Short Notice Beach Cleanup This Saturday (Dec 7th) in Westport

Please join us for an impromptu beach cleanup this Saturday, December 7th at Westhaven State Park in Westport.  We will be scouring the beach for plastic, foam, and other debris from 1-3 pm.  See you there!

2013 Coastal Marine Resource Committee Summit

First of all, I’d like to again thank everyone for participating in the 4th annual coastal MRC summit.  It was a great collection of dedicated individuals, and the presentations were very informative.  I hope everyone was able learn some lessons and went home with plenty of new knowledge.

I would also like to thank Carrie Backman, Carol Ervest, Wahkiakum County MRC and the entire Cathlamet community for hosting us.  Numerous people commented on how pleasant and welcoming the entire town was.  A high bar has been set for next year’s summit!

There were many requests for the powerpoint presentations from our speakers.  Almost all have confirmed that I can share those presentations with the group, and more may become available soon. Those that are available now can be accessed by clicking on the respective presentation below.

Additionally, Cathy Lear has asked that I pass along some additional info regarding two public forums in Port Angeles next week, which will cover ecosystem services evaluation.

Join us for a public forum on the economic value of Clallam County ecosystems. The forums will be held in the Commissioners’ meeting room at the Clallam County courthouse, 23 E. 4th Street, Port Angeles. Click here for more details. 

Dave Batker, Tracy Stanton, & Lola Flores, of Earth Economics will describe natural capital accounting, and ecosystem service values in Clallam County with emphasis on the central Clallam County nearshore. 

Two 2-hour sessions on December 5th will introduce the basics of ecosystem services valuation (ESV) and mechanics of these tools to quantify the economic value of specific services in Clallam County.  The December 6th session will provide an overview presentation of Ecosystem Services of the Central Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Ecosystem Recovery Network. The ecosystem services valuations are part of a larger study funded by EPA and WDFW.

Again, thanks to all those who attended the summit and your continued dedication to our marine resources!

Details about the summit are below. Presentations can be downloaded by clicking on the
blue highlighted text.

Dates
    November 7th – 9th, 2013
Location
    Cathlamet, Washington
Venues
    Wahkiakum County Building - 64 Main Street
    Pioneer Church - 100 Main Street
Lodging
     Hotel Cathlamet - 69 Main Street

Agenda

November 7th - Wahkiakum County Building - Commissioners Room (3rd floor)
  1:00    Facilitating Collaborative Meetings Intro - Kelly Rupp, Bev Arnoldy, Eric Delvin
  1:10    Organizing & Running Effective Meetings
             Public vs. Other Meetings
  2:00    Group Decision Making Dynamics and Processes
  3:30    Meeting Management Using Parliamentary Procedure
  4:00    Panel Discussion  (with special guests Frank Wolfe, Mark Swartout, and Jackie Ferrier)
  5:00    Wrap-up and Adjourn
  6:00    Happy Hour - Tsuga Art Gallery

November 8th - Pioneer Church
  7:30    Breakfast and socializing - Thyme Square Bistro (next to Hotel Cathlamet)
  8:30    Greetings and Introduction - Carrie Backman
  8:40    MRC Updates
                - Whakiukum County MRC - Carrie Backman
                - Pacific County MRC - Megan Martin
                - Grays Harbor County MRC - Garrett Dalan
                - North Pacific Coast MRC - Tami Pokorny
  9:40    Columbia Fishing Regulations and Impacts on Coastal Fisheries - Mike Burner
  11:00  Funding Coastal Restoration Projects – Eric Delvin
  12:00  Lunch
  1:00    Shoreline Master Program (SMP) Updates
                - Shoreline Master Program Update Overview – Kim Van Zwalenburg
                - Aquaculture SMP Guidance – Cedar Bouta
                - Relationship between SMP Updates and Marine Spatial Planning – Jennifer Hennessey
                - Lessons learned from Clallam County Update Process – Cathy Lear
                - Panel Q&A
  4:00    Cathlamet Walking Tour - Local History and Marine Resources
  6:00    Dinner - Thyme Square Bistro

