OUR MISSION

To achieve on-the-ground restoration of habitat, native species and water quality in Puget Sound by focusing on action not politics.

OUR GOAL

To mobilize funding and support from diverse sources to complete priority projects.

Vancouver Island Expedition

In July 2008, we finally saw the dense intact native oyster beds of Port Eliza on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island. Getting there was an adventure; being there was even more of an adventure – thanks to our guides, Brian Kingzett and Stephanie Richards, and our host, Bob Devault. Black bears foraged the back shore while we surveyed oysters in the intertidal. Dense native oyster popula-tions persisted on pocket beaches dotting the inlet on both sides. Streams draining the surrounding hillsides created gravel shelves on which native oysters could settle and persist before the beach dropped precipitously into deeper waters. For Mike Beck (The Nature Conservancy) the trip offered a glimpse of a natural beach where Olympia oysters were the dominant life form. For Rowan Jacobsen, the sheer abundance of coastal resources inspired a book on human migration routes down the coast following the last ice age. For the rest of us wayfarers – Joth Davis, Brian Allen, David Hyde, Sarah Davies and Betsy Peabody – the trip offered a rare peek into a remote world teeming with resources and plenty science to digest over the winter months.

So, what did we actually see and learn? The native Olympia oyster beds in Port Eliza exist in densities not seen anywhere else in the world. At one of the pocket beaches, we counted an average of 466 oysters per square meter – as compared to 75 oysters per square meter in North Bay, which hosts the densest population of Olympia oysters in Puget Sound. “Easy pickings” (continued next page)

RestoRation news 2009

Freshwater Bay

Drayton Harbor

Henderson Inlet

Seattle

Olympia

Sinclair Inlet

Frye CoveWoodard Bay

Port Gamble

Liberty & Dogfish Bays Bainbridge Island

Budd Inlet

San Juan Islands

N

Dabob Bay

Shannon Point

Where We WorkAbalone recoveryCommunity Shellfish FarmAlternative Geoduck Experimentation

Native oyster restorationShoreline restoration

PSRF works all over Puget Sound. Check out our website for descrip-tions of each of these on-going projects.

Vancouver Island (continued) doesn’t even begin to describe the bounty of this place. What was really striking, though, was finding dense native oyster beds in spite of historic and ongoing resource use. While Port Eliza is remote, it is by no means untouched, and the connection between humans and resources is part of what defines it. Finding a place where native oyster beds and other natural resources persist – in abundance - in spite of active resource use and harsh environmental conditions was one of the most interesting aspects of the trip. With a return trip planned in 2009, we look forward to learning more and applying some of those lessons here in Puget Sound as we work through the challenges of restoring its productivity.

Olympia oyster Interviews

In 2009, PSRF started interviewing long-time oyster growers and tribes to help characterize historic native oyster habitat, locations and growing conditions. Many thanks to Justin Taylor, Jeff Dickison, Steve Bloomfield, Tim McMillin (photo: above), Duane Fagergren (photo: right) and Jerry Yamashita for being so generous with their time and thoughts. Our intended product is a GIS layer that displays areas of graduated significance for native oysters, particularly in the South Sound.

RestoRation news 2009

Native Oyster Enhancement

The final installation of native oyster habitat enhancement on the WDFW tideland property in Liberty Bay was completed in the spring of 2008. This 5-acre enhancement plot more than doubled the area of habitat currently available for native oyster larval colonization at the Scandia site, bringing the total project footprint on that property to 8 acres. Ongoing surveys have shown the enhanced plots support a relatively substantial population of Olympia oysters. With shell and recent juvenile recruitment, we expect colonization will accelerate. Our hope is that oyster spat will continue to set on the shells of dead oysters and that the substrate will be transformed into a naturally functioning oyster bed containing multiple age classes and providing vertical and interstitial refuge structure for other organisms.

In 2009, PSRF conducted a late April assessment of shell quantity, condition and oyster recruitment. The survey suggested the most recent enhance-ment hosts more than 32,000 new juvenile recruits. Extrapolating estimates across all enhancements puts the number of native oyster recruits - as a result of PSRF habitat work - at over 377,000 oysters. Continued monitoring of temperatures, currents, sediment transport, community dynamics and GIS mapping exercises will help to establish microhabitat parameters within this and all previous enhancements. Community assessments along a tem-poral gradient (2005-2008 enhancements) will occur in summer 2009 and include video, epibenthic collections, benthic infauna sampling, redox layer measurements and on-site monitoring.

