Fight to save Puget Sound kelp bed underscores NW habitat challenges
The Washington state Department of Natural Resources and the Squaxin Island Tribe have announced a partnership to conserve the Squaxin Island Kelp Bed, the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound.DNR and the Squaxin Island Tribe will work to surround the kelp bed with a priority habitat zone, try to reduce environmental stresses to improve the kelp bed’s health, and partner with Puget Sound Restoration Fund on future restoration projects, according to a news release.Since 2013, DNR and Squaxin Island staff have seen a 97% decline in the kelp bed, which holds both ecological and cultural significance. In Oregon, the coastline lost more than two-thirds of its canopy of bull kelp.“We recognize how important it is to protect this critical resource,” said Kris Peters, Squaxin Island Tribe chairman, in a statement. “Squaxins can’t do it alone; it takes us all coming together as partners. That is why this local inter-governmental agreement is so important and monumental.”The Squaxin Island Kelp Bed is the first habitat DNR is prioritizing in its statewide Kelp Forest and Eelgrass Meadow Health and Conservation Plan, which state legislation directed DNR to hatch in response to the loss of bull kelp and eelgrass on the Washington coastline.The plan’s goal is to conserve and restore at least 10,000 acres of kelp forest and eelgrass meadow habitat by 2040.Restoration efforts will initially focus on three pilot sub-basins: South Puget Sound, the Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and Grays Harbor. As DNR works toward its 10,000-acre goal, it intends to explore conservation and recovery in all sub-basins, according to DNR’s website.“Squaxin people have been stewarding these waters and lands for thousands of years,” Peters said in a statement. “Kelp beds have also been stewarding these waters for thousands of years, providing nourishment and a critical ecosystem for the many plants, animals, and fish of the Salish Sea.”An open house on the plans for the Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca’s priority habitat will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on July 30 at the Dungeness River Nature Center in Sequim. The open house is free and open to the public; those interested in attending it can RSVP on DNR’s website.___(c)2024 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)Visit The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) at www.theolympian.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Washington state Department of Natural Resources and the Squaxin Island Tribe will join forces to try to conserve the Squaxin Island Kelp Bed, the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound.
The Washington state Department of Natural Resources and the Squaxin Island Tribe have announced a partnership to conserve the Squaxin Island Kelp Bed, the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound.
DNR and the Squaxin Island Tribe will work to surround the kelp bed with a priority habitat zone, try to reduce environmental stresses to improve the kelp bed’s health, and partner with Puget Sound Restoration Fund on future restoration projects, according to a news release.
Since 2013, DNR and Squaxin Island staff have seen a 97% decline in the kelp bed, which holds both ecological and cultural significance. In Oregon, the coastline lost more than two-thirds of its canopy of bull kelp.
“We recognize how important it is to protect this critical resource,” said Kris Peters, Squaxin Island Tribe chairman, in a statement. “Squaxins can’t do it alone; it takes us all coming together as partners. That is why this local inter-governmental agreement is so important and monumental.”
The Squaxin Island Kelp Bed is the first habitat DNR is prioritizing in its statewide Kelp Forest and Eelgrass Meadow Health and Conservation Plan, which state legislation directed DNR to hatch in response to the loss of bull kelp and eelgrass on the Washington coastline.
The plan’s goal is to conserve and restore at least 10,000 acres of kelp forest and eelgrass meadow habitat by 2040.
Restoration efforts will initially focus on three pilot sub-basins: South Puget Sound, the Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and Grays Harbor. As DNR works toward its 10,000-acre goal, it intends to explore conservation and recovery in all sub-basins, according to DNR’s website.
“Squaxin people have been stewarding these waters and lands for thousands of years,” Peters said in a statement. “Kelp beds have also been stewarding these waters for thousands of years, providing nourishment and a critical ecosystem for the many plants, animals, and fish of the Salish Sea.”
An open house on the plans for the Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca’s priority habitat will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on July 30 at the Dungeness River Nature Center in Sequim. The open house is free and open to the public; those interested in attending it can RSVP on DNR’s website.
___
(c)2024 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Visit The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) at www.theolympian.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.