The Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Squaxin Island Tribe announced their formal partnership on Monday to steward the health and conservation of the Squaxin Island Kelp Bed – the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound, and one which carries both ecological and cultural significance.

 

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will work with the Squaxin Island Tribe to create a priority habitat zone around the kelp bed, co-develop ways to improve its health through stressor mitigation, and investigate future restoration work alongside key partners such as the Puget Sound Restoration Fund.

 

“DNR and Squaxin Island staff have been monitoring this kelp bed since 2013, and we’ve seen a 97 percent decline since 2013,” said Patrick DePoe, Director of Tribal Relations for the Department of Natural Resources. “That’s unacceptable. DNR and the Squaxin Tribe believe there is a need to turn this around. We need to change this trend and provide more effort and resources. That's why DNR is excited to announce the Squaxin Island Kelp Bed as the first priority habitat under the Statewide Kelp and Eelgrass Health and Conservation Plan”

 

The Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill 5619 in 2022 in response to the dramatic loss of kelp and eelgrass along the Washington coastline. The legislation directed DNR to create a Kelp Forest and Eelgrass Meadow Health and Conservation Plan, with the goal to conserve and restore at least 10 thousand acres of kelp forest and eelgrass meadow habitat by 2040.

 

Restoration efforts will initially focus on three pilot sub-basins: South Puget Sound, the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Grays Harbor.

 

“Squaxin people have been stewarding these waters and lands for thousands of years,” said Kris Peters, Chairman of the Squaxin Island Tribe. “Kelp beds have also been stewarding these waters for thousands of years, providing nourishment and a critical ecosystem for the many plants, animals, and fish of the Salish Sea. Sadly, we have witnessed a decline of the kelp beds in recent years, and we recognize how important it is to protect this critical resource. Squaxins can't do it alone; it takes us all coming together as partners. That is why this local inter-governmental agreement is so important and monumental."

 

"This isn’t just about producing seed and growing kelp off Squaxin Island,” said Betsy Peabody, founder of Puget Sound Restoration Fund. “It’s about creating the conditions here in the South Sound in which kelp forests can grow and thrive. That’s the much bigger endeavor. We are absolutely committed to working with the Department of Natural Resources, the Squaxin Island Tribe and other partners to help restore healthy marine waters and a thriving kelp forest off Squaxin Island.”

 

 

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