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North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center Natural Resources
To provide a program that provides hands-on, relevant natural resources research experience while meeting the needs of and building capacity within individual students and the North Olympic Peninsula region.
openchannels.org
OpenChannels is designed to become a comprehensive source for news, guidance, and community discussion on sustainable practices in ocean planning and management.
River of Kings – Video
Part 1 of 2 part series by Carl Safina on the Nisqually River Restoration.
Salish Magazine
Salish Magazine is a free online magazine that takes inquisitive readers outdoors with visually rich storytelling about features people can see firsthand in our public forests and beaches.
Victoria Sewage Project
The official city site on the project. The latest scoop on the Canadian poop!
WA State Family Forest Fish Passage Program
The Family Forest Fish Passage Program provides funding to small forest landowners to repair or remove fish passage barriers. Download the film.
News Sites
Green Acre Radio on KBCS
Green Acre Radio on KBCS — Sustainability, local food production, restoration & environmental talk radio.
NW Indian Fisheries Commission
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) is a support service organization for 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington.
Brinnon Group
Local group opposing Black Point resort
Clam Gardens
Network of researchers exploring First Nation gardening of clams in history, and it’s relationship to today.
Coastal Watershed Institute
“To promote long term, ecological, community based stewardship of marine and terrestrial ecosystems thru scientific research and local partnerships.”
League of Women Voters – Clallam County
a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
League of Women Voters – Jefferson County
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
Local Food Access Network
North Peninsula local food org with an emphasis on developing and supporting increased and sustainable capacity for production, distribution, and consumption locally.
North Olympic Salmon Coalition
The mission of the North Olympic Salmon Coalition is to restore, enhance, and protect habitat of North Olympic Peninsula wild salmon stocks and to promote community volunteerism, understanding, cooperation and stewardship of these resources.
Northwest Watershed Institute
NWI’s mission is to provide scientific and technical support to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitats and watershed ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest.
Olympic Environmental Council
The Olympic Environmental Council works on issues related to the environment and health that affect our North Olympic Peninsula communities.
Olympic Park Associates
If you share with us a passion for Olympic National Park, a concern for the Park’s future, and a vision that Olympic National Park should always be a wild and natural place, we invite you to join Olympic Park Associates.
Washington Environmental Council
WEC has been working for a couple of decades on environmental activism. A great group of people actually getting things done.
Whale Trail
Signs along the way to take you to great whale viewing locations
Wild Fish Conservancy
Wild Fish Conservancy seeks to improve conditions for all of the Northwest’s wild fish
From PTMSC: We are both sad and happy to report some important news about PTMSC. As you may know, Bee Redfield, our executive director, assumed a more limited role in February in order to prepare for her final PhD requirements at Purdue University. While this plan for a temporary hiatus was in place since her hire last spring, Bee more recently made the decision for personal reasons not to return to the ED position and asked the board to seek a replacement. She says, “I am fully dedicated to supporting PTMSC through this transition and beyond. I love PTMSC, the team, and the Port Townsend community, and I am so grateful for the time that I spent with you all.” The board appreciates Bee’s exemplary performance as ED and is grateful for her many accomplishments. And Bee’s achievements are many. Her biggest legacy will probably be what we think will become an iconic landmark in Port Townsend: a gray whale skeleton on Union Wharf which is scheduled to be installed this summer. She also expanded the Future of Oceans lecture series, oversaw new programming at the Flagship Landing building downtown, and strengthened the internal systems of the organization.Upon receiving the news, the board carefully assessed the organization’s evolving needs and prioritized the talents, skills, knowledge, and experience that the ideal ED candidate would bring to the job at this time. They recognized that this talent existed within the organization and were delighted when Diane Quinn, our Program Director of over six years, accepted the position.
