We recently came across this editorial from Seattle Times writer John Hamer. The text still seems fresh, like it could have been written just a few years ago. The issues that prompted it remain pressing, but the date — January of 1985 — shows that it can take a while for words to resonate.

“Nearly every issue involving the Sound — secondary sewage treatment, storm-sewer overflow, urban runoff, dredge dumping, toxic chemicals, dead whales, fish tumors, closed shellfish beds, red tide — is plagued by uncertainty and disagreement. That makes swift, sweeping action difficult and probably unwise.

But one idea surfaced recently that almost everyone concerned about the Sound may be able to agree on: creation of a Puget Sound Institute at the University of Washington to serve as a focal point for research.”

We couldn’t agree more. It only took 25 years, but looks like there really was something to that Puget Sound Institute idea.

We would like to thank long-time Puget Sound scientist Don Malins for sharing this news clipping with us.