November 9th - Pioneer Church
  8:00    Breakfast and socializing - Thyme Square Bistro
  9:00    Ocean Acidification: From Knowledge to Action
- Carbon Exports and Ocean Acidification - Eric Swenson
- Cultivating Seaweed to Mitigate OA, Generate Habitat, Fertilizer, Food & Fuel - Mike Rust
                - Creating Refuges from Acidification and Sea Level Rise - Brad Warren
  12:00  Working Lunch Focusing on Planning Process with Ocean Acidification Group
  1:00    WCMAC Developments and Coordinating MRC Activities - Doug Kess
  1:30    Marine Plastic Pollution - Angel White
  2:15    The Science of Hatchery and Harvest Reform - Andy Appleby and Steve Smith
  3:00    Closing Remarks and Conclusion

The Best MSP Video To Date

The Surfrider Foundation is working with several partner organizations to bring to you, the residents of Washington State, the most comprehensive planning process for coastal and marine resources to date.

To educate the public and encourage participation in the process, we have developed a short video that explains what Marine Spatial Planing (MSP) is really all about, why it is important, and how you can get involved.

To learn more and get engaged in the MSP process, visit:
http://www.msp.wa.gov/

For more about Surfrider in Washington state, visit:
http://wa.surfrider.org/

Great Summary of Ocean Acidification and Local Impacts by Oregon Surfrider Staff

Gus Gates, my colleague in Oregon, has put together an excellent summary of Ocean Acidification and how local actions can have significantly impacts, for better or for worse.

"The emerging issue of ocean acidification (OA) has been getting a lot of recent attention via media, in community ocean forums, and by elected officials wondering what role governments might be able to play in addressing its impacts. While it’s important that we recognize that this is a global issue largely resulting from the increased amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) being pumped into the atmosphere and absorbed by the ocean, it’s also important to understand that there are local actions that can help mitigate the impacts of acidification on aquatic ecosystems and regional economies and cultures. Many of these local actions are directly connected to Surfrider’s existing clean water programs and campaigns."

Read the whole post here.

Reminder: Send In Your Comments About Marine Spatial Planning

The sun is setting for public comments on the draft goals and objectives for Washington State's Marine Spatial Planning.  The final day is next Monday, the 23rd.

If you haven't already, take a few minutes and share your thoughts.

For more info, see our earlier blog post:
http://surfriderwashingtoncoast.blogspot.com/2013/08/protect-future-of-your-favorite-beach.html

Seattle Times Report on Ocean Acidification

Make sure to check out this amazing multi-media report on ocean acidification!

http://apps.seattletimes.com/reports/sea-change/2013/sep/11/pacific-ocean-perilous-turn-overview/

Be part of the future: participate in a study on recreational uses of Washington’s coast

What the survey is about: 
Surfrider and Ecotrust are developing a survey to document Non-Consumptive Ocean and Coastal Recreation on the Pacific Coast of Washington. The survey will ask you about where you recreate on the coast, what activities you do there, and the money you spend on those activities. Then we can make maps that show the density of recreation happening on our beaches and what they are worth in dollars. You can see how Oregon already completed a similar study.

Why you should take part:
The results of the survey will help coastal planning when we have to make important decisions about the future of our coastlines and ocean. You can see the map layers the state is pulling together at the new MSP.wa.gov website. If we can show the numbers of people using specific beaches for surfing and the money they bring into the local community, for example, then we can protect our surf breaks from development! (It’s called surfenomics- check out this article)

How it works:
When you see the survey advertised (on this blog or in your local surf shop) complete it and then pass it on to your friends. Or to get the survey sent to your inbox, email Casey at cdennehy@surfrider.org.

When:
Launch date TBD

More:
You can keep in touch with what’s going on at our Washington State Surfrider Chapters page, policy blog or Facebook page, or the State’s MSP website. Learn more about the economic value of coastal recreation at Save the Waves.