Many thanks to WDFW, The Nature Conservancy, NOAA CRP, U.S. Navy, Fish America Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for support.

Examining Geoduck Survival

In 2009, PSRF began work on an applied geoduck clam study, funded by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). When this species emerged onto aquaculture farms in Washington in the late 1990s, the standard practice had farmers taking small, hatchery-produced seed directly to outplant on intertidal farms.The small seed is vulnerable to a suite of predators however, so the use of predator-exclusion gear (nets and PVC tubes) has become standard practice.Recent hatchery advances have since enabled geoduck seed to be “boosted,” or grown to a larger size, before being out-planted. The current project thus aims to examine whether or not larger geoduck seed still require such predator protections, or whether these larger animals survive as well without them.

In collaboration with TNC and Taylor Shellfish, PSRF conducted two discrete laboratory trials this spring and we began a 2-year field trial to test our hypotheses and a new technique for planting these larger seed. We expect to present the project, in progress, at the upcoming Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association conference in October.

Tom Arthur and other Elliott’s Oyster House staff can often be found nearby one of our events.

Delta Marine DonatesMany thanks to Delta Marine for contributing $12,500 to the DogfishBay native oyster enhancement project in 2009. The donation serves as off-site mitigation for dredging activities in the Duwamish, since on-site opportunities in the Duwamish were limited or non-existent.

Sinclair Inlet Shoreline RestorationOn April 24th and 25th, a year-long planning process culminated in a multi-disciplinary charrette to develop a new vision for the north shore of Sinclair Inlet. Organized by Kitsap Trees and Shoreline Association with assistance from the National Parks Service, the group included fishery scientists, landscape architects, coastal geologists, tribal and Navy scientists and many other experts. The resulting conceptual design identified opportunities for habitat enhancement, public access and bike trails. Many thanks to Jim Johannessen with Coastal Geologic Services for putting his brain to work on the Sinclair Inlet conundrum. In its present state, people are almost completely disconnected from this highly productive marine system. And

while the shore abounds with all kinds of constraints, the charrette cooked up lots of ways to make it a more functioning and inviting place for visitors, residents and bicycle commuters. PSRF served on the planning committee and contributed funds to the charrette.

Liberty Bay eyesore removedThanks to a community-wide effort, 2.6 acres of intertidal habitat in Liberty Bay – formerly part of a commercial oyster operation – were finally restored in October 2008. 60 volunteers contributed over 400 hours throughout the spring and summer to remove derelict longline gear cluttering public tidelands near Scandia. Gear included 12,586 PVC pipes and over 7 miles of polypro-pylene line. The mud-spattered crew included students from West Sound Academy and Bainbridge High School, lawyers from Gordon Derr, The Nature Conservancy, and other volunteers converging from throughout the Puget Sound region. Jim Hayes with Hood Canal Oyster Company shuttled volunteers aboard his oyster scow and hauled debris to the Keyport Pier for disposal – courtesy of the U.S. Navy. Kirk Stickles and the crew at Port of

Bainbridge High School students (above) volunteer in Henderson Inlet. The Nature Conservancy staff (left) flex their skills during native oyster surveys in Liberty Bay.

Poulsbo provided support throughout the spring and summer. To top it all off, Ekone Oyster Company offered to reuse most of the PVC pipes in Willapa Bay. Support was provided by The Russell Family Foundation, Gordon Derr, Delta Marine and Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Oak Bay Shoreline Restoration ProjectIn December, PSRF awarded $25,000 to the Oak Bay shoreline restoration project in Jefferson County. The project involves restoring a county park beach, spit and lagoon complex by removing hard armoring and perhaps a small boat ramp. Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee will implement the project and match our donation with an additional $20,000.

“Surveyed abalone

populations in

Washington have

declined by more

than 80% since

1992.”

- Don Rothaus, WDFW

Jean Bradbury’s tribute (below) to pinto abalone - oil painting on panel.

RestoRation news 2009

Abalone recovery

Pinto, or northern, abalone are at risk of becoming locally extinct. Popula-tions of this native - the only abalone species found in Washington - may have already declined below self-sustainable levels. Despite nearly two decades of fishery closures and a state conservation status, the only hope for local populations may lie in an active recovery program.

