The Port Susan The Port Susan Marine Stewardship Area Update - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Port Susan Marine Stewardship Area Update The Port Susan Marine Stewardship Area Update

Stillaguamish Clean Water District Stillaguamish Clean Water District Gina Gray & Kathleen M. Herrmann Gina Gray & Kathleen M. Herrmann January 23, 2013 January 23, 2013

A NWSC Benchmark Funds Project A NWSC Benchmark Funds Project

What is a Marine Stewardship Area?

• A conservation strategy

that works to generate responsibility within the relevant authorities and users of marine environments for the conservation of the conservation of the natural, cultural and scenic values

• No regulatory authority
• Encourages citizen

participation and a common community vision

Team Structure

Core Team (MRCs, Tribes) Core Team (MRCs, Tribes) Advisory Team (+TNC, NWSC, WSU Extension, Shore Stewards) Advisory Team (+TNC, NWSC, WSU Extension, Shore Stewards) Shore Stewards) Shore Stewards) Meetings/Working Groups (+ Key Stakeholders, Experts) Meetings/Working Groups (+ Key Stakeholders, Experts) Workshops and Citizen Science (+Managers, Scientists, Stakeholders, Citizens) Workshops and Citizen Science (+Managers, Scientists, Stakeholders, Citizens)

What is Conservation Action Planning (CAP)?

• Integrated process for

planning, implementing and measuring conservation success for projects

• Guides team to develop

effective strategies

CAP Planning Process

2008 – March 2011 Ongoing Phase I

effective strategies

• Reviews intended actions vs.

actual outcomes

• Provides adaptive

management tool

http://www.mdibl.org/documents/CAP-2- pager.pdf

Process

March 2011 – December 2011 2012 -

Phase II

Focal Targets Selected:

• 1. Shorebirds

Port Susan MSA Scope and Targets

What biodiversity are we trying to conserve or restore? What species and habitat, if fully recovered, would represent ecosystem recovery?

• 1. Shorebirds
• 2. Embedded Invertebrates
• 3. Crustaceans
• 4. Chinook Salmon
• 5. Forage Fish
• 6. River Delta
• 7. Beaches

Data Incorporated/Viability

Conservation Targets

Data Source Rating

Shore Birds Rough Guess Chinook Salmon Expert Knowledge/Onsite Research Forage Fish Expert Knowledge/Onsite Research Embedded Invertebrates Viability not complete Dungeness Crab Expert Knowledge River Delta Both Expert Knowledge & Rough Guess Beaches Both Expert Knowledge & Rough Guess

Port Susan Target Health

Conservation Targets

Current Rating

Shore Birds Good Chinook Salmon Fair Forage Fish Good Embedded Invertebrates Good Dungeness Crab Good River Delta Poor Beaches Fair

Overall Biodiversity Health

Fair

Top 10* Threats for Port Susan

Threats Across Targets Shore Birds Chinook Salmon Forage Fish Embedded Invertebrates Dungeness Crab River Delta Beaches Overall Threat Rank

Project-specific threats 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 Bank Hardening Medium Very High High Medium Very High Very High 2 Levee Maintenance Very High Low High High 3 Agriculture Runoff Medium Very High Medium High 4 Loss of Vegetated Buffer Medium High Medium High High Increased Flooding

*Of the 26 Identified

5 (due to Climate Change and Dev.) High High High 6 Acidification Medium High Medium 7 Spills High Medium Medium 8 Derelict Gear High Medium 9 Illegal Harvest High Medium 10 Increased Storm Events (due to Climate Change) High Medium Threat Status for Targets High Very High High Medium High High High Very High

Conservation Strategy Development

• 10 Objectives – what outcomes do we want

to see that either abate threats or improve target health

• 30+ Strategic actions – the “how” we

achieve objectives in the next 10 years achieve objectives in the next 10 years

• Strategic actions all consider:

– Feasibility – Benefit – Cost

Plans, Plans, and More Plans! So what makes this different?

Port Susan Marine Stewardship Area

Public Workshops

Over 70 community members participated in two January workshops. The workshops gathered feedback and local area knowledge.

2012 Progress – Measures Development

Strengthen Island County’s SMP to reduce hard armoring and increase Snohomish County’s and Island County’s enforcement by 2020 Number of actions taken on illegal armoring Method: Percent of instances where complaints have follow-up enforcement per Paladin report (Island County Planning Department database query) Who: Island County Who: Island County When: Annually Cost: Low What triggers decision- making: Increase in enforcement above certain baselines.

Recent Achievements

• TNC Dike Breach
• Western

Hemisphere Reserved of International Importance Importance

• Two grants funded

strategies

• Keep Port Susan

Healthy Campaign Created

2012 Puget Sound Champion Award

Lessons Learned

• Importance of Scale and regional identification

– Port Susan is geographically distinct and therefore a natural planning area. Residents identify themselves more closely with Port Susan than either of the counties they live in.

• Cooperation among the agencies, tribes, and

stakeholders.

– “Co-Management”- Willingness of partners – Trust Building – Frequent Communication – Defined Roles- Function as a Team

Use of Data

• CAP can use both great scientific data and

citizen input to come up with a set of threats and strategies that are ecosystem based

• Discomfort that citizens weren’t experts
• Discomfort with scientists not lumping things
• Discomfort with scientists not lumping things

into bins of very good, good, fair, and poor

• The equal discomfort on all parties involved led

to a product that can be communicated and understood by our citizens and therefore enhance stewardship

Next Steps

• Work Plan and Measures to be completed in

December 2012. DRAFTS WILL BE CIRCULATED TOMORROW

• Implementation tracking to begin in 2013
• For more information visit: www.snocomrc.org

Port Susan MSA Advisory Team

• Abby Hook, Tulalip Tribes
• Kathleen Herrmann, Snohomish County MRC
• Brett DeVries, Snohomish Conservation District
• Caroline Gibson, NWSC
• Gina Gray, Stillaguamish Tribes
• Jess Toro, Native Habitat Restoration
• Kat Morgan, TNC
• Kat Morgan, TNC
• Kate Litle, WA Sea Grant
• Kit Rawson, Tulalip Tribes
• Scott Chase, Island County Shore Stewards
• Tom Hoban, Snohomish MRC Chair
• Audrey Kuklok, UW Student Coordinator

Thanks to all our partners! Questions?