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Spartina Survey: Volunteer Kayaks Needed
Kayakers in the North Puget Sound are trained in a groundbreaking program that is mobilizing the paddling community to protect Puget Sound from invasive plants! Read more here.
People For Puget Sound is recruiting kayakers in the North Puget Sound to be involved in a groundbreaking program that is mobilizing the paddling community to do good work for the Sound. Join in this effort to protect Puget Sound from invasive plants!
Through the Spartina Survey Program, People For Puget Sound is working with the sea kayaking community in Puget Sound to locate and record infestations of invasive and non-native Spartina.
This salt-tolerant grass was planted in the Puget Sound in the 1960s for dike stabilization. It aggressively displaces native vegetation, disrupts shorebird and juvenile salmon foraging areas, and impacts shellfish habitat. It is adapted to grow in a variety of tide-influenced locations, such as mud flats, salt marshes, and sand or cobble beaches.
2008 was the most successful season yet of this program. Volunteer kayakers surveyed over 54 miles of Puget Sound shoreline and identified over 100 Spartina infestations.
Thus far this summer volunteer kayakers have been busy surveying Puget Sound shorelines. We have conducted several survey trainings in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and San Juan Counties. Volunteer kayakers have surveyed about 25 miles of shoreline and identified over 100 Spartina patches, including a large previously unknown infestation on the Dredge Islands at the northern end of the Swinomish Channel in Skagit County. We also worked with our partners at Skagit County, the Swinomish Tribe, and Trust For Public Lands to remove Spartina from the Kiket Lagoon in La Conner. We have had a busy and rewarding summer so far!
For more information about trainings, see training page.
We will also be leading informal group paddles to survey targeted stretches of shoreline if you are unable to attend a training or commit to conducting surveys. It is of vital importance that Puget Sound paddlers become familiar with Spartina so we can all be on the look out for this nasty weed.
For more information about Spartina outings, contact Spartina Survey Program Coordinator Rachel Benbrook | 360.230.1353.