As you note changes in the land environment, you may also wonder how ocean conditions change with the seasons. New information from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington use models and a variety of images to display the physical and chemical changes of Washington’s coastal waters throughout a typical year. These conditions show that there is a lot going on that we cannot see from the surface. The outputs from the UW lab and full report are available on the Marine Spatial Planning website under a page called “Ocean Conditions“.
Check out the new webpage for content on bottom oxygen, hypoxia, chlorophyll, salinity, temperatures, and so much more.
NEWS
Join Heritage Days “Fish N Brew” annual event at the Roundhouse in Forks. Locally caught fish and homemade brews may be entered into the competition at noon. Bring your best or most creative dish for a sure shot at the People’s Choice awards with past favorites including salmon chowder, smoked salmon, and salmon ice cream.
Be sure to swing by the Washington Sea Grant Marine Spatial Planning booth and chat with Kevin Decker.
Click here for more information
This weekend, look for Washington Sea Grant staff member, Kevin Decker at the 9th annual Chehalis Watershed Festival.
Come to the Morrison Riverfront Park and Rotary Log Pavilion for live music all day, a salmon bake, watershed friendly gardening tips, and a chance to climb inside a 28 foot salmon! Find Kevin and chat a bit about what Marine Spatial Planning means for your watershed.
Click here for more information
A scoping workshop for the coastal economic analysis project will be held on October 7th. Cascade Economics will develop an economic analysis to enable a deeper understanding of the elements of the ocean economy and assist in the development of Washington’s marine spatial plan. They will be holding this workshop to discuss the options for methods of analysis and to get input on the scope for the project.
Did you miss the workshop? Do you want to provide feedback?
- Watch the video and double click the attached document to view the final presentation.
- View the menu of approaches
- Read the recommended levels of study
- Join the discussion at the WCMAC meeting
For information on the scoping analysis, view the public workshop agenda and scoping process steps.
Cascade Economics out of Washougal, WA has been selected as the contractor to develop sound economic information through an economic analysis. The analysis will enable a deeper understanding of the elements of the ocean economy and assist in the development of Washington’s marine spatial plan.
The contractor is planning to hold a scoping workshop for the WCMAC to discuss the options for the methods of analysis and to help define the scope of the project. Stay tuned for more information on the scoping workshop.
View the initial Scope of Work and the Menu of Approaches
We are excited to announce that the sector analyses final reports are available on the MSP Projects webpage. The reports describe current and potential future activities of marine sectors along the Washington coast and assess the potential conflicts with the development of other uses. Each report synthesizes information from publicly available sources and draws on insights from industry experts to highlight critical issues affecting each sector.
Most of the final reports are avaliable for these marine sectors:
- Aquaculture;
- Commercial and recreational fishing;
- Marine renewable energy;
- Recreation and tourism;
- Shipping.
The sector analyses identify key remaining questions, data quality issues, and data gaps which will be used as a guide for further development of the marine spatial plan.
Look for Washington Sea Grant‘s Kevin Decker at the Marine Spatial Planning booth at the 52nd annual Come and Play on Labor Day family fun event on Willapa Bay.
Events include a Chinook Nation salmon bake, Kiddie Parade, football game, oyster cook-off, Chinook Indian Nation paddle in, softball tournament, grand parade, chowder and oyster cook-off, fireworks at dusk on Saturday, and so much more. Pick up an event brochure at participating merchants or call 360-934-9373 for more information.
Find Kevin and tell him the MSP website sent you!
Look for Kevin at more of your costal festivals and contact him with event ideas.
The Department of Natural Resources recently launched new features for the MSP interactive mapping tool. Now you can:
- View data related to sector themes (such as shipping),
- Find your location,
- Select any township, lat-long coordinate, or county and have the map immediately orient to that location.
These new functions are intended to assist you to quickly and easily find specific locations, identify places that are unique to you, and make the data readily accessible.
Check out the new features on the mapping tool.
View the tutorial to learn how to use these features.
Read more about topic maps.
We would like to welcome Kelsey Gianou to the Washington State Department of Ecology and Marine Spatial Planning team as an Environmental Planner. Kelsey will be researching and summarizing information on topics for the plan, writing sections and chapters of the draft plan, and analyzing relevant policies for the Marine Spatial Plan and the planning process.
Kelsey recently completed a NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship creating guidance for ways to stabilize soft shorelines along Washington’s coasts through Ecology’s Shoreline Master Programs. The position involved two years of writing and synthesizing technical information and incorporating local Washington governments in the planning and implementation of soft shoreline stabilization. Kelsey has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Masters of Science in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University.
Welcome to the team!
The Request for Proposals (RFP) on an Economic Analysis issued by the Department of Natural Resoruces is now open. The subject and deliverables of the RFP are in the support of the development of the Marine Spatial Plan on Washington’s Coast.
Please review the document and encourage qualified persons or organizations to submit the appropriate materials to the RFP coordinator no later than 2pm on July 31, 2014. The contract will last from August 2014 through June 2015.
Download the Request for Proposals for the Economic Analysis.