Quinn brings extensive leadership experience from her two decades at the Burke Museum in Seattle. As Director of Education, she helped to expand the scale, budgets and impacts of school and public programs. She nurtured innumerable community partnerships, contributed to the development of major exhibitions and participated in long-term, new museum planning resulting in a major capital campaign.Quinn’s long relationship with PTMSC started in 1998 when the Burke and PTMSC collaborated on a new exhibit at Fort Worden. She remembers, “In working with Libby Palmer, Judy D’Amore, and Anne Murphy, the founders and founding executive director, it was clear that the organization has a unique role in the local community, that community marine science centers have a critical role in the broader community of practice, and that change for the better happens in communities and in the world through sustained effort and commitment.”Besides her track record of successful regional collaborations, and her pre-existing relationships with many community leaders, Diane has developed a deep mutual trust between herself and the PTMSC staff over the past six years in her role as Program Director. Her comprehensive knowledge of the organization, especially in terms of program and operations, as well as her experience with creative program design and organizational transformation, makes her an ideal fit for the top leadership position at this time in PTMSC’s journey. We are all very excited about the future of PTMSC and thank you for your part in making that future possible.
Please join the Friends of Fort Flagler to learn more about Northern elephant seal natural history and distribution. We will also discuss common causes of stranding in Northern elephant seals, field assessments and our recent hospital cases.
Presenters:
Casey Mclean has over 12 years’ experience working with marine animals, and is the Executive Director of SR3, Washington’s first dedicated marine animal hospital. SR3 is a nonprofit organization that focuses on response, rehabilitation and research of local marine wildlife. The hospital opened the summer of 2021 and immediately started helping harbor seals. is fall they will be opening a marine animal hospital in the Des Moines marina, just south of Seattle. To learn more about SR3, visit https://www.sealifer3.org/
Michelle Rivard is the veterinarian for SR3. Dr. Michelle Rivard is an aquatic animal veterinarian focused on clinical medicine, pathology, and health of free-ranging marine mammals. In her role at SR³, Michelle provides medical management and care of stranded aquatic wildlife, performs postmortem examinations, and participates in ongoing research projects. Michelle attended veterinary school at Michigan State University.
Friends of Fort Flagler is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoring, preserving and protecting the natural and historic resources of Fort Flagler State Park. Please support our state park by becoming a member, volunteering or donating to our organization. To learn more, visithttps://friendsoffortflagler.org/.
The parent company of Port Townsend Paper Mill, Crown Paper, has been acquired by a holding company out of Greenwich, Connecticut named Atlas Corporation. Atlas is a holding company that owns many natural resource companies, including recent acquisition of Foster Farms chicken processing. They also own and operate a diversified group of manufacturing and distribution businesses around the world. Many of these businesses are paper mills and many more operate in related industries, such as packaging, printing, and receipts and labels.
With Crown, Atlas now owns and operates 26 manufacturing and distribution businesses with approximately 50,000 associates across more than 300 global locations. While Atlas was founded in 2002, many of their companies have been in business for more than 100 years and are pillars of their local communities.
From their press release:
“Atlas has a long and established track record of investing in the pulp, paper and packaging industries, partnering with exceptional leadership teams to revitalize and strengthen companies for the long term. We’ve invested significant resources and partnered with companies at an inflection point in their journey, and we view Crown as another opportunity to put this experience to work. Today, these companies, including Finch Paper, Iconex, Marcal, Millar Western Forest Products and Twin Rivers Paper Company, are leaders in their markets,” added Atlas Partner Sam Astor.
“Atlas has owned and operated businesses that have similar operations and footprints as Crown, including paper mills, packaging manufacturers and wood products leaders with operations in the U.S. and Canada. In each case, these companies have been strong economic engines in their local economies. As such, we bring a unique set of capabilities and relevant experience to our partnership with Randy and the Crown Team,” said Janet O’Neil, Senior Vice President at Atlas Holdings.
Atlas also announced the appointment of paper and packaging industry executive Randy Nebel as Chairman of the Crown Board of Directors. Nebel has extensive experience in the sector, having previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Verso Corporation (NYSE: VRS), a leading North American producer of graphic, specialty and packaging paper and market pulp, and President of Longview Paper & Packaging, a leading manufacturer of high-quality containerboard, corrugated products and other specialty papers.
