Intertidal Monitoring in the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve

Monitoring programs are an essential part of habitat restoration and protection efforts, as monitoring lets managers know if sites are doing well or if there are issues that need to be addressed. The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve has a team of volunteers who work diligently to collect data on intertidal biota, beach substrate, and beach slope across 4 sites in the reserve. Since 2013, this monitoring effort has provided a record for baseline conditions that can be used to assess natural change over time as well as the impacts of anthropogenic activities. Establishing such baselines is particularly important now given the threat of climate change and the potential impacts of more frequent summer heat waves similar to the one in June 2021. The intertidal program aims to collect high quality data while engaging community members in the scientific process to make it more transparent, approachable, and understandable. By training so many volunteers we also gain more eyes on the water who will be able to alert site managers when something has gone wrong. Through this volunteer monitoring program we are able to fill vital data gaps and provide information to the Department of Natural Resources and other site managers to aid in Salish Sea protection. In this presentation we will report on the trends and results of our long term monitoring at Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve.

Presented by Rondi Nordal - Aquatic Reserves Monitoring and Stewardship Coordinator, RE Sources

Видео Intertidal Monitoring in the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve канала WSU Whatcom County Extension