Clallam MRC urges members to register for Northwest Straits conference; Pinto abalone chosen as showcase project

Clallam County Marine Resources Committee members on Tuesday urged colleagues to register for the Northwest Straits Initiative 2025 conference and selected the Pinto abalone survey as the project the county MRC will spotlight there. Conference organizer Caitlin reminded members, "Conference registration closes on October 7, so if you are interested in attending and you haven't registered, please do so." She also said conference art submissions and project materials are due the same day. The committee discussed the conference’s new format, which will include a collaborative networking session and five-minute “lightning” talks ahead of rotating tables. Caitlin told members the networking one-pagers must be sent to staff and that organizers expect one- to two-slide PowerPoint summaries for the lightning talks. During the discussion members debated which project to showcase. After comparing options — including kelp and forage-fish work — members coalesced around presenting the Pinto abalone monitoring and survey results, noting recent dive data and the project’s local uniqueness. Several members volunteered to meet and finalize the write-up ahead of the project-content deadline; the committee emphasized the short window to prepare. The committee also noted logistical reminders about registration and encouraged anyone attending to confirm their sign-up with staff. Ending: The committee reiterated two near-term deadlines: registration and art/project submissions for the Northwest Straits conference on Oct. 7, and the internal project-writeup draft requested by staff by Sept. 19 to support conference materials.