Port Townsend Paper Corporation is a leading provider of high-quality recycled and virgin kraft containerboard, kraft pulp and specialty products in Port Townsend, Washington. The two converting facilities, known as Crown Packaging and Boxmaster, operate with extensive customer reach and distribution capabilities throughout British Columbia and Alberta.
While this story is behind a paywall, worth noting that the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is finally opening their downtown location. Go check it out!
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center will open its doors to the public Friday to show off the completion of the first phase of the nonprofit organization’s move from Fort Worden State Park to downtown. About 50 people attended a crisp outdoor ceremony Wednesday that highlighted the center’s 40-year anniversary and its pledge for conservation and marine stewardship. Brian McLean reports.
Washington Environmental Council is partnering with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center to bring this exhibit to the north Olympic Peninsula community. The We Are Puget Sound traveling photo exhibit will be on display at the Marine Science Center’s Flagship store in downtown Port Townsend from December 18, 2021 through February 2022.
The photo series explores people, places, and wildlife through extraordinary images, describes human connections in the past and present, and showcases community members engaged in remarkable efforts that benefit Puget Sound and all of us.
The in-person photo exhibit will inspire and engage people on the Olympic Peninsula to join together and preserve this vital ecosystem and the livelihoods they support by focusing on one action each month from the campaign’s 10 Things You Can Do for Puget Sound.
The exhibit highlights 18 striking images from the book We Are Puget Sound: Discovering and Recovering the Salish Sea (Braided River, 2019). It also features work from 13 regional photographers showcasing individuals who are working to find meaningful solutions to protect the Puget Sound’s waters, wildlife, and the human health and economic prosperity this region supports.
An update based on the Sierra Club’s Peter Guerrero’s take on this. And also my thoughts at the end.
On Monday, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the new water agreement that includes raises in the cost of water to city residents, along with a new contract with the PT Paper Mill and improvements to the pipeline infrastructure. The agreement incorporates the Sierra Club’s recommendations for charging the mill for water used ($4.5 million/year) and for increasing these charges, over time, to encourage conservation. Unfortunately, the agreement establishes the current mill water usage of 11MGD/day as the baseline without seeking any reductions, resulting in the mill continuing to account for over 91% of all water consumed from the Quilcene watershed.
Both the mill and the city got what they wanted: The mill was assured of being able to continue using up to 11MGD while the city was able to put together a “partnership” that avoided having to go to the bond market and that was of a sufficient duration (20 years), avoiding draconian residential rate increases. It was more important for the city to get the mill to offset the steep capital costs of the Olympic Ground Water System (OGWS) than to achieve the kind of conservation gains the Sierra Club and other environmental activists would have liked to see.
Unfortunately, it is likely to be an unstable agreement given the past economic history of the mill and its aging infrastructure. Both suggest the mill may not be around for the full 20-year term of the agreement, leaving the city having to pay tens of millions for infrastructure improvements anyway. Knowing this, the city also voted last night to unanimously to create an industrial water rate, allowing it to sell water to another entity (industrial, PUD, etc.) if needed.
The next debate will be over increases to residential rates required by the agreement. Residential ratepayers have already expressed concern that they are “paying” for the mill’s excessive water use. Unfortunately the city doesn’t see a viable alternative at this time.
Environmentalists will have a second opportunity come 2025-2029 when the USFS will be reconsidering the city’s special use permit allowing it to withdraw water from the Quilcene Watershed.
I would also like to add that one thing I learned by listening to the discussion and reading the agreement is that we are extremely vulnerable to the impending climate changes that are unfolding around us. One issue that was mentioned was that the city looked into substituting well water for the water coming from the mountains and found that there is not nearly enough to supply our needs, let alone the mill. My personal take on the agreement is that it could have been set to a 10 year renewal, given the changing climate. It was also odd that there is no mention of the impact of our taking of significant water from the rivers, given the efforts to restore salmon in those streams. It certainly was never considered in the original setup of the water system.
It also brings up the issue of growth of the city. As new housing developments continue at the roundabout on Discovery Road and also on Cook Avenue there will be a need for more water for the city. The mill is guaranteed 11 MGD. But if the city increases water use, there is more revenue for the OGWS. This is a perverse reversal of conservation, the built reward to grow the city’s water use by greater development in order to lower water costs for all. But the caveat is that if there’s drought conditions and the water is not at the level needed, and does not replenish the holding lakes, we could be in for greater conservation and higher rates.
