The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee is hosting its annual Cherry Point Science Forum to talk about research being done at Cherry Point and the Salish Sea at large. The forum is 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 13, at Bellingham Technical College, Building G, Room 102J, 3028 Lindbergh Ave.

This year’s forum will include speakers presenting on climate change impacts, the role of citizen scientists, bird surveys, and more.

Located in Whatcom County, the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve is one of eight Aquatic Reserves in the state. Established by the Department of Natural Resources on state-owned aquatic lands in Puget Sound, Aquatic Reserves include important biodiversity and aquatic habitat critical to Salish Sea health.

Cherry Point Forum speakers and topics are:

• The Puget Sound Seabird Survey: Monitoring seabirds across Puget Sound using community science — Jenn Lang, Conservation Science Coordinator, Seattle Audubon;
• Ocean acidification in the Salish Sea: Herring and eelgrass in the future — Dr. Brooke Love, Oceanographer, Western Washington University;
• Cherry Point’s unique role and place in the Salish Sea — Eleanor Hines, North Sound Baykeeper and Lead Scientist, RE Sources for Sustainable Communities.

RE Sources for Sustainable Communities and the DNR provide staff support to the volunteer-led stewardship committee.

The Cherry Point Science Forum is free and open to the public. Coffee and tea is provided, and attendees can either bring $5 for pizza or their own sack lunch. Participants are encouraged to help make this a waste-free event by bringing their own coffee mug and plate/utensils.

For more information or to RSVP (encouraged but not required), contact Eleanor Hines at eleanorh@re-sources.org or 360-733-8307 x213.

To RSVP on Facebook, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/177156373125845/.

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The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee formed to increase public awareness and enjoyment of the Aquatic Reserve and assist DNR’s Aquatic Reserve Program to successfully implement the Aquatic Reserve’s management plan. The committee conducts scientific monitoring projects, performs education and outreach activities, and monitors actions in and around the reserve that may impact the ecosystem. For more information, visit aquaticreserves.org.

RE Sources for Sustainable Communities is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the health of Northwest Washington’s people and ecosystems through the application of science, education, advocacy, and action. For more information, visit re-sources.org.

Washington State Department of Natural Resources established the Aquatic Reserves Program promotes the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of state-owned aquatic lands that are of special educational, scientific, or environmental interest. For more information, visit dnr.wa.gov.