HomeMy WebLinkAboutVan de Wege Marine Resources Committee.r�
m 1 ORT GELES
A S H I N GTO N, U. S.A.
City Council
February 21, 2019
Honorable Kevin Van De Wege
PO Box 40424
Olympia WA 98504-0424
Dear Senator Van De Wege:
We are writing to express the importance of the Clallam County Marine Resources Committee (MRC}
in restoring and protecting the nearshore environments of Clallam County. The MRC is made up of
local volunteers who prioritize and lead restoration, protection, and education projects and work with
a variety of federal, state, and local partners (Attachment 1). The MRC also serves as a marine
resources advisory body to county government and other local elected officials. Since its creation in
1999, the MRC has brought over $1.4 million in funding to Clallam County, and MRC members have
contributed thousands of volunteer hours over the past 20 years to support local projects. These
projects have emphasized:
Protecting and Restoring Nearshore Ecosystems by working collaboratively with the Jamestown
S'Klallam tribe to restore the native Olympia oyster populations, partnering with the Northwest
Straits Initiative to remove derelict fishing gear from nearby waters, training citizens in emergency
response actions in the event of a significant oil spill, and providing outreach to shoreline
landowners to reduce the effects of shoreline armoring. Since 2010, the MRC has provided oil spill
response training to over 850 citizens, and their Olympia oyster project will soon achieve the goal
of restoring 2 acres of habitat in Sequim Bay on Jamestown S'KlaIIam tidelands.
Using Science to Support Decision Making by conducting seasonal pigeon guillemot (seabird)
surveys at local beaches in partnership with Audubon, documenting forage fish spawning locations
at beaches near Sequim and Port Angeles, quantifying the extent and condition of three local kelp
forests along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and working with tribal, state, and federal partners to
monitor and remove the invasive green crab. The pigeon guillemot project has grown from a
handful of monitoring stations and volunteers in 2016 to 16 stations and 75 volunteers in 2018.
Educating and Engaging the Citizens of Clallam County by providing education and outreach
opportunities to help them better understand emerging issues and challenges, and encouraging
local people to participate in collaborative solutions. A good example of this is the upcoming forum
May 10"' on the outcomes of the work done by the Orca Task Force. Since 2010, the MRC has also
provided paid learning experiences to 38 student interns interested in careers in environmental
science that provide real-world experience.
Unfortunately, federal funding for this volunteer -based effort has been significantly reduced since
2011. Further, critical state funding making up 44% of the MRC budget from the Northwest Straits
Phone: 360-417-4500 1 Fax: 360-417-45091 TTY: 360-417-4645
Website: www.cityofpa.us 1 Email: council@cityofpa.us
321 East Fifth Street 1 Port Angeles. WA 98362-0217
Commission ends this year. We urge you to support restoration of state funding to the Northwest
Straits Commission during the 2019 Legislative session.
Project implementation through the Clallam MRC is a cost-effective way of contributing to recovery
and protection of marine resources that are vitally important to our county. We appreciate your past
support and hope that we can count on your help to ensure this important work will continue.
Sincerely,
Sissi P. Bruch, Ph.D.
Mayor
CC. Jeff Ward, Chair, Clallam Marine Resources Committee
Lucas Hart, Northwest Straits Commission