Right now, Grays Harbor County is exploring the possibility of forming a Coastal Marine Resources Committee (MRC). Currently, the only officially established MRCs in Washington State are in northern Puget Sound, associated with the federally created and funded Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative. When legislation passed in 2007 to create a new system of MRCs for counties bordering the Puget Sound and Pacific Ocean coastlines, Grays Harbor County became the first to explore forming such a committee. The County, State and Surfrider Foundation have held a few well attended public meetings and area citizens are showing strong interest and support of this project.The County established an exploratory committee to examine state enabling legislation and the experiences and accomplishments of other MRCs organized under the Northwest Straits Commission. This group will be seeking public input in developing a framework for this MRC and identifying the types of projects the committee will work on.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is coordinate this program for the entire outer coast and are currently developing priorities and measurable benchmarks to guide MRC efforts. As an example, here are the Benchmarks of the Northwest Straits Initiative:
MARINE HABITATS – Protect and restore marine, coastal and nearshore habitat, prevent loss and achieve a net gain of healthy habitat areas.
MARINE LIFE - Protect and restore marine populations to healthy, sustainable levels.
MARINE WATER QUALITY – Protect marine water quality of the NW Straits region, and restore the health of marine waters.
SOUND SCIENCE – Collect high quality data and promote its use and dissemination.
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION – Promote stewardship & understanding of NW Straits marine resources through education and outreach.
For a comprehensive background on MRCs in Washington and to become involved in the Grays Harbor County MRC follow the link below:
No comments:
Post a Comment