San Juan County Eelgrass mapping & Conservation

Led by Paul Andersson and Mitch McCloskey, San Juan Islands Conservation District 
Collaborators: Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Eelgrass is vital to the health of the Salish Sea and the planet, providing habitat, improving water quality, and supporting both wildlife and people. But in the San Juan Islands, eelgrass is disappearing. This project will test a new method for restoring eelgrass called Bivalve-Facilitated Seeding, where eelgrass seeds are attached to native cockles. As the cockles burrow, they help plant the seeds in the sediment. This method may improve seed survival as the cockles aerate and remove sulphur from the soil. Researchers will compare this approach with other eelgrass planting methods and study which works best and is most cost-effective.