PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Marine Resources Committee invites the public to celebrate the work of its student interns at a free event today.
The meeting will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Feiro Marine Life Center, 315 N. Lincoln St., Port Angeles.
Each year, the marine resources committee, or MRC, provides learning experiences for local students interested in environmental science.
This year, the Clallam MRC sponsored students Jacob Carleson, Waverly Shreffler and Joshua Davis.
The students have been working closely with MRC members and other partners to study the effects of increased beach use at the mouth of Elwha River, to conduct educational outreach to recreational crabbers concerning the impacts of lost crab pots on marine resources and to survey bull kelp beds in Clallam and Freshwater bays to evaluate changes in size and density.
At the celebration, the students will present the results of their work during a poster session and be available to answer general questions from the public.
Clallam MRC members also will describe work they are doing locally and regionally to benefit the residents of Clallam County as part of the Northwest Straits Initiative, a program that promotes restoration and protection of the marine resources in the Salish Sea.
The Northwest Straits Commission grant is part of an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Puget Sound Partnership.
The MRC also receives support from the Northwest Straits Foundation, the nonprofit partner of the Northwest Straits Initiative.
For information on the Clallam MRC, click on www.clallamcountymrc.org.