CHERRY POINT THIRD ANNUAL PUBLIC FORUM

The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee will host its third annual public forum on Saturday, October 24^th from 9:30- 2:30 pm in Building G Room 102A/103B at Bellingham Technical College.  All members of the community are invited to learn more about The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve  — a vital and uniquely productive aquatic ecosystem  — and  about how the stewardship committee is working to conserve and restore its health.

This year’s event will feature presentations by experts on geology, seaweeds, marine bird ecology, and sea star wasting syndrome.

This fun and informative event is free of charge.  Coffee, tea and soft drinks will be provided; participants can purchase pizza for $5 or bring a sack lunch.  All presentations will encourage audience questions and discussions.  Further opportunities for social networking and informal discussion will be provided during the lunch break and at the conclusion of the event.  

The morning session will feature two presentations.  Eric Grossman, a Research Geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Tribal Liaison, will discuss the geologic structure, beach processes, wave and current actions, and sediment transport at Cherry Point.   Thomas Mumford of Marine Agronomics, LLC and University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs, formerly with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, will talk about how the nearshore sediments create the growing substrate for seaweeds and sea grasses and how they, in turn, create habitat for the invertebrates and forage fish (including the threatened and declining stock of Cherry Point herring) that are the basis of the food chain.

The afternoon session will feature a presentation from Julia Parrish, Professor with School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, Associate Dean, College of the Environment, University of Washington, on marine birds and her work combining marine ecology, citizen science, and conservation and resource management in Pacific Northwest waters.  The final presenter will be Melissa Miner, who is a Research Associate with the UC Santa Cruz Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINE).  She will discuss her work documenting the ecological and population level impacts of sea star wasting syndrome through long-term surveys and citizen science monitoring.

This forum is hosted by the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee, with assistance from RE Sources North Sound Baykeeper and the Washington Department of Natural Resources.   The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee is comprised of volunteers dedicated to education and outreach activities involving the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve.

http://www.aquaticreserves.org/the-reserves/cherry-point/about-the-reserve/