The water is stored in two holding lakes and we usually end up shifting to drawing from them exclusively by mid summer. As the planet warms and the snow packs become lessened, we will be drawing on those lakes sooner and sooner in the year. That day is coming in the next two to five years, once those large scale developments are built out. That was not discussed by the City Council. Not even a question on it, unless I missed it.
While we watch as the megadrought blankets the west this should be a wake up call to those of us up here on the Peninsula that managing our water resources for the next ten years is likely to be a guessing game. Will the snows come again as expected? If not, how will it affect the flows in the rivers we rely on for our drinking water?
Right now, there has been discussions between the Port Townsend Mill and the City, on renewing a long term lease for the right to use our drinking water source for the mill manufacturing, as they have done for a century. My suggestion? Go for a 10 year lease and revisit it then. We seem to be ok for the immediate future. But 10 years from now it could be a very different situation.
A 22-year drought — the region’s most severe in more than a millennium — and climate change have made that fundamental problem worse. The alpine snowpack that feeds the river has been diminishing and was melting earlier this year. Parched soil soaks up much of it before it even enters rivers and streams. Extreme heat evaporates water in Lake Mead and other reservoirs more quickly and causes evaporation from plants.
As readers of this blog may know, there have been concerns raised about the sea life attached to the old jetty. Some rare species have been found on it. More research will be needed to understand the impact, and the diving community of Jefferson County have weighed in and are following the issue closely.
The Port of Port Townsend commissioners unanimously agreed to resubmit a grant application to the federal Economic Development Administration to assist with reconstruction of the Point Hudson Breakwater jetty. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) initially deferred its decision for the $11.28 million grant the port requested. But now the EDA has said it is open to reconsidering funding the project with about $9.3 million. Zach Jablonski reports. (Peninsula Daily News)
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is proposing a commercial aquaculture operation at Point Hudson. The Tribe is asking the port to allow them to put in a FLUPSY, a device to create an upwelling of water to help young oyster spat.
The meeting with the Port Commissioners to discuss this proposal is online on WEDS. SEPT 23rd at 5:30 PM.
While on the surface this seems benign, it has raised a number of issues that Karen Sullivan, who has a boat in Point Hudson, researched. The following information comes from a letter she wrote the Port Commissioners. The questions are quite intersesting in that they raise issues that many of us might not think to raise. One example is the Wooden Boat Show. Here’s all of the letter. Draw your own conclusions. Zoom in on Wedsnesday if you have comments. Will likely be earlier on the agenda. It’s the first major order of business after the introductory issues.
To: Port of Port Townsend
From: Karen Sullivan and James Heumann, Port tenants
Date: September 21, 2020
Subject: Concerns about proposed commercial aquaculture operations in Point Hudson Marina
We are writing to express our concerns about the proposal to establish oyster aquaculture operations at the Point Hudson Marina. It was surprising to see this potentially controversial item listed so ambiguously on the Port’s agenda for the September 23 meeting: “Jamestown S’Klallam presentation: FLUPSY and upland use at Point Hudson.”
How many of the Port’s constituents would know that a FLUPSY is a Floating Upweller System, and how many would recognize it as an in-water aquaculture project? Use of a cute, innocuous-sounding acronym with reference only to upland activity requires readers to know what a FLUPSY is, downplays its potential impacts, and fails to acknowledge potential public interest. Without public scrutiny, project approval would fail standards of fairness, impartiality, and prevention of conflicts of interest. The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe said it is working with the Port; now the Port needs to work with the public.
Our concerns include environmental, financial, social, procedural and legal compliance issues. We believe these and other questions and concerns must be fully answered before the Port can approve such a project.
1. Size and impact of floats/barges: Currently, an oyster spat-raising operation by the project proponent exists at the John Wayne Marina. These “floats,” which are also called barges, are not “small” as is claimed in news accounts. A Google Earth screen capture shows their placement and size at that marina. They are much larger than any of the surrounding boats.
