Federal and state parks, monuments and reserves are widely recognized as an important mechanism for conserving natural resources. Protected areas not only shelter wildlife from the direct effects of human actions, but also enhance the viability of wildlife populations by reducing exposure to stressors, such as poor-quality habitat, decreased prey or forage availability, interactions between wildlife and domestic animals, or loss of biodiversity that may facilitate the establishment of non-native species.

For these same reasons, marine protected areas (MPAs) are being explored as conservation and resource management tools. The Pacific Northwest inland waters region is at the national forefront of government, non-governmental, and citizen involvement in the movement towards establishment of MPAs. For this reason, the SeaDoc Society focused its most recent call for proposals on science that investigates MPAs as tools for managing and conserving healthy marine wildlife populations and ecosystems.

The SeaDoc Society selected four projects to support in 2003. Together these projects provide the stakeholder community with much needed scientific information so that MPAs in the region can be most effective. Though not MPA-focused, Timothy Wooten's important work on the invasive Japanese seaweed was funded for a third year to enable him to complete his project.

[VIEW PROPOSAL ABSTRACTS BY CLICKING ON GRANT TITLE]
H. Gary Greene
Using multibeam bathymetry to characterize rockfish habitat in the Haro Strait and San Juan Channel areas of British Columbia, Canada and the San Juan Islands, Washington, USA [PA]

Terrie Klinger
Larval rockfish dispersal trajectories in the Georgia Basin/Puget Sound region of Washington state (yr. 2) [PA]

Stephen Palumbi
Measuring connectivity of reserve networks in Puget Sound using genetic tools [pdf format] [PA]

J. Timothy Wootton
Spread and impact of the introduced Japanese seaweed, Sargassum muticum, in native kelp forests of the San Juan Archipelago (yr. 3) [PA]