07/31/2007: "SJC May Be Nominated As An “Aquatic Reserve”"

The County Council will meet today (Tuesday, 7-31-07) to discuss nominating San Juan County to the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) as a Aquatic Reserve Project.

The SJC Marine Resource Committee (MRC), along with Amy Windrope of the SJ Initiative, and others, impressed upon the County Council the benefits of establishing an Aquatic Reserve for “ecological, scientific, and educational” areas that would “help manage” designated areas, while providing resources for research and monitoring.

The DNR has asked for nominations of areas of state-owned aquatic lands. According to DNR, only nominations of land that are of “special educational or scientific interest, or lands of special environmental importance” will be adopted into the program, and to the end, the status of aquatic reserve will only be “applied when it is the most appropriate management tool.”

The process for proposing a site for protection may include public or private groups, or individuals, One a letter of intent has be received nominating a site for aquatic reserve protection, the letter will be reviewed by DNR to determine if the nominated site meets criteria found in the Aquatic Reserves Program Implementation and Designation Guidance