2. Noise/smell: The paddlewheel in the right photo above is the mechanism for producing upwelling in these barges. We are concerned about levels of noise and/or smells from operations in close quarters with marina tenants.
3. Wooden Boat Festival: Point Hudson is a small and very popular harbor destination, not to mention the home of the Wooden Boat Festival, so the impact of one or more FLUPSYs on available slip space as well as on the Wooden Boat Festival is likely to be disproportionately large. It also raises more questions:
Would these barges remain in place during the Wooden Boat Festival?
If so, how would matters of public safety and liability be handled with the large crowds we get at the festival?
What would be the financial and/or other impacts to the festival of lost berthing space? Have festival organizers been consulted?
4. Marina/tenant concerns:
What is the cost-benefit of reducing slip space for boats whose owners patronize local businesses, for the sake of a commercial tenant whose operations do not benefit and may even harm the local community?
What hazard and liability assessments have been done for scenarios in which a storm breaches the weakened Point Hudson jetty and large waves enter the marina? What protections are proposed or in place for potential damages? Could the Port be sued for damages by the project operators?
How often is the spat harvested? It is our understanding that large semi trucks are needed in order to deliver the oyster seed and to transport the harvested product. What disruptions can be expected to the marina’s docks and/or parking or walking access? Where does the Port propose to park these trucks in a marina already squeezed for space?
It’s our understanding that the tanks are brightly lighted 24/7. How could this not impact marina tenants and Northwest Maritime Center activities? Residents of Quilcene Bay have complained about glaring night lights from an oyster operation that have driven herons and eagles from their roosting trees.
5. Spat or adult oysters? Another concern is the wording in the Peninsula Daily News article, “When the oysters are mature enough, they will be relocated to another facility.” That facility is not named. But because the article also states the oysters would be sold in the proposed Point Hudson commercial store and bar, it means they could be raising the oysters here and not relocating them. We are concerned about the possibility of commercial feed being used if the latter scenario is accurate. Ecosystem effects of raising oysters to maturity, including using commercial feed in such an enclosed space as Point Hudson harbor, would be far more impactful.
6. Consultation with agencies: With the slip-filling size of these semi-permanent barges comes additional shading of the seabed, something that for dock construction triggers permits. Being semi-permanent as opposed to the smaller transient vessels, barge-sized shading impacts to the seabed would be more like those of docks. Permits generate consultation with state or federal agencies. Consultation with either one triggers a public process such as an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement under State or Federal environmental policy laws. Federal funding also triggers this, and according to the Tribe’s 2017 Report to Tribal Citizens, federal funding was used to purchase FLUPSYs. In cases where the federal nexus is present, the Bureau of Indian Affairs is obligated to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement or an Environmental Assessment. A public process with adequate comment periods would be proper and necessary.
7. EIS or EA required: Given the wide array of concerns along with the federal nexus mentioned above, it would appear that this project cannot be said to have no significant or cumulative impact on the quality of the human environment; therefore, it would require an Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
8. Discharge of waste into water: Washing the tanks after spat is harvested would discharge waste materials into marina waters. This is a “discharge into waters of the United States,” meaning that whether or not it falls into the category of point- or nonpoint source pollution, it would trigger the need for a permit and monitoring under the Clean Water Act.
9. Historic Preservation conflict: In February 2020, the Port met with representatives from the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation to discuss preservation of the historic Point Hudson Marina and its surrounding buildings. The purpose of a partnership agreement between the two agencies was to “…work together to maintain Point Hudson’s historic waterfront character.” How do commercial aquaculture operations fit into such plans for a seaport city with a National Historic designation that is world-renowned for its traditional maritime character? Is it worth it for the Port to make such a radical change in community established purposes for Point Hudson?
10. National Historic Preservation Act issues: In keeping with the aforementioned concern, there should be a formal consultation under authority of the National Historic Preservation Act.
