Nearshore Assessments
The Suquamish Tribe began conducting beach seining in the nearshore environment of Bainbridge Island in 1979.  Since then, it has expanded the monitoring program to include Liberty Bay, Dyes Inlet, Sinclair Inlet, Manchester, Keyport and Appletree Cove.  Data is collected on aquatic plants, terrestrial cover, salmonids and forage fish. Activities also include considerations of physical landscape types and structures such as docks that affect the nearshore environment and habitat.  The Tribe was an active partner in the East Kitsap Nearshore Salmon Habitat Assessment and Restoration Prioritization Framework produced by Battelle Memorial Institute in April 2009 The report is available on the official web page maintained by Kitsap County:  www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/nr/nearshore/default.htm


Beach seining in the nearshore environment of Bainbridge Island is conducted through a cooperative government to government relationship between the Suquamish Tribe and the City of Bainbridge Island.
 

Bainbridge Island Beach Seining Project 7/3/07 (PDF, 244kb)

Forage Fish Populations
Beaches provide spawning substrate for two species of forage fish – surf smelt and sandlance.  In addition to documenting forage fish spawning beaches and utilization of the nearshore, eggs are collected for DNA analysis at the Cowling Creek Center:

Eelgrass and Bull Kelp
Cowling Creek Center biologists are actively engaged in investigations with USGS concerning eelgrass and the pilot bull kelp restoration project:

The Cowling Creek Hatchery, which was a high production facility from 1977 through 2002 used to rebuild East Kitsap chum salmon runs, remains in use as an important feature of the Center’s public and educational programs and tours for elementary, high school and college students and residents.

New in 2010
Stillwaters Environmental Center initiated its Nearshore Beach Seine Research and Public Outreach and Education program.  The annual course is designed to teach students and residents about the importance of our nearshore habitat and includes weekend field trips on the Tribe’s research vessel Packman and nearshore kayak tours of Appletree Cove, Kingston.  Tribal salmon recovery biologists participate as a volunteer match to the Puget Sound Partnership Grant.  Participants collect beach seining data and engage in discussions that are designed to demonstrate the importance of the nearshore environment and the contributions that small watersheds and tributaries in East Kitsap make to the overall recovery of salmon in Puget Sound:

Students taking “Life on the Edge” – Olympic College’s class for non-biology majors –spend time at CCC exploring the influences of the forest on the creek.  Field work in the forest area includes taking air and water temperatures and checking dissolved oxygen and water clarity.  Beach seining at the Nooschkum sandspit helps focus on the interaction of the freshwater streams with the estuary. Discussions are devoted to understanding the fish, wildlife and plants that depend on this environment and our human impact on the habitat functions and values:

North Kitsap Stream Mapping and Typing
This project is funded by a Kitsap County salmon grant and has the support and help of the Suquamish Tribe’s salmon recovery program. Streams flowing into Miller Bay were located, mapped and typed during 2010 by Jamie Glasco, of the Wild Fish Conservancy, and his crew.  Jamie shared preliminary study results at the Annual Meeting of the Friends of Miller Bay in November 2010. Typing and mapping continues on streams in other North Kitsap watersheds. More information is available from FOMB or the Suquamish Tribe’s Cowling Creek Center.  

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