Environmental Significance of the Olympic Coastal Ecosystem

The Olympic Coast Alliance is taking an ecosystem approach to conservation of the Olympic Coast, which includes upland watersheds, intertidal areas, open ocean, and deep sea areas. This broader Olympic coastal ecosystem includes the western portion of the Olympic National Park, western portions of the Olympic National Forest, the Washington Department of Natural Resources Olympic Experimental State Forest, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and private lands. This broader ecosystem includes most of the remaining old growth rainforest in the lower 48 states, numerous pristine streams and rivers, extensive intertidal areas with limited human access, deep sea canyons where rare coral and sponge communities have recently been identified, and multiple endangered species (salmon, spotted owls, marbled murrelets, sea otters, sea lions, orcas, gray whales, and others). Increasing human activity in the Olympic coastal ecosystem threatens many of these natural resources. Environmental protection needs to be balanced with timber harvesting, oil and gas exploration, urbanization, commercial and recreational fishing, recreational use of intertidal areas, commercial shipping, and many other human activities. All of the aforementioned agencies with publicly owned lands in the Olympic coastal ecosystem are charged with protecting the environment to some extent. There is a need for better understanding and communication regarding how these obligations can be met.