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Announcements
The Island County Surface Water Quality Program monitors fresh water streams throughout Island County. Check out the annual report here!
COVID-19 Information
For COVID-19 resources and updates, please visit Island County Public Health's COVID-19 webpage. We wish the best to all of you, and are thankful to be part of such a strong, resourceful community.
The next ILIO Technical Committee meeting will be held Tuesday, October 13 from 1-3pm via Zoom.
Be sure to check ILIO's website for upcoming meeting agendas and minutes.
The next MRC meeting will be held Tuesday, October 6 from 3-5pm via Zoom.
Congratulations to the winners of the “Design Your Own Salish Sea Creature” art contest, in partnership with Sound Water Stewards! Check out the creative winning entries here!
Interested in kelp? We received two fantastic presentations about kelp at our August meeting. Recordings from both presentations are now available on our website. MRC member Randy Berthold shared about his experience with early kelp research. Dana Oster, Marine Program Manager with the Northwest Straits Commission, presented about the recently published Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan.
Be sure to check MRC's website for upcoming meeting agendas and minutes!
"Seacorn" 4th-5th Grade First Place - Amelia
"Fire Fish" 4th-5th Grade Runner-Up - Luna
"Squicken" 6th-7th Grade First Place - Ellie
The next Salmon Recovery Technical and Citizen Committee (SRTCC) meeting will be held Wednesday, September 9 from 3-5pm via WebEx.
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Good news! The Board of Island County Commissioners approved the Dec 2019 Update to the 2005 WRIA 6 Multi-Species Salmon Recovery Plan. It is approved under Resolution C-60-20.
The Commissioners had supportive and appreciative comments thanking SRTCC for years of hard work on the update as well as recognizing the benefit this work has had on our local habitats and human community.
Great work, SRTCC!
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Be sure to check out the Salmon Recovery website for upcoming meeting agendas and minutes.
Funding Opportunities
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the 2020 notice of funding availability under its Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, including funding for the new state infrastructure financing authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program. With $5 billion available for FY 2020, these funding programs accelerate investment in critical water infrastructure through innovative and flexible financing that can support diverse projects in both large and small communities. For more information, click here. The deadline to submit a letter of intent is Thursday, October 15.
The Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP) requests proposals for projects that will advance fish habitat conservation and restoration along the West Coast. PMEP is seeking project proposals that restore nursery habitats for PMEP focal species within smaller estuarine systems (with an emphasis on habitat connectivity) or proposals that increase our understanding of fish habitats in estuarine and nearshore waters. Proposals are due by Friday, October 30. Learn how to apply here!
Learn
Read about the role that ocean conservation plays in the intersection of social justice and climate here.
Check out this webinar on the impacts of COVID-19 on coastal and marine tourism. It takes place on Wednesday, September 9 at 11am PDT.
Join Restore America's Estuaries for the National Coastal & Estuarine Virtual Summit from Tuesday, September 29 - Thursday, October 1. This will be a highly interactive state of the art opportunity to network with colleagues, share lessons learned, and hear from experts on the latest in coastal restoration and management. More than 300 expert panels, presentations, and posters have been selected and more than 30 sponsors have already committed to support this year’s virtual Summit.
Livingston Bay Estuary (2005 WSU Beach Watchers)
The virtual 2020 Salish Sea Shared Waters Forum will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, October 14 and 15. The goal of this year’s Forum is to celebrate its final year, exchange information to enhance oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response to minimize impact of oil spills to the Salish Sea and identify next steps needed to keep momentum. Register here.
On a closely related note, The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force has released its 2019 Summary of West Coast Oil Spill Data. They have been collecting oil spill data since 2002. This data set includes spills of 42 gallons or larger of crude and non-crude oil in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Beginning in 2017, they began tracking the number of small spills (less than 42 gallons) and this information is also included in the summary report.
Abandoned/derelict vessel (The Pacific States-British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force)
Tools
As marine spatial planning (MSP) operates in a changing ocean, properly addressing and integrating climate effects is vital. Learn about potential solutions and ways forward to address this complex, dynamic issue in this webinar: The effects of climate change in marine spatial planning: pathways and solutions. It takes place on Thursday, October 1 from 10-11am PDT.
Act!
In honor of September being Puget Sound Starts Here month, take this quiz to test your water wits & salmon savvy! When doing so, you can learn about some actions we can all take to protect our unique waterways and area we call home. All participants will receive a code for a free 12-month subscription to Chinook Book. Take Our Quiz Here! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SoundOffQuiz
The Whidbey Camano Land Trust (WCLT) is hosting a summer photo scavenger hunt through the end of September. This is a fun opportunity to check out the beautiful places protected by the WCLT.
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) invites interested public, local and tribal governments, and any others to review and comment on wildlife response service provider applications submitted to Ecology for approval. Wildlife response service providers are companies with trained personnel who are qualified to staff and manage wildlife response activities during an oil spill. They are accepting comment until September 16. Provide comments (each link is for a different company) here and here.
Save the Date for Orca Recovery Day, October 17, 2020! Island MRC is partnering with Whidbey Island Conservation District and Snohomish Conservation District to bring you virtual events and activities in October to raise awareness and encourage action to protect our critically endangered orcas. Events will include an online eco-challenge, educational forum, trivia night, and art contest. Stay tuned for more details!
Events - Attend While You're at Home!
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Wednesday, September 9
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The impacts of COVID-19 on coastal and marine tourism webinar will take place at 11am.
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Wednesday, September 9
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SRTCC will meet via WebEx from 1-3pm.
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Wednesday, September 16
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Ecology is hosting a webinar about the Vessel Movement Module from 1-3pm. Register here.
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Thursday, September 17
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Watch Episode 1 of Washington Sea Grant's Seventh Annual River and Ocean Film Festival.
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Thursday, September 24
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Watch Episode 2 of Washington Sea Grant's Seventh Annual River and Ocean Film Festival.
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Tuesday, September 29 - Thursday, October 1
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Join Restore America's Estuaries for the 2020 National Coastal & Estuarine Virtual Summit.
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Thursday, October 1
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The effects of climate change in marine spatial planning: pathways and solutions webinar will take place from 10-11am.
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Thursday, October 1
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Watch Episode 3 of Washington Sea Grant's Seventh Annual River and Ocean Film Festival.
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Tuesday, October 6
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The MRC will meet via Zoom from 3-5pm.
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Wednesday, October 7
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Climate Summit 2020 will be held from 9am-2pm. Register here.
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Tuesday, October 13
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The ILIO will meet via Zoom from 1-3pm.
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Wednesday & Thursday, October 14 &15
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The virtual 2020 Salish Sea Shared Waters Forum takes place. Register here.
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