PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Marine Resources Committee has announced the launch of a state-sponsored tool to report storms, floods and king tides.
The MyCoast mobile app also can be used to report derelict vessels, large marine debris, creosote pilings and contribute to time-lapse photos of North Olympic Peninsula beaches, said Helle Anderson, Clallam County MRC Project coordinator.
Beachcombers are encourage to take photographs using the MyCoast app or to upload images through the MyCoast website, www.mycoast.org/wa.
The Clallam County Marine Resources Committee, which is spearheading the local launch, encourages residents to take pictures at the 3 Crabs restoration site near Sequim and at Hollywood Beach in Port Angeles.
MyCoast servers will fetch background data such as tides and weather to add context to the images.
Information collected through the app will be used to characterize the impact of nearshore hazards and to enhance awareness of decision-makers and stakeholders, Andersen said.
“The state and municipal employees, planners, developers, business owners and others can use the data to make better decisions,” Andersen said.
The MyCoast project is sponsored by the state Department of Natural Resources and is carried out with partners including the Northwest Strait Initiative, the seven Marine Resources Committees, Washington Sea Grant and U.S. Geological Survey.
For information on the project, email Andersen at handersen@co.clallam.wa.us.
A MyCoast webinar is planned but has not yet been scheduled, Andersen said.
A list of winter king tides is available at the Clallam County Marine Resources Committee website, www.clallamcountymrc.org.
