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OR&R Meets with Tribes for Input into Washington Coast ESI Map Updates

The Northwest Scientific Support Coordinator met with tribal representatives from the Quinault, Makah, Hoh, Shoalwater Bay, and Quileute tribes the week of July 28 discuss the update to the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps for the outer Washington and Oregon coastlines.

ESI maps are a compilation of information about coastal shoreline sensitivity to oiling, biological resources, and human resources. The maps are used for oil spill response and planning.

On the outer Washington coast, Treaty Tribes share ownership of the resources and the habitats that support them from the shores well into the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This unique ocean and land governance exists nowhere else in the U.S. and its possessions except the Great Lakes. Tribal representatives will provide essential biological, cultural, and other resource information for incorporation into the ESI maps.

For more information, please contact Ruth.Yender@noaa.gov.

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Outdoor sign advertising Quinault seafood.
Seafood is one of the operations owned and operated by the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington state. (NOAA)
Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:54pm PST