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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
June 18, 2007
Contact: Val Koehler, Natural Resources Division stream team coordinator
Phone: (360) 337-4601
No. 07-45
Kitsap County to hold open houses on nearshore salmon
habitat assessment work
PORT
ORCHARD, WA—From the Kitsap/Pierce County line all the way to
Foulweather Bluff in Hansville, teams of scientists will be walking along
the 156 miles of saltwater beaches of east Kitsap County from now until
October, collecting important data on nearshore salmon habitat.
Headed by Kitsap County’s Natural Resources Division with support from the
Suquamish Tribe, Washington Sea Grant and Battelle Marine Sciences
Laboratory, the “East Kitsap Nearshore Salmon Habitat Assessment” invites
people to learn more about this exciting project at four open houses in July
in August. All meetings will be held from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.
July 2: Manchester Library, 8067 E. Main Street, Manchester
July 18: Eagles Nest, Kitsap County Fairgrounds, 1200 NW Fairgrounds Road,
Bremerton
August 7: Poulsbo Library, 700 NE Lincoln Street, Poulsbo
August 22: Kingston Community Center, 11212 State Highway 104, Kingston
Along with updated information on the progress of the assessment work, the
open houses will offer opportunities to learn about our marine shoreline
environment by providing resources to landowners on the functions, values
and nature of their shoreline, and to provide landowners with stewardship
activities for preserving and restoring private and public marine shorelines
and estuaries.
Paid for by a grant by the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board
with additional staff and resources from the Suquamish Tribe, the project
consists of up to three scientists per team, equipped with portable Global
Positioning System (GPS) units and digital cameras to record natural and
man-made beach characteristics. Done by both boat and beach walking, the
information gathered by the field work will provide the best available
science on the health of the shoreline. This work will be done at a fairly
brisk walking pace since time and optimum low tides are limited.
Informational letters and brochures have been and will continue to be mailed
to waterfront property owners prior to the scheduled arrival of the
assessment teams visiting their area. The first mailing was sent to
waterfront property owners from the Kitsap/Pierce County line to Manchester
on May 14.
Additional project information can be found online at
http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/nr/nearshore/default.htm
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