Sound Water Stewards of Island County, WA
Working for a healthy, sustainable Salish Sea marine environment
- This event has passed.
SWS Whidbey Monthly Member Mtg | Department of Natural Resources
May 23, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Meeting Recording:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/4ld6-hDqcAd_kAd94NVnEAuOoJsiSgg3Au8ZYG1FXjS_Wh1GoBZMyUYfrloWHhoL.b1zBY_mk0fRNNMtO
Dr. Catton provided the Samish nation storymap link here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b9f979a547004c32a616b5319a6410c0
Have you heard about the recent: Conservation and Restoration of Washington’s Kelp Forests and Eelgrass Meadows?
Our May Monthly Member meeting has been pushed later on this month to accommodate our presenter from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR): Dr. Cynthia Catton!
About Dr. Cynthia Catton
Dr. Cynthia Catton is the Science Advisor for the Aquatics Division of the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Cynthia earned a BS in Zoology from the University of Washington, and a PhD in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She has 20 years of experience leading multidisciplinary marine nearshore conservation and restoration initiatives, including bull kelp forests and endangered abalone.
DNR Aquatic Resources Division works to support the long-term sustainability and resilience of aquatic habitats and resources, including kelp forests and eelgrass meadows. Native kelp forests and eelgrass meadows are essential habitats at risk in Puget Sound. The proximity to shore, at the interface between land and sea, makes these habitats particularly vulnerable to a host of stressors. Recent research has revealed concerning losses, including 80% of kelp forests in Central and South Puget Sound. Native eelgrass meadows have also severely declined in recent years, particularly in the San Juan Islands, in Skagit Bay, and protected embayments throughout Puget Sound. DNR is taking a multi-pronged approach to kelp and eelgrass habitat stewardship, including long-term monitoring and stressor research, community climate science, watershed planning for climate resilience, and an upcoming collaborative planning process to prioritize at least 10,000 acres of kelp and eelgrass habitat statewide for conservation and restoration (Senate Bill 5619).
10:00 am -10:30 am Sound Water Stewards Business portion
10:30 am – 11:30 am Dr. Cynthia Catton’s presentation on Conservation and Restoration of Washington’s Kelp Forests and Eelgrass Meadows
11:30 am – 12:00 pm Break out rooms for Camano and main room for Whidbey socializing