these installations. Two more installations planned for 2019 (proposed
sites in Port Townsend and in Quilcene).
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•' ,1 Eelgrass and Shellfish Voluntary No-anchor Zones
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MRC continued protection of 52 acres of eelgrass beds on the Port
- _; • r• en'''' Townsend waterfront by maintaining buoys marking the voluntary no-
3 ,.," ' 1 anchor zone. Additional No-anchor Zones in Port Hadlock and Mystery
4 i Bay also protect commercial and recreational shellfish beds as well as
:. `• eelgrass. Our work has also become a model for efforts in other
locations. Buoy maintenance and outreach will continue in 2019.
2018 MRC Education & Outreach
Outreach by the Numbers _ ,tf i VAN
921 direct contacts in 2018 { r° -
37 new volunteers engaged 1
1,811 volunteer hours
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In addition to the programs highlighted below, MRC -,..-„,:w
was also part of a Maritime Discovery Program•- - '
partnership to train teachers about ocean acidification;
helped with school participation in rain garden projects; .,-.,,•'"' „
and had info tables about stormwater and protecting
eelgrass at various festivals. Continuing in 2019. ALS ,
Shoreline Landowner Outreach
The Vegetation Management workshop for shoreline landowners (49 attendees) and Realtor
Training workshop (33 attendees) co-sponsored by the MRC and NW Straits Foundation were well
received. The Foundation also sponsored 17 on-site visits by coastal geologists in 2018 to provide
landowner advice about best management practices. General outreach will continue in 2019.
Digging for Dinner & Crabber Outreach
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r �'*+, - > Two family-oriented programs on safe and sustainable clam
- harvesting in partnership with WDFW at Quilcene and Dosewallips
4 `'k"' public beaches attracted 84 people. The MRC also increased our
--1"' 4 ' i r' ° efforts to prevent loss of crab pots in local bays by inserting info in
' -' new crab pots at retail outlets and sponsoring a well-attended
\., x Y Crabbing 101 program just before the recreational season started.
P - Continuation of these efforts planned for 2019.
More Info
Website: https://www.jeffersonmrc.org Email: Jeff.co.mrc(@gmail.com.
Cheryl Lowe, Coordinator, Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee
360-379-5610 x 230. Program administered within the County's WSU Extension office.
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Economic Benefits to Jefferson County
The MRC and the Northwest Straits Marine
Conservation Initiative provide important economic,
recreational and environmental benefits to Jefferson '' "� `
County through grant funds, support for improved :;
stewardship of local habitats, cleaner water and
increased recreation at local beaches and local ;' ;F .
businesses. :`
2018 Northwest Straits Commission (NWSC): '°
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$75,000 annual grant for MRC administration -.
and local projects (Funding sources: EPA and . Y
Washington State funding) "'
2018 Northwest Straits Foundation (NWSF)'
$70,870 value to Jefferson County in 2018 through 2 programs
• Shoreline Armoring Removal Program: 17 technical consultant site visits
($25,500), conceptual design work ($30,000), realtor workshop ($7,385), vegetation
management workshop ($3,285)
• Opportunity Fund support for program assistant to expand community engagement in
marine stewardship actions ($4,700)
Other Leverage (In-kind Value): $69,015
$52,515 in Volunteer hours (1,811 hrs @ $28.99/hr)
$16,500 in Community In-kind Match:
• City of Port Townsend (rain gardens)
• WSU Extension (rain gardens &volunteer support)
• WA Fish and Wildlife (shellfish, restoration monitoring &Olympia oysters)
• Taylor Shellfish (oyster cultch)
• Point No Point Treaty Council (forage fish lab work)
• Port of Port Townsend (no anchor zones)
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