11. Leased building purpose: What is the nature of the proposed leased building operations beyond an “oyster bar,” and would it include any processing operations and/or storage of equipment, live product, chemicals, hazardous materials, or would it house non-food-bar related activities? We are concerned that if chemicals are to be stored on premises and were spilled, that potential environmental non compliance issues could shut down neighboring business such as Sea Marine.
12. Partners with Cooke Aquaculture: The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is in business partnership with Cooke Aquaculture, whose operations have been problematic to the environment and the subject of state shutdowns and litigation. We are concerned about the possibility of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe running or expanding its aquaculture operations at Point Hudson in concert with a company whose stewardship for the environment has been questionable.
13. Oyster aquaculture not harmless: The negative effects of oyster aquaculture, including the raising of seed or spat, are well known. Oyster spat operations pull nutrients from the water including nitrogen; nutrient removal can have a detrimental effect on eelgrass beds. Port Townsend uses buoy markers to discourage anchoring in its eelgrass beds. We are concerned about harm to these ecologically important eelgrass beds.
14. Paying bills on time? Conversations with the marina manager at John Wayne reveal that the Tribe has sometimes delayed payment for moorage as much as six or more months. This seems like a high risk for little benefit.
Thank you for your attention to these matters. We write because we care about maintaining the traditional maritime values of Point Hudson and the health of our marine environment. We cannot see how the proposed project would be compatible with either.
Friends of Fort Worden State Park is launching a “Nix the Nox!” fundraising campaign to raise $25,000 for restoring natural habitat and increasing safety for park visitors.
“Our focus for the funds will be controlling noxious invasive plant species,” said Janine Anderson, a member of the Friends board who prefers to promote native Northwest plants. “We’re giving special emphasis to poison hemlock.”
Poison hemlock is highly toxic to the touch and can be fatal if ingested, Anderson said. It has spread widely in the past five to 10 years, and its presence in the most-visited parts of the park is a significant health hazard.
“You can see it along many trails and in hillside campsites and beach areas,” she said.
Donations to the Friends Challenge Grant will be combined with $5,000 from an anonymous donor. The funds will support efforts of volunteers, two AmeriCorps positions already funded by the Friends, and professional services for noxious weed control.
To make a tax-deductible donation, people can visit the Friends website at fwfriends.org. If you have questions, send an email to contact@fwfriends.org.
“Our Nix the Nox campaign is our largest multiyear commitment to restoring the natural habitat of the park,” Anderson said. “Donations will help keep Fort Worden one of Washington’s magical treasures.
The project is contingent on our success in raising the needed funds and final board approval of the funding, she said.
Friends of Fort Worden is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that strives to preserve and enhance the state park as a recreational, historical, educational, and natural resource. It works closely with park management and 14 other partner organizations in the park to provide help where and when we can.
“The Friends bring so much support to Fort Worden,” said Park Manager Brian Hageman. “They contribute to great park improvements that enhance the experience of our park patrons.”
Beyond Waste Action Group – Local 20/20 – Tues September 10th The Beyond Waste Action Groupmeets the second Tuesday of each month at either 10:30 a.m.-12:00 or 7pm-8:30pm, depending on the month. The group looks at a number of issues including food-waste composting, plastics reduction and recycling, reduction of garbage on an individual and community level, and various other waste-related topics that spontaneously come up during the meeting. Newcomers are always welcome. Email Lisafor info on monthly agenda and meeting time and venue. Location: Uptown PT.
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Location: contact Lisa.
The Spring bloom sequence has begun at the Port Townsend Kah Tai Prairie Preserve with the appearance of Spring Gold and Blue Eyed Grass (photo). Here’ the story of how this little botanical gem came to be preserved:
In the mid-1980s amateur botanists with the Olympic Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society noticed some unusual plants located in a couple of acres within the Spring Valley Golf Course, known today as the Port Townsend Municipal Golf Course.
Experts subsequently identified the area as a relic of the native prairie that once filled the Kah Tai Valley, also known as SPRING VALLEY. Located between the STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA and Port Townsend Bay, the valley once consisted of open prairies and estuaries. In the view of James McCurdy, native son of Port Townsend pioneers, the valley was a botanical delight: “Myriads of wild flowers transformed the valley floor into a many-hued carpet.”
