County to renew Ecology funding for Marine Resources Committee projects

Clallam County staff presented a renewal of a Washington State Department of Ecology biennial grant that funds the county’s Marine Resources Committee (MRC). Chase O’Neil, introduced as a habitat/biologist supporting the MRC, told the commissioners the grant supports the committee’s administration and several monitoring and restoration projects: forage fish surveys, a pigeon guillemot monitoring project, kelp bed monitoring, and an Olympia oyster restoration effort.

Staff said the grant renewal will cover roughly 1.48 full‑time equivalent positions (a mix of half of Chase’s time, WCA initiative assistance and some fiscal agent time), meeting administration costs, public meetings and project coordination. The renewal request included a small increase in funding from the prior biennium.

Commissioners asked about public awareness and how MRC data are integrated with county planning. Chase said the committee posts annual reports and project results on the MRC website and the Northwest Straits Commission portal and that project data are shared with partner agencies and stored in public databases. Commissioners encouraged more outreach to reach beyond specialized audiences; staff said the county website hosts the materials and the MRC will work on additional public engagement.

Next step: Staff said they will place the grant agreement on the county’s regular meeting agenda for signature authorization at the next board meeting.