Proceedings of the 2007 Georgia Basin Puget Sound Research Conference

Panel 4D: The San Juan County Marine Stewardship Area: A Local Approach to Ecosystem-Based Management

Chair: Jody Kennedy

Located at the convergence of Puget Sound and Georgia Basin, the San Juan archipelago is characterized by its rich diversity of marine life and is one of the best functioning marine systems in Puget Sound. In response to regional population pressures and declining health of local marine species, County Commissioners declared the county a Marine Stewardship Area and tasked the local Marine Resources Committee (MRC) with identifying voluntary and regulatory management measures that would protect and restore the marine ecosystem for the needs of wildlife and humans. In partnership with the Northwest Straits Commission and The Nature Conservancy, the MRC engaged scientists, managers, citizens and stakeholders in a strategic conservation planning process, adapting The Nature Conservancy’s site-based conservation action planning approach. The outcome is a list of conservation strategies upon which to base actions, measurable benchmarks and research priorities. To be effective, the plan will require a coordinated effort of local, state, federal and tribal managers, the science community, stakeholders, and citizens who reside and vacation in the San Juan Islands. Panelists will describe this local approach to Ecosystem-based Management, the resulting strategies and the necessary next steps for successful implementation.

Facilitator: Jody Kennedy, Surfrider Foundation

Panel Members:

• Kevin Ranker, San Juan County Council

• Jacques White, The Nature Conservancy

• Ginny Broadhurst, Northwest Straits Commission

• Kit Rawson, Tulalip Tribes, San Juan County Marine Resources Committee