by Steve Marble

The Dungeness River Management Team (DRMT) met on January 8. Two presentations regarding the Sequim/Dungeness Valley were given.

Bob Montgomery used most of the agenda, informing attendees about the Irrigation Water Conservation Plan. His firm was contracted by the Dungeness Valley irrigator’s association to develop this plan to aid the irrigation ditch managers in their decisions. Funding for this project is from a Referendum 38 grant. This referendum was passed by the citizen’s to authorize public funding to promote agriculture.

Also speaking was Penny Eckert, Ph.D. candidate from the University of Washington’s College of Forestry. Her dissertation, funded by the State of Washington Department of Ecology, is on changes in land use and ownership in the Dungeness Valley, 1981 through 1994.

Asked why she had chosen the Dungeness Valley for her study area, Penny responded that proximity of the valley to a Biosphere Reserve was largely the contributing factor. Olympic National Park was designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 1977 by the United Nations. In 1981 the Park was declared a World Heritage Site.

The United States part of the Biosphere Reserve program is run by a committee of ten federal agencies with no congressional direction or authorization. Over 68% of our National Parks, Preserves, and Monuments are designated as a United Nations World Heritage Site, a Biosphere Reserve, or both.

Biosphere Reserves, Penny told the audience, are core areas and should have buffers. This reserve doesn’t have those buffers. Therefore, information about land use in areas where these buffers would otherwise be must be known for comparison with other Biosphere Reserves.

The DRMT’s next meeting is slated for 3 o’clock Wed. afternoon, Feb. 12, at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center. Speakers are scheduled to talk about ground water.