# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

# data[].attributes.body
Septic system capacity.

Increase in desalination for freshwater as both population increases and saltwater intrusion increases.

In channel constructed ponds preventing fresh water input to eelgrass beds.

Upland development contributing added nutrients into nearshore systems.

# data[].attributes.body
Less support for allowing marinas to expand resulting in more private docks installed.

Increase in recreational boating throughout county waters leading to more boats anchoring in sensitive areas.

Challenges in permitting buoys (including protection buoys).

Pump-out use and access.

Oil spills and other spills.

# data[].attributes.body
Regulatory status

Coordinating local enforcement with state agencies

Local enforcement of unpermitted shoreline and overwater construction (docks and buoys).

Enforcement of anchor out zones.

# data[].attributes.body
Jurisdictional challenges

Coordinating local enforcement with state agencies

Enforcement

# data[].attributes.body
Impacts of climate change on eelgrass habitat

impacts of invasive species to eelgrass beds including impacts of foraging and seed predation

impacts of sedimentation consolidation -impacts of changes to bathymetry over time, especially in quiet bays.

Transboundary challenges related to the freshwater influence from the Fraser River, especially regarding sedimentation.

Water quality-related to runoff, vessel presence, toxins etc.

# data[].attributes.body
Create a database of reports and publications

Create a place for shared data including the driver data

Create working groups:

Regulatory

Outreach and education and messaging

Monitoring for effectiveness

Share grant opportunities for research and protection measures.

Padilla Bay annual grant program

Rose Foundation Puget Sound stewardship and mitigation fund.

Consider research on heat resistant strains for restoration efforts.

Make outreach efforts more appealing to the public. Find a way to make eelgrass just as fun and exciting as orcas or other charismatic species.

Unify outreach messaging throughout the transboundary region and consider incorporating social marketing methods.

# data[].attributes.body
Limited restoration and monitoring funding, particularly to allow for long-term monitoring.

Data gaps

Comprehensive mapping of eelgrass.

Impacts of predators, e.g. Canada Geese

# data[].attributes.body
Shoreline Master Program and Critical Areas

Protect sites at shoreline parks, public lands.

Alter projects in the nearshore so that there is no loss of eelgrass.

Offer incentives for good behavior. e.g for shoreline development that restores or maintains shoreline processes.

Testing stormwater runoff locations through expanded  Clean Water Utility water quality monitoring.

# data[].attributes.body
Establish jurisdictions to allow enforcement of protection zones. e.g. DNR provide State Parks with a bedlands withdrawal to allow enforcement of anchor out zones.

Streamline permitting for protection zones.

Enforce local and state regulations.

Cull meadows with high levels of wasting disease infection.

# data[].attributes.body
Provide more pump-out facilities

Install more protection (Anchor-out) zones

Increase ability to and resources to allow maintenance of protection buoys

Providing and maintaining mooring buoys to alleviate pressure from anchoring.

Determine placement, availability, and added capacity for public mooring buoys.

Support local oil spill response (IOSA)

# data[].attributes.body
Videos:

Jefferson County MRC:  https://vimeo.com/454454469

Friends of the San Juans: https://sanjuans.org/greenboating/

Storymaps:

DNR's seagrass restoration: https://wadnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e3d224351fa84d0cacf6785f83af4d72

Data viewers:

DNR: https://wadnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=83b8389234454abc8725827b49272a31

Friends of the San Juans depth map: https://sanjuans.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/FSJ_AnchorOutMap_Newley.pdf

Eelgrass recovery strategy:

https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/aqr_nrsh_goehring_eelgrass_strategy_2015.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
Offer incentives for good boating behavior.

Add eelgrass maps to boater GPS/navigation such as Garmin, Navionics.

produce anchorage-specific maps with eelgrass presence and depth (see tool created by FSJ)

Incorporate ecological importance of eelgrass into outreach messaging.

Incorporate historic importance of eelgrass to Indigenous lifeways into messaging.

Increase public signage with eelgrass and anchor out zone information.

Engage boaters in collecting water quality and temperature samples in areas they visit.

Tell stories that provide hope in outreach efforts. e.g. highlight the good things and achievements.

Anchor out zones

mapping

restoration

prioritization of sites of sites for protection.

# data[].attributes.body
Re-map deep water edge of eelgrass to see if there has been change over last 20 years.

Monitor vessel presence and density at popular anchorages as well as throughout county waters.

Conduct assessment of ecological value of eelgrass to human health and quantify ecosystem services provided by eelgrass.

# data[].attributes.body
How is the importance of eelgrass to the public best communicated? more challenging than with more charismatic species or species viewed as having greater economic importance.

What is the worth of eelgrass (quantify ecosystem services).

# data[].attributes.body
Update SJC SMP

Determine locations of failing septic systems

Better permitting around use of desalination plants

Remove and replace creosote pilings at county marine facilities.

# data[].attributes.body
Improve placement and availability of marine infrastructure such as public mooring buoys and community dock space over single owner dock space.

Provide and maintain mooring buoys to alleviate pressure from anchoring at popular anchorage sites and or sites with sensitive eelgrass habitat.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

# data[].attributes.body
Assess the effectiveness of regulatory actions:

permits

anchor out zones

pump-outs

Protect coastal areas: 30 by 30 where 30% of coastal areas protected by 2030. Not clear how this could be implemented in San Juan County but the County is planning to undertake an Ecological Value Assessment effort in 2023 and this will help to inform both the current areas protected and the areas that would benefit from additional protection.

# data[].attributes.body
Develop plants resistant to wasting disease

Create a plant vaccine for eelgrass wasting disease

Restoration of eelgrass beds

Quantifying ecosystem services

Establish a transboundary monitoring program to allow identification of long-term trends in coverage.

# data[].attributes.body
Local regulations

SJC SMP: sections  18.50.060, 18.50.130-160 & 18.50.240-320  https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/SanJuanCounty/#!/html/SanJuanCounty18/SanJuanCounty1850.html

SJC CC: sections 18.35.115-130 https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/SanJuanCounty/#!/html/SanJuanCounty18/SanJuanCounty1835.html

State regulations
[Info needed here]

# data[].attributes.body
understanding causes of declines and what kills eelgrass.

What drivers of e.g. temperature change, can be managed/controlled at the local level?

Do long-term declines mirror human population density in an area? Is there a correlation?

What environmental drivers (e.g. temperature change) can be managed/controlled at the local level? and how?

Could heat-resistant strains be used for restoration efforts in areas where temperature has been linked to declines?

how do invasive species (e.g. European green crab, sargassum etc.) impact eelgrass habitats?

Does growth of Ulva impact eelgrass and if so how?