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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
August 10, 2007
Contact: Val Koehler
Phone: (360) 337-4601
No. 07-57
Kitsap County holds final open house on nearshore
salmon habitat assessment on August 22 in Kingston
PORT
ORCHARD, WA—From the Kitsap/Pierce County line all the way to
Foulweather Bluff in Hansville, teams of scientists have nearly completed
walking along the 156 miles of saltwater beaches of east Kitsap County
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 an open house on August
22 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Kingston Community Center, 11212 State Highway
104, Kingston.
Along with updated information on the progress of the assessment work, the
open house 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 has been 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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