Whidbey and Camano islands -- Island County -- sit at the gateway to Washington's beautiful Puget Sound. Nearly every fish, marine mammal, ship and submarine that enters and leaves this vast estuary passes our shores.

More than 1,000 rivers and streams feed fresh water into Puget Sound. Where the fresh and salt water meet, our tides mix them in an ever changing nutrient soup. Among all the estuaries in the United States, Puget Sound is second only to Chesapeake Bay in size. Puget Sound's salmon, steelhead, orcas, birds and other wildlife are priceless to our lifestyle. Their health and that of our marine waters are tied closely to our own. They are also crucial to our economy.

To help focus greater awareness and education on the unique marine assets of our Island County waters, county commissioners in 2003 created the Saratoga Passage Marine Stewardship Area and the Admiralty Inlet Marine Stewardship Area. Their purpose is education and voluntary change -- not regulation.

Stewardship is an ethic people embrace willingly and voluntarily - not a set of rules imposed by law. We become stewards by choice to help assure clean water, safe food and a healthy environment for the next generation. We take responsibility to learn about, respect and care for that which is in our trust. As we learn we gain new insights about the land we own and beaches we use. We begin to see in new ways and enjoy them more. We make wiser decisions about how to manage and treat them.