PSRF has combined a grant from The Russel Family Foundation with our own investment of private funds to support a hatchery-based abalone rearing and outplanting program. With the UW and Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, we have doubled the state’s capacity for abalone rearing by constructing a new nursery facility at Port Gamble. This summer, 3,000 animals reared in this facility will be outplanted into

Puget Sound, representing the most substantial abalone recovery effort to date in Washington.

PSRF has also teamed up with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and the Seattle Aquarium so that you can see live abalone up-close! Find more information, photos and video, at our new website: www.pintoabalone.org - a joint endeavor between PSRF and the Northwest Straits Initiative.

These juvenile abalone - raised at the PSRF Port Gamble abalone nursery - are among 10 genetically distinct families that will be outplanted this summer.

WDFW shellfish biologist, Michael Ulrich (below), prepares to outplant larval abalone in Freshwater Bay, near Port Angeles.

Oysters eat plankton, thereby improving water quality & enhancing aquatic vegetation.

Oyster beds provide essential habitat for juvenile �sh & invertebrates.

Plankton blooms may die o� & lead to anoxic events, which hurt water quality & biologicalcommunities.

PSRF’s Olympia oyster enhancement

projects & community shell�sh farms

help to improve habitat & water quality.

Fertilizer

Plankton blooms block light that is necessary for aquatic vegetation.

Nutrients from numerous sources stimulate dense blooms of plankton.

Drayton HarborThis spring, Geoff Menzies and the Drayton Harbor Community Oyster Farm were back in business selling extra small yearlings at Blaine marina and long-time oyster lovers were flocking to the marina on Saturday mornings for a taste of the sea. Our 2005 crop, which represents the last of our big plantings, will be fattened up this summer and sold as large and jumbo oysters to the China market this fall. Thanks to our long-time broker Paolo Demee with Evergreen Seafoods for introducing the taste of Drayton to diners in Shanghai.

This may be the last of the Drayton Harbor oysters for some time as water quality is not holding up very well. State Department of Health is considering a seasonal harvest closure from November through February and specific criteria for harvest during the rest of the year, which will probably be rainfall related. This new develop-ment continues to challenge any transition in Drayton Harbor to even a small-scale viable oyster farm. We need a new strategy and an expanded partnership come 2010 to restore more fully clean water and shellfish harvesting in Drayton Harbor long-term. Whatcom County is developing

more proactive programs to address livestock and septic system problems but it will be sometime before theseprograms affect water quality. In the meantime, we are exploring several new projects, including a possible community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, to maintain oyster growing in Drayton while we figure out how to tackle livestock waste and other watershed pollution sources more effectively.

Semiahmoo First Nation members harvest oysters with Geoff Menzies (right), who received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for his work to restore Drayton Harbor at an August EPA ceremony in Seattle. Thanks to Rick Applegate for facilitating our recent harvest.

Henderson Inlet received a shellfish harvest upgrade

Last fall, Henderson Inlet achieved a significant shellfish harvest upgrade, thanks to good local programs and an out-pouring of community involvement. This just goes to show that educating and engaging the community in shellfish resources pays off in the form of improved water quality. In the wake of this good news, we’ve stepped up harvest and discovered new outlets for our community-grown oysters. In December, PSRF began selling Henderson oysters to the Olympia Seafood Market, which is directing all proceeds to PSRF to support the project. The goal is to invest more people in the health of local waters and provide a public outlet for community-grown oysters. To further invest people throughout the community, watershed residents who have had their septic systems inspected and pumped can present their certification at Olympia Seafood Company and receive a free dozen oysters.

Meanwhile, down on the farm, we continue to partner with South Sound Green and Pacific Shellfish Institute on school tours that enable hundreds of students to experience the mud, the tides and the cornucopia of shellfish in Henderson Inlet while learning, first-hand, about the challenges of maintaining clean water.

Last, but not least, thanks to Elliott’s for gastronomic support of our various harvest events and to our long-standing partners Thurston County, WSU, Thurston Conservation District, The Russell Family Foundation and PCSGA for making all of this possible.

Happy volunteers (Dick Miller & Ed Weber; above)harvest and clean Henderson Inlet oysters.

Elliott’s Oyster House prepared a feast for a spring-time harvest celebration in HendersonInlet. The April 25th event was held as a thanks to volunteers, donors, and Henderson Inlet project partners.

