Submitted by the San Juan Islands Conservation District.

This summer, the Orcas Island Youth Conservation Corps expanded its stewardship efforts from land to sea. The crew traveled to Padilla Bay to assist in a critical eelgrass restoration project led by the San Juan Islands Conservation District and Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve staff.

“Eelgrass is an aquatic plant native to the Salish Sea,” explained YCC crew member Marin Andersson. “It’s the only plant—not an algae or seaweed—that lives entirely in water.”

Eelgrass meadows are vital to the health of marine ecosystems. Found in intertidal zones and estuaries around the world, they provide essential habitat for forage fish, which in turn support salmon and other wildlife. Their roots stabilize sediment, preventing er

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