Early development had quickly transformed most of this landscape; however, due to benign neglect this one small area within the golf course, “disguised,” as the Port Townsend Leader wrote, “as a ‘rough’ and thought of as little more than a bad place to lose your golf ball.” The site became the focus of conservation efforts and, when expanded facilities were proposed for the golf course, the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society intervened, proposing in November 1986 that their organization be given a management role “with regard to the rare native plants that exist at the Spring Valley Golf Course.”
At first, claims made by Native Plant Society members that the site should be protected were perceived as a threat by golfers, and its claimants dismissed by the presiding Port Townsend mayor as mere “posy lovers.” However, when the City Park Board passed a motion to recommend the City Council accept the proposal submitted by the Native Plant Society, the Kah Tai Preserve was formally designated by the City in 1987.
Since that time, this remnant 1.4 acre prairie has been the focus of preservation and restoration by members of the Native Plant Society. Over 90 different species have since been identified, 27 of which represent “prairie indicator species” (indicatingenvironmentalconditions suitable for a community of relatedspecies), and the importance of this prairie remnant has been recognized by the Washington Natural Heritage Program. In addition, conservation efforts have not degraded the golf experience and, with the Preserve available for public viewing, has enhanced the site for the community as a whole.
With years of work from dedicated volunteers, the prairie is a stunning sight in the spring, starting with the early blooming grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) and progressing seasonally to the fields of brilliant blue camas (Camassia quamash). The blue palette of the camas is mixed with white, yellow, and pink from the buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis), Pomo celery (Lomatium utriculatum), old man’s whiskers (Geum triflorum), and death camas (Zygadenus venenosus). The heat of summer brings out the yellow and purple of dwarf goldenrod (Solidago spathulata) and showy fleabane (Erigeron speciosus).
Regular work parties have focused on stabilizing prairie plant communities and diligently battling ever-present weeds. Although the native rose and snowberry shrubs are thriving at the prairie, the goal is to promote herbaceous prairie species. To this end the prairie has been mowed regularly in the fall and selectively burned in 2000 and in 2008 with help from the Nature Conservancy, the City of Port Townsend, and the Port Townsend Fire Department. The following growing season after burning yielded the immediate reward of a spectacular bloom. Other prairie preservation projects include seed collecting from the site and growing plants in the nursery for re-introduction to disturbed areas of the prairie.
Research projects at the Kah Tai Prairie Preserve include the planting of golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) in 2004. Seeds from this plant, which is on the federally endangered plant species list, were collected from the last 11 known sites. Kah Tai Prairie is the nearest location with a similar habitat to these remaining wild populations. The surviving golden paintbrush are monitored annually to determine the success rate, with findings recorded in the database of Natural Heritage Program. In addition, the Preserve was one of the sites selected for a research project to determine the genetic distribution of camas by indigenous people, for whom camas was an important food source.
Many college and school groups have visited the Preserve as part of ongoing restoration and educational programs.
A 99 year old doctor from Sequim who was pivotal in stopping both a nuclear plant that was planned for the Miller Peninsula (just west of Cape George) as well as the planned Northern Tier pipeline that was planned to run through the waters off Protection Island, was honored with the Eleanor Stopps annual environmental award. Along with Dr. Eloise Kailin, young Sara Doyle was also a co-recipient, the first time the award was given to two people, and the youngest person to receive it. Doyle has been the Stewardship coordinator for the North Olympic Salmon Coalition. Eleanor Stopps was the woman who worked tirelessly for over a decade to turn Protection Island into a National Wildlife Refuge in 1982.
Read more on the story at the Peninsula Daily News
PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. – The Port Townsend Marine Science Center announced today it is offering “admission by donation” to the Natural History Exhibit through March 25. The exhibit, which features “Learning From Orcas: The Story of Hope,” is open Friday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m., with last admission at 4 p.m.
“We would all like to see more visitors in the Natural History Exhibit, especially this time of year,” said PTMSC Executive Director Janine Boire. “Because we want to serve people from all walks of life, our admission pricing is already low, but even this can be a barrier for some visitors to Fort Worden State Park and from our community.
