Your feedback on the Proposed Plan is Requested By Oct 20
According to Cynthia Harbison, Environmental Planner at the DNR, progress has been made on the Department’s efforts to conserve and recover 10,000 acres of kelp and eelgrass habitat by 2040. The Draft Statewide Kelp Forest and Eelgrass Meadow Health and Conservation Prioritization Plan is ready for review.
The DNR would love to hear your input on next steps and feedback on the Draft Statewide Kelp Forest and Eelgrass Meadow Health and Conservation Prioritization Plan via this survey that is open through October 20th.
The Draft Prioritization Plan identifies preliminary High Value Areas that represent kelp and eelgrass habitat identified for potential conservation and recovery actions. High Value Areas are an initial, non-binding step toward identification of 10,000 acres of kelp and eelgrass habitat for conservation and recovery by 2040 and represent just one stage of an iterative prioritization framework with multiple opportunities for input and engagement.
The Prioritization Plan also identifies three pilot sub-basins for additional initial engagement and site selection, and DNR intends to engage in conversations about conservation and recovery in each sub-basin as they work toward the 10,000-acre goal.
The content of this report will be used to initiate conversations about how WA DNR can work to ensure the preservation of the economic, ecological, and cultural values of kelp and eelgrass for generations to come.
Do you have limited time to read the full report? The DNR would still like to hear your input on the next steps! The survey includes questions about the next steps within the pilot sub-basins (Grays Harbor, Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, and South Puget Sound). Please feel free to respond only to those questions if you are interested.
