The Washington State Department of Natural Resources and People for Puget Sound will hold an open-house-style public meeting on Wednesday, April 29 to talk about the proposed Smith and Minor Islands Aquatic Reserve and gather feedback from the community on the idea.

At the meeting, a brief presentation will discuss DNR’s Aquatic Reserve Program and the proposal for the state-owned aquatic lands around Smith and Minor islands, an area that covers approximately 25,000 acres from the shores of Whidbey Island from Joseph Whidbey State Park to Fort Ebey State Park.

The meeting is 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Oak Harbor High School.

The public will then have the opportunity to have their concerns heard, offer ideas about the location of the proposed reserve, share local information about wildlife habitats and activities that occur in the area and share their ideas about the agency’s management of the proposed reserve.

DNR officials said the creation of an aquatic reserve would result in a site-specific management plan that specifies the uses and activities allowed within the reserve.

People for Puget Sound, a nonprofit group, submitted a proposal in 2008 that described why it wants DNR to consider establishing a reserve on the state-owned tidelands and bedlands in the area around Smith and Minor islands.

People for Puget Sound said the shorelines and deep water surrounding Smith and Minor islands are important areas for native species such as tufted puffins, black oystercatchers, rhinoceros auklets, double-crested cormorants, orcas, harbor seals, rockfish, halibut and salmon.

The proposal is supported by the Nature Conservancy, SeaDoc Society, the Wildfish Conservancy, Protect Peninsula’s Future and a variety of other organizations.

Recreational and commercial fishing, as well as treaty tribe fishing, would not be affected by management of the reserve, state officials said. Management of the aquatic reserve would also not restrict access to fishing, crabbing or boating, nor set harvest restrictions, they added.

The reserve would not include private tidelands or tribal lands, beaches or bluffs. Officials said it would also not impact private property.