Mark your calendar for the 2009 Oyster

New Year at Elliott’s, Nov. 7th, 5-10 p.m.

RestoRation news 2009

Paralytic Shellfish poisoning (PSP)PSRF continues to recruit and train volunteers around Puget Sound to sample shellfish for the state Biotoxin Program. Shellfish are monitored year-round for levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning. Levels of these biotoxins during the past year were relatively low according to Jerry Borchert, WA State Dept of Health. There was an unusual event, however, in late 2008, where for the first time, there was a toxic situation in the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the winter. Recreational harvesters are advised to call the up-to-date hotline before digging 1-800-562-5632.

Shellfish GardeningPSRF is helping tideland owners install shellfish gardens on Bainbridge Island and in Henderson Inlet. Connecting homeowners with an easy-to-grow food source that relies on good water quality is a positive way to invest people in the health of their local waterways. On March 7th, PSRF held its 3rd Annual Shellfish Gardening Gala at Yonder House on Bainbridge Island. The celebration was a huge success with a full house and plenty of homegrown oysters to sample.

PSRF launches its third community shellfish farmPSRF has teamed up with The Bloedel Reserve, Sustainable Bainbridge, Bainbridge Watershed Council, Kitsap Health District, Bainbridge Community Foundation and Sound Food to start a community shellfish farm (CSF) on Bainbridge Island. The farm will be managed by PSRF staff and run by volunteers. Oysters and clams grown on the Bloedel tide-flats will be available at area restaurants and local markets in 2010. Thanks very much to Cherry Creek Environmental, Gordon Derr, and Cultural Resource Consultants for permitting assistance.

The goals of the farm are threefold: Build community connections, grow a sustainable source of food and improve local water quality. We are eager to plant our first crop of shellfish this September with the help of local high school students, neighbors and other members of our island community who are banging on our doors to start volunteering at the farm.

If you are interested in starting your own shellfish garden or volunteering on the farm, contact Morgan: morgan@restorationfund.org.

Ama Koenishoff collects a sample of mussels on Vashon

Island for the Biotoxin Monitoring Program

run by the Washington State Department of

Health’s Office of Shellfish and Water

Protection.

Phot

o: A

bel E

ckha

rdt

RestoRation news 2009

On May 23rd PSRF held its first annual seed sale on Bainbridge Island. Experienced and novice gardeners alike (e.g., Dick and Mary Braden; above) came to buy clam, mussel and oyster seed to grow on their tideflats.

fisheries management. He has been involved with pinto abalone since 2005 and is excited to add bivalves to his repertoire.

Wendy Welch brings over 20 years of fundraising and development experience to PSRF. A Bainbridge Island resident and Northwest native, Wendy holds business and marketing degrees from the UW. She has worked at local and national levels for the Easter Seal Society of Washington and the Arthritis Foundation and she has coor-dinated the Bainbridge in Bloom Garden Tour for 10 years. She is excited to give back to Puget Sound when she is not taking in the Cascades with her husband, her daughter and her favorite downhill skis.

PSRF T-Shirts Are Here!PSRF teamed up with Designer John Fallon of Fuze Organics to create a fashionable, sustainable and beautiful designer eco t-shirt this spring. Fuze organics promotes sustainability and ethical standards by producing organic, sweatshop-free apparel, hand printed with eco-based inks in small designer batches. PSRF’s organic eco t-shirts (see design below) are $25 and are available in men’s and women’s sizes; call our office and order one today 206.780.6947. For more info on Fuze Organics, visit www.fuzelab.com. A special thanks to John Fallon for donating design time to this project.

PSRF Website Gets an OverhaulOur revamped website is up: www.restorationfund.org. Special thanks to Marc Shor at Barndoor Productions for a great job. Check the site for updated events and opportunities to join us.

New Staff and Board Members!Welcome to our newest board members - Billy Plauché, a partner with GordonDerr, LLP and Jim Kramer, a natural resources consultant and former executive director of Shared Salmon Strategy. Both have plunged into the fray on a number of project fronts and brought energy and appetite to our quarterly board meetings. It might well be argued that the food we share following the meeting is as important to the business of restoring Puget Sound as the projects themselves.

