Shore Stewards is a free, voluntary program in Skagit County that helps shoreline landowners better understand how their decisions affect the long-term value of their property as well as Puget Sound.

How would you like to enhance your property values, protect your bluff or beach from erosion and help salmon and other marine life at the same time? You can do all this and more by becoming a Shore Steward.

Shore Stewards is a free, voluntary program in Skagit County that helps shoreline landowners better understand how their decisions affect the long-term value of their property as well as Puget Sound. “Becoming a Shore Steward is all about enjoying your shoreline property while keeping it healthy and special,” said Chrys Bertolotto, WSU Extension Coordinator for the Shore Stewards program in Skagit and Snohomish counties.

As a Shore Steward, you’ll receive the fact-filled “Guide for Shoreline Living” booklet that outlines ten simple yet important, Puget Sound-friendly actions shoreline landowners can easily put into place. You’ll also get the latest, pertinent information through free monthly newsletters and seasonal workshops, so you can continue to make informed decisions regarding your property and the health of Puget Sound.

Shore Stewards began on Camano Island in 2002 as a grant-funded pilot program. In 2005, it expanded to Whidbey Island and Jefferson, Kitsap and Mason counties. In 2006, the Shore Stewards program received funding from the Puget Sound Action Team and the Northwest Straits Commission to expand to Skagit as well as Clallam, Snohomish and Whatcom counties.

Today it boasts more than 600 Shore Stewards, including homeowners, renters, residents with shared access to the beach, farmers, forest owners, parks, port districts, cities, businesses and others with land along shores and streams. Deception Pass State Park is the first park to join in Skagit County.

“Our goal is to simply educate people who live near the Sound,” Bertolotto said. “Once people understand how the tides, beaches and bluffs all work together with their property, and the incredible complexity and variety of marine plants and animals involved, they tend to make decisions with the bigger picture in mind.”

To learn more about the Shore Steward program, the guidebook, or how to become a certified Shore Steward, call Chrys Bertolotto at 360-333-7977 or e-mail her at chrys@wsu.edu.

You can also learn more at the Shore Steward website at: www.shorestewards.org.