Plan a trip to the beach with Ecology's new online tool.

Ruby Beach - Olympic National Park

Plan a trip to the beach with Ecology's new online tool

OLYMPIA - Anyone interested in visiting one of Washington's public beaches now has a great new online recreational planning tool, thanks to the Department of Ecology (Ecology).

A new Public Beach Access feature on Ecology's Coastal Atlas website (www.ecy.wa.gov/coastalatlas ) provides detailed information on where to legally access the state's public beaches - including those owned by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Department of Natural Resources, counties and cities, or another agency.

Dr. Kathy Taylor of Ecology's Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program said, "Especially with the high price of gas, no one wants to spend a day driving only to find a beach is closed for swimming or there is no legal access close by. Now, you check that before you leave, make sure the campsite you picked has the features you want, and even view photos of the beach and trail heads."

The website includes interactive maps and photos of trail heads, viewpoints and signs. This is especially helpful for access points that aren't well marked or are located some distance from the beach.

Users can enter a beach name or a general location, or hover a computer mouse over a map and click to zoom in. The site includes information on:

* Whether beaches are closed to swimming, with links to advisories and monitoring reports.
* Public boat launches, docks, piers and marinas.
* Campsite availability, accessibility, hours of operations, fees.
* Amenities such as bathrooms, drinking water, picnic tables, barbeque pits and whether pets are allowed.
* Hiking trails.
* Links to weather and tide information.  Read More >>


Director of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Don Hoch said: "Anyone contemplating a trip to one of Washington's beautiful public beaches will find this site helpful. It's fast, it's fun, and it tells you just about everything a person would need to know to plan a great day at the beach."

Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant said, "For some time now, scientists, business owners and citizens have benefited from the tremendous amount of data available on Ecology's Coastal Atlas. The Public Beach Access feature is a wonderful addition to this already impressive online resource. It is a great example of how Ecology uses technology in a smart way to give our citizens the information they need."

The Department of Health and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) partnered with Ecology in developing the Beach Access online tool. NOAA Coastal Fellow Deborah Purce, who was temporarily placed at Ecology, did much of the field work and data collection used in developing this online tool.

The Public Beach Access program is part of Ecology's Coastal Atlas, a powerful interactive map and searchable database that allows users to navigate and zoom detailed maps of Washington State and then select and layer different types of information.

As just one example, a person wishing to buy shoreline property might use the Coastal Atlas to view an aerial photograph or satellite image of the parcel, then zoom in for views from the water. Photos taken from this angle reveal bulkheads and other armoring that might not be seen from the air. The tool then allows the user to superimpose county jurisdictions, data on slope stability and soil erosion and other data.

The tool is frequently used by property owners, real estate professionals, government land and resource managers, and scientists.

This fall, Ecology plans to unveil improvements to the site that will make information easier to find, navigate and customize.

Another way to find the site online is to visit Ecology's homepage at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/  and type "Coastal Atlas."

###

For more information:

Public Beach Access Website/ Washington Coastal Atlas:
www.ecy.wa.gov/coastalatlas

Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication and Health (BEACH)
program: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/beach/

For tips on keeping Washington waters clean:
Washington Waters, Ours to Protect:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/washington_waters/

Ecology's homepage: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/

One Front Door to Washington's Outdoors:
http://access.wa.gov/environment/index.aspx

Check out ECOconnect, Ecology's blog: http://ecologywa.blogspot.com/

Follow Ecology on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ecologywa

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EcologyWA