03/30/2007: "Marine Stewardship Area Workshops"

The San Juan County Marine Resources Committee will hold the last of four community workshops to get public input on draft strategies for protecting and restoring the county's unique and valuable marine resources, while allowing the sustainable use of these resources to continue forever. The last workshop was held on San Juan island (Related Story), the first two were on Shaw and Lopez, and this Saturday the final one -and a free lunch- will be held on Orcas.

The meetings are intended to help citizens who “want to learn more about how to protect and restore habitat, water quality, fish, orcas and the cultural and recreational heritage of our marine waters”, and also to allow the public to share their “ideas about how the MRC can do these things”.

The meetings will “complete the Marine Stewardship Area Plan” which the former San Juan County Commissioners had asked the Marine Resources Committee (MRC) to develop as management measures, to promote the goals of the county-wide Marine Stewardship Area (MSA). The management measures are contained in the Draft SJC Marine Stewardship Area Plan , which will be presented to the County Council for their approval in June.

Following is the schedule for the remaining meetings (one has already been held on Shaw). The meetings will be facilitated by Todd Peterson (who also facilitated the recent Solid Waste meetings)

San Juan Yacht Club, San Juan Island
Saturday, April 7 9 am to 1 pm

Lopez Center for Community and the Arts, Lopez Island
Saturday, April 14 9 am to 1 pm

Madrona Room at Orcas Center, Orcas Island
Saturday, April 21 9 am to 1 pm
(Lunch will be provided at all workshops)

Marine resources include: habitat, such as rocky shores and the near shore waters; fish, such as rockfish and salmon; and marine mammals, such as orca and seals. Marine resources also include the livelihoods, sustenance, cultural traditions and enjoyment the marine environment provides residents, tribes and visitors.

Kit Rawson, Chair of the MRC, says, "These workshops are a critical part of the stewardship plan. We hope this plan will provide the vision and scientific basis for coordinated efforts of marine managers and the public. Because many of the strategies we are proposing are voluntary, the plan's success depends on widespread public understanding and support."

For more information about the workshops and the MRC, please call Mary Knackstedt at (360) 370-7592 or visit http://www.sjcmrc.org