Swinomish tribe restoration project team

West Coast Projects

Restoration of native Olympia oysters began in Puget Sound in 1999. To date, nearly 40 restoration projects have been conducted along the West Coast. We used responses to a questionnaire to create a database of information about each project and to prepare a story map summarizing each project. The database is available by contacting us at olympiaoysters@gmail.com. Reports and publications generated by individual projects can be found in our West Coast Project Library. The questionnaire is available as a PDF at the bottom of this page.

 

A map of the West Coast showing the projects described in the story map

Story Map apps are open source visualization tools that combine maps and storytelling in an interactive way to inform and inspire a target audience with place-based multimedia experiences. Story maps are powerful communication tools to tell stories, to share information, to exchange experiences that can extend from a local level to worldwide.

In this story map, you will travel through estuaries and embayments along the West Coast of North America, from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico. You will read about methods and lessons learned from several efforts to restore the Olympia Oysters (Ostrea lurida), the only oyster native to the temperate West Coast of North America.

 

Team for the Swinomish Tribe's restoration project.
Restoration team for the Swinomish Tribe prepare to deploy bagged shell. Photo: Julie Barber.