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Snohomish MRC Annual Report Highlights Accomplishments in 2023

The Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) completed an extensive list of actions to improve the health of our marine ecosystem for all of those who depend on it in 2023. Some highlights include:

• Donated 961 volunteer hours by MRC Members.
• Conducted outreach to outline actions for meeting conservation targets in Port Susan.
• Continued scientific monitoring of kelp and eelgrass to evaluate the health of our marine ecosystem.
• Completed year one of post-restoration monitoring of forage fish at the Meadowdale Beach Park and Estuary Restoration Project.
• Expanded Derelict Vessel Removal efforts, forging a unique partnership with the Tulalip Tribes to remove seven owner-abandoned derelict vessels.

View the full MRC 2023 Annual Report here.

County Staff Celebrate Earth Week with Recycling Event and Resource Fair

On Saturday, April 27, SWM staff joined Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) colleagues in a free Earth Week community recycling event hosted by the Office of Energy & Sustainability (OES). At the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, community members were able to recycle or properly dispose of hard-to-recycle items for free and learn about programs and initiatives focused on improving climate resiliency across county government and beyond.

Despite the rain, a total of 273 vehicles patiently snaked through the parking lot to drop off Styrofoam, household batteries, lightbulbs and fluorescent tubes, electronics, and scrap metal.

More than a dozen County departments and partners braved the weather to engage with the public.

?Tis the Season to Maintain Drainage Facilities on Your Property

With dry weather ahead, now is a great time to make sure your drainage facility is well maintained and functional. Doing maintenance in the drier months can be easier and often less expensive when there is less water in the systems to work around. Some of the actions you can do now to prepare drainage facilities on your property for the rainy season include cutting vegetation, replacing stormwater filters, and making sure pipe ends are clear of blockages.

For more information and to review the Snohomish County Drainage Manual, visit www.snohomishcountywa.gov/892/Urban-Drainage.

Maintaining vegetation around a detention pond is easier when the water level is low.

Clean Your Boats to Stop the Spread of Invasive Plants

Boating season is upon us! To stop the spread of invasive plants and animals, it is important to CLEAN, DRAIN, and DRY your boat and equipment before launching and when leaving any body of water. Pay special attention to trailers, motors, wells and other compartments, as well as kayaks, jet skis, waders, and fishing gear. This will help prevent you from transporting invasive species to other waterbodies.

Learn more at https://snohomishcountywa.gov/invasives.

Clean boat propellers to avoid spreading invasive plants (Photo Credit: Robyn Draheim Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Flickr).

Learn About the Health of Local Waterways

SWM is excited to share two easy-to-use ways to learn about the health of local lakes and streams.

Our new Interactive Stream Data Dashboard allows easy access to all information collected for the State of Our Waters Stream Program. Zoom into your local site to see it?s water quality and habitat condition or facts about land draining to the site. Dive deeper to the advanced view to see graphs of data over time, statistics and more.

Lake and Stream report cards ? If you prefer an easy-to-understand printable format, check out our stream and lake health report cards. You can see a snapshot of the current health conditions and tips on protecting local waters.

Check the Stream Data Dashboard regularly to see the latest data.

SWM's Noxious Weed Control Team is Hiring!

If you are looking for a full-time summer seasonal job and would enjoy working outside performing manual labor duties, consider joining our Surface Water Management (SWM) Noxious Weed Control team for the summer!
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SWM is currently hiring three seasonal positions to assist the Noxious Weed team's efforts to control noxious weeds in compliance with all applicable State and Federal laws.

Learn more about the program: https://snohomishcountywa.gov/722/Noxious-Weeds

The Noxious Weed crew tackle invasive marine species like Spartina.?

Upcoming Public Events and Workshops