VoV: Ecological Health and Public Access for Quartermaster Harbor, Tramp Harbor, and Portage

Last updated 12/16/2025

11/25/2025 Tuesday 11am

Available at https://voiceofvashon.org/episode/brown-briefly-quartermaster-harbor-vashon/ or on podcast platforms.

Water is life, and the waters around Vashon-Maury Islands support an entire food chain, culminating in the Southern Resident Orca. Join Truman O'Brien, Bruce Haulman, Kevin Jones, Craig Beles, and Amy Drayer on Voice of Vashon, 101.9FM to hear Jen and Rocky Hrachovec, talk about the ecological health and public access for Quartermaster Harbor, Tramp Harbor, and Portage.

We are building a coalition to facilitate pollution reduction. Likely outputs include education and outreach, science collaborations, grant writing, buying groups, and planting support.

To join the leading coalition, contact

Jen Hrachovec

Secretary of Vashon-Maury Community Council

secretary.v-mcc@proton.me

Rocky and Jen Hrachovec, fishing for pink salmon in Colvos Passage

Photographer: Joel Tibbs

References for our conversation at VoV are available below.

Local News

Quartermaster: a harbor worth saving

https://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/opinion/quartermaster-a-harbor-worth-saving/

Could Mussels Heal an Ailing Quartermaster Harbor? Researchers Will Find Out

https://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/news/could-mussels-heal-an-ailing-quartermaster-harbor-researchers-will-find-out/

A floating field station takes shape as an experiment involving mussels begins

https://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/news/a-floating-field-station-takes-shape-as-an-experiment-involving-mussels-begins/

Funding for Puget Sound Region Shellfish Habitats Includes Vashon

https://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/news/funding-for-puget-sound-region-shellfish-habitats-includes-vashon/

Islander Proposes Shellfish Operation in Tramp Harbor

https://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/news/islander-proposes-shellfish-operation-in-tramp-harbor/

Policy

Restoring Native Shellfish in Puget Sound https://videos.fisheries.noaa.gov/detail/videos/top-picks/video/4584520430001/restoring-native-shellfish:-the-kenneth-k.-chew-shellfish-hatchery?autoStart=true

Olympia Oyster Restoration Goals

https://restorationfund.org/programs/olympiaoysters/

How to Prevent Stormwater Pollution

https://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/water-and-land/stormwater/stormwater-pollution-prevention-manual/2021-stormwater-pollution-prevention-manual.pdf

Science

Hydrodynamic Model Report - Quartermaster Harbor

https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/1303026.pdf

https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/1103062.pdf

Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study

https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/nature-recreation/environment-ecology-conservation/watersheds/central-puget-sound/qmh-nitrogen-study

Ellisport Brownfield Assessments (EPA)

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1SNG4ZwwLwjexEzOyeojZOovSCN9I5iKa

Biotoxins

Shellfish Safety Map

https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/biotoxin/biotoxin.html

Quartermaster Harbor Annual Shellfish Growing Area Review

https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-08/qtmstr.pdf

Heavy metals

Investigating Heavy Metal Contamination of the Puget Sound Environment with New Isotopic Tracers

https://intranet.ess.uw.edu/content/people/student_publications_files/weber--rachel/Weber_2008.pdf

Behavior of Heavy Metals in Marine and Lacustrine Sediment Cores, South Puget Sound, Washington

https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2006CD/webprogram/Paper104605.html

Quartermaster Harbor: Dockton; A Reconnaissance Survey of Nearshore Sediments

https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/86e38.pdf

Other Legacy Contaminants

Quartermaster

https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/nature-recreation/environment-ecology-conservation/science-services/puget-sound-marine-monitoring/tissue-topic-page/copy-of-fish-tissue#:~:text=Some%20metals%20occur%20naturally%20in,pain%2C%20vomiting%2C%20and%20diarrhea.

https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/nature-recreation/environment-ecology-conservation/science-services/puget-sound-marine-monitoring/sediments-topic-page/intertidal-sediment-chemistry

Ellisport Creek

https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/cleanupsearch/site/2204

Fireworks

The Chemistry and Environmental Impact of Fireworks

https://www.compoundchem.com/2013/12/30/the-chemistry-of-fireworks/

https://www.compoundchem.com/2017/01/05/fireworks-environment/

Oyster Project Examples

City Island, New York

https://www.cioysterreef.org/

New Hampshire

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/new-hampshire/oyster-restoration-in-the-great-bay-estuary/

Chesapeake Bay, Mid-Atlantic 

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/how-volunteer-oyster-gardeners-work-to-restore-the-chesapeake-bay/3600301/

Florida

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/florida/stories-in-florida/floridas-oyster-reef-restoration-program/

Hong Kong

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/asia-pacific/hong-kong/stories-in-hong-kong/restoring-hong-kongs-lost-shellfish-reefs/

Swinomish Clam Garden

https://nwtreatytribes.org/tribe-reviving-traditional-shellfish-resources-management-practices/#:~:text=The%20shells%20were%20dotted%20with,improved%20access%20to%20those%20resources.