“We are hoping that this test period between now and the end of March will provide information about how we can best serve our community and visitors alike,” Boire said.
The “pay-as-you-wish” policy has, in recent years, been tested by museums across the county. A 2010 study reported in Science magazine measured the success of selling some souvenir photographs at a fixed price and others for whatever buyers were willing to pay. Researchers found that the greatest revenue came when consumers were informed that a percentage of what they paid went to a charitable cause.
“When visiting the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, we hope our
guests will support our many programs and contribute to our cause —
inspiring conservation of the Salish Sea — by offering a donation
instead of paying admission,” Boire said.
The PTMSC provides place-based, people powered, hands-on learning for all ages, including youth camps, exhibits of marine flora and fauna, educational and historical displays, citizen science programs and community-based lecture series.
The Natural History Exhibit will implement the admission-by-donation policy immediately.
The Marine Exhibit, located on the pier, is closed during the winter and is not affected by the admission-by-donation policy at this time.
“Once we have a couple of months of data to review and compare to past years, we will decide how best to proceed with our admissions policy for our public exhibits starting in the spring,” Boire said.
Founded in 1982, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is a non-profit 501c3 educational organization whose mission is to inspire conservation of the Salish Sea. The PTMSC provides place-based, people powered, hands-on learning for all ages including youth camps, exhibits of marine flora and fauna, educational and historical displays, citizen science programs and community-based lecture series. Located at Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, Wash., the PTMSC offers two public exhibits: the Marine Exhibit and the Natural History Exhibit. For more information, including public hours, visit www.ptmsc.org.
I am looking to hire someone to help fill some of my shoes here at Marine Surveys & Assessments. The position that I need to fill here in PT needs to have some experience working with agencies and/or clients and have worked through project conflicts. Biology background required. I am mostly looking for someone to pick up some of my responsibilities…
1. project management
2. RFP/RFQ Grant applications
3. Client/Agency interactions
4. Misc critical area site visits
5. Misc ESA and Critical Area report writing
I need someone who will not shirk from conflict and is happy to work in a dynamic and fluid work environment with lots of perks, team work, and interesting ecological puzzles.
Obviously, I would need someone to live near PT and/or at least come in 3 days a week.
Lots more information available. I would ideally like to see:
1. A cover letter
2. A resume
3. A short sample of writing
Call or email for more information as I look for my cinderell/a.
Thanks so much for passing the word around to qualified folks.
Another beauty by photographer Bruce Kerwin from under Point Hudson Jetty.White glove leather colonial tunicate overgrowing a bladder clam with the incurrent and excurrent siphons showing (identification by Andy Lamb) – Point Hudson at Port Townsend, Washington
Here’s another from Bruce Kirwin’s great collection of sea-life at Point Hudson, in Port Townsend. This jetty is slated for demolition and rebuilding in 2016, due to age and condition. The dive community is hoping to work with the Port to mitigate the consequences to underwater creatures such as this.
Good turnout for today’s oil spill response workshop in Port Townsend. Lots of great information, and the ability to chat with representatives of the Coast Guard, and the Oil Spill Team Section, gave a good understanding of what are the processes, and what gaps exist in our ability to handle a spill, large or small, here in the area.
Robin DuPre from the NW Straits Foundation, sponsors of the workshops.
The focal point for environmental news & perspective on the news. Our goal is to help educate and connect the public on the Peninsula. We are not a non-profit so donations are not tax deductible. Maybe someday with your help!
HOTLINES FOR REPORTING SPILLS
WA State Emergency Management Division: 1-800-258-5990
National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802
Pacific States & British Columbia: 1-800-OILS-911 (1-800-645-7911)
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NATURE NOW
A Program About the Natural World.
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WEDNESDAYS AT 12:05
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PODCASTS AT KPTZ.ORG
The 
The Spring bloom sequence has begun at the Port Townsend Kah Tai Prairie Preserve with the appearance of Spring Gold and Blue Eyed Grass (photo). Here’ the story of how this little botanical gem came to be preserved:
