Coastal Marine Resources Committees Program: 2012 Report to the Legislature

Washington’s coastal and ocean resources provide vital economic, recreation, transportation, and cultural benefits to coastal and state residents. Identifying and implementing realistic, effective, and efficient solutions to the unique conservation and management issues of Washington’s outer coast requires utilizing the available knowledge and creative approaches of coastal citizens and leaders. To this end, citizen-based marine resources committees (MRCs) have proven to be an effective mechanism to harness the dedication, innovation, and wisdom of coastal residents.

MRCs are county-based, volunteer committees that identify, prioritize and implement local projects and activities and advise the county on marine resource issues. MRCs are composed of representatives from the scientific community, local and tribal governments, local citizens, and economic, recreational and conservation interests. This model was first developed through the Northwest (NW) Straits Initiative in 1998, and continues to be a national example of effective regional collaboration.

The Washington State Legislature endorsed and funded the MRC model in the 2007 and 2008 legislative sessions. As directed by RCW 36.125, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) created the Coastal MRC Program. The program provides support for the development, administration, and coordination of the coastal MRCs and their projects. All of the coastal counties, Clallam and Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Pacific, and Wahkiakum, have created unique MRCs and currently implement communitybased projects. Coastal MRC activities are guided by a set of interim program priorities, benchmarks, and a program goal statement that were developed by the Coastal MRC Work Group in 2009. These measurements were developed to ensure coordination among MRCs, and to provide accountability to WDFW and the legislature. The program priorities are to:

1) establish and maintain coastal MRCs,

2) complement existing efforts,

3) build partnerships,

4) utilize science, and

5) promote healthy communities and resources.

The program benchmarks focus on the following broad categories: 1) marine habitats, 2) marine life, 3) marine and fresh water quality, 4) sound science, 5) education and outreach, and 6) coastal communities. The following pages summarize each of the MRC activities during 2012 with the respective benchmarks that their activities address.