Jordan Watson joined the PSRF ecology team after having helped to coordinate some of our recent abalone recovery efforts. Prior to joining PSRF, his work as a scientific nomad has spanned marine environments and trophic levels – from tropical corals to Antarctic plankton and many points in between. He has a Masters in fisheries from the UW, where his work focused on conservation measures in

THANkS FOR YOuR 2008-2009 SuPPORTANNUAL FUND DONORSANONYMOUS BEqUESTBAINBRIDGE IS. / HENDERSON INLET SHELLFISH GARDENERSBAINBRIDGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONBAINBRIDGE WATERSHED COUNCILBAYWATER, INC.BLOEDEL RESERVECALM COVE OYSTER CO.CENTRAL MARKETCHELSEA FARMSCHERRY CREEK ENVIRONMENTALCITY OF BAINBRIDGE ISLANDCOx & LUCY, CPASCULTURAL RESOURCE CONSULTANTS, INC.DELTA MARINEDRAYTON HARBOR VOLUNTEER FARMERSFISH AMERICA FOUNDATIONELLIOTT’S OYSTER HOUSEENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCYENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN & CONSULTINGGALLATIN GROUPGEOFF MENzIESGORDON DERR LAW FIRMHENDERSON INLET VOLUNTEER FARMERSHIRSCH CONSULTING SERVICESHOOD CANAL OYSTER CO.KING COUNTYKITSAP COUNTYNOAA COMMUNITY-BASED RESTORATION PROGRAMNOOKSACK TRIBENORTHERN ECONOMICSOLYMPIA OYSTER CO.OLYMPIA SEAFOOD CO.PACIFIC AqUACULTURE CAUCUSPACIFIC COAST SHELLFISH GROWERS ASSOCIATIONPACIFIC SHELLFISH INSTITUTEPRIVATE TIDELAND OWNERSPORT GAMBLE S’KLALLAM TRIBEPORT OF POULSBOPUGET SOUND PARTNERSHIPPUGET SOUNDKEEPERS ALLIANCESAFEWAY FOUNDATIONSEATTLE SHELLFISH CO.SNOHOMISH COUNTYSqUAxIN ISLAND TRIBESUqUAMISH TRIBESUSTAINABLE BAINBRIDGE/ SOUND FOODTAYLOR SHELLFISH FARMSTHE NATURE CONSERVANCYTHE RUSSELL FAMILY FOUNDATIONTHURSTON CONSERVATION DISTRICTTHURSTON COUNTYUC DAVIS (SEADOC SOCIETY / BODEGA BAY MARINE LAB)U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – WHIPU.S. NAVYWASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFEWASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHWASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCESWASHINGTON STATE COMBINED FUND DRIVEWASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITYWHATCOM COUNTYWILDLIFE FOREVER FUNDWYATT HOUSEYONDER HOUSE

590 Madison Avenue NorthBainbridge Island, WA 98110206.780.6947

Triple Bottom Line Study: Shellfish Production and Restoration in Puget Sound

In 2008 PSRF started collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of researchers on a triple bottom line assessment of shellfish production and restoration in Puget Sound. The project is funded by NOAA Aquaculture and our collaborators include Northern Econom-ics, Pacific Shellfish Institute, Herrera Environmental Consultants, Taylor Resources, and Little Skookum Shellfish Growers. Two of the case studies focus on the costs and benefits of shellfish restoration in Liberty Bay and Drayton Harbor; the third case study focuses on the costs and benefits of commercial shellfish production in Oakland Bay. The underlying idea is to tease out the cultural, social, environmental and economic value of producing oysters (in Oakland Bay), restoring native oysters (in Liberty Bay) and improving water quality to restore shellfish harvest (in Drayton Harbor).

This type of quantitative information could be extremely valuable to local governments as they wrangle with issues of land use and natu-ral resource protection. The Puget Sound region is still growing by leaps and bounds, in spite of our current economic slump. As we put more and more pressure on natural resources, we need to get savvy about using the natural system (e.g. natural filter feeders) to help mitigate the growing wave of nutrient pollution. And we need to support efforts that bring people together to protect vital resources – because these efforts pay huge dividends in the quality of the natural environment in which we live.

The PSRF staff gather at Henderson Inlet (left to right): Morgan Rohrbach, Brian Allen, Betsy Peabody, Jordan Watson, Denise Brown, Wendy Welch.