Northwest Straits Foundation: Restoring the Salish Sea – whatcomtalk.com

Submitted by: Northwest Straits Foundation, written by Kenneth Clarkson

This past August, myself and a few othervolunteers headed out to do our part to help not only our Southern ResidentKiller Whales (SRKWs), but all denizens of the Salish Sea. We were attendingthe Sucia Island Beach Cleanup. The beach cleanup, orchestrated by the Whatcom Marine ResourcesCommittee and NorthwestStraits Foundation, is just one example of collectiveaction being taken by a broad coalition of organizations, agencies andindividuals in order to protect and restore the Salish Sea.

Getting involved with organizationscompleting boots-on-the-ground restoration work is one of the most importantthings you can do to encourage the survival of our SRKWs. Organizations such asthe Northwest Straits Foundation partner with a variety of private and publicinterests to successfully implement restoration projects throughout theseven-county region of the Northwest Straits.

The work of the Northwest StraitsFoundation includes removing derelict fishing gear that harm and entrap marinelife, restoring shoreline areas to create suitable habitat for forage fish(species our salmon eat), installing rain gardens that prevent the flow ofcontaminants into the Salish Sea, monitoring water quality, mapping habitatsuch as kelp forests and eelgrass beds and more.

To learn more about the Northwest Straits Foundation, including their volunteer opportunities, you can attend the Northwest Straits Foundation Holiday Fundraiser at The Firefly Lounge in Bellingham on Thursday, December 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The event will feature live music by theFolk/Americana band Whiskey River Mudflats and presentations by NorthwestStraits Foundation staff. This event is 21+ and there is a $10 cover charge toattend. The $10 cover includes your first drink.

One thing youre certain to hear about arethe successful beach cleanups on Sucia and Lummi Islands. Because of thevolunteer opportunity Northwest Straits Foundation provided, we got to meetsome unsuspecting visitors.

We were almost to Sucia Island when we sawthem. Three majestic orca whales swimming swiftly, looking for food.

Earlier that day, as we boarded the boat,I told the crew I had a good feeling about our orca-sighting chances. Littledid I know, said good feeling would become reality. Id called the Puget Soundhome for seven years and had never seen an orca. I was aware of their plight,privy to their situation and intrigued by their paramountcy within the PacificNorthwest.

But when you see one, it all makes sense.You understand why the restoration and protection of orca habitat and foodsources is critical for the survival of a species not only an indicator of thehealth of an entire ecosystem, but of the collective moral of a region.

We left Squalicum Harbor at 8:00 a.m. onthe dot, seven sleepy volunteers and our captain whos used to the earlymornings. In just a few hours we would meet up with the other half of our beachcleanup crew. Two members of our volunteer team had kayaked over the nightbefore, the rest were taking a boat from San Juan Island. For the heartyadventurer, Sucia Island is a good four to five-hour paddle.

It was a dreary day out on the Salish Sea.We all know dreariness is common in the Pacific Northwest, but in August youhope for better weather. Regardless, we were out on the water, and when youreout on the water even the darkest days feel freeing and full of possibility.

Our core group of volunteers was made upof community members, and staff from the Whatcom Marine Resources Committee, SurfriderFoundation and Northwest Straits Foundation. Forsome it was their first time volunteering. Getting to go to one of the mostremote San Juan Islands only accessible by boat? Not a bad firstvolunteer-experience at all.

We headed West toward Sucia Island andpassed a plethora of harbor seals, a few porpoises and a couple sea lions.Underwater forests of bull kelp flanked both sides of the boat. As the cloudsbegan to lift, we could make out houses situated on the sides of the islandsthat surrounded us. The day had rounded a corner, it wasnt going to be rainingas we picked up pounds of trash after all.

Lummi Island now behind us, we inchedcloser and closer to our destination. Thats when it happened. Perhaps it wasbecause I was intent on finding one, but whatever the reason, out in thedistance I saw my first glimpse of an orca. The orca was far away from us,quite close to the Sucia Island shoreline, but sure enough it was there, fromour vantage point I could make out a large black dorsal fin sticking up out ofthe water. I alerted my fellow volunteers and my claims checked out, they toosaw the orca, but that wasnt all, a good 400 feet or so to its left wasanother black dorsal fin bobbing up and down as it fished the waters South ofthe Sucia Island coast.

We pressed on toward our destination, thedock at Fossil Bay. On the way to the dock you must pass through a narrowchannel. From the helm the captain called out and told us to look to our right.I glanced over and there she was, the third orca of the day, the captain saidshe was a younger female. The juvenile was swimming close to the cliffs thatencompassed Fossil Bay, no doubt on her way out to the more open waters of theSalish Sea, a good idea because if she swam any closer toward the island shedbe in the harbor.

Seeing the orcas was a good omen. Not onlythat, but it was a moment none of us on the boat would forget. That memorywouldnt only last during our brief time on Sucia Island, it would stick withus forever.

The unfortunate reality is moments such asthese will become scarcer if we dont make a change. Southern Resident KillerWhales (SRKWs) throughout the Salish Sea are losing both habitat and food, andto ensure their survival and success we need to work together. As inhabitantsof the Salish Sea region its our duty to protect and restore these waters fornot only the orca, but salmon, Dungeness crab and other marine organisms too.

Attend the Northwest Straits Foundation Holiday Party on Dec. 12 at The Firefly Lounge to learn more about how you can help contribute to local marine conservation efforts in Whatcom County.

Featured photo by Abbie Kunch

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Northwest Straits Foundation: Restoring the Salish Sea - whatcomtalk.com