From the Kitsap/Pierce County line all the way to Foulweather Bluff in Hansville, teams of scientists have nearly completed walking along the 156 miles of saltwater beaches of east Kitsap County collecting important data on nearshore salmon habitat.

Headed by Kitsap County’s Natural Resources Division with support from the Suquamish Tribe, Washington Sea Grant and Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory, the “East Kitsap Nearshore Salmon Habitat Assessment” invites people to learn more about this exciting project at an open house on August 22 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Kingston Community Center, 11212 State Highway 104, Kingston.

Along with updated information on the progress of the assessment work, the open house will offer opportunities to learn about our marine shoreline environment by providing resources to landowners on the functions, values and nature of their shoreline, and to provide landowners with stewardship activities for preserving and restoring private and public marine shorelines and estuaries.

Paid for by a grant by the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board with additional staff and resources from the Suquamish Tribe, the project consists of up to three scientists per team, equipped with portable Global Positioning System (GPS) units and digital cameras to record natural and man-made beach characteristics. Done by both boat and beach walking, the information gathered by the field work will provide the best available science on the health of the shoreline. This work has been done at a fairly brisk walking pace since time and optimum low tides are limited.

Informational letters and brochures have been and will continue to be mailed to waterfront property owners prior to the scheduled arrival of the assessment teams visiting their area. The first mailing was sent to waterfront property owners from the Kitsap/Pierce County line to Manchester on May 14.

Additional project information can be found online at www.kitsapgov.com