Puget Sound Institute (PSI) researchers provide analysis of policies, programs, and the state of the science in support of the Puget Sound National Estuary Program. This work is supported with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) via the Puget Sound Partnership.
In the fall of 2016 our team began working closely with other scientists funded by the EPA to establish what are known as Implementation Strategies. These strategies identify and apply solutions to improve Puget Sound’s overall Vital Signs, a series of indicators established by the Puget Sound Partnership to measure the region’s health.
PSI is helping to synthesize and analyze the state of the science for many of the Vital Sign indicators and will provide recommendations for evidence-based solutions aimed at improving them.
Our researchers support the development, application, and adaptive management of Implementation Strategies through the following activities.
Implementation strategy reports
We participate in the Implementation Strategy development process, including preparation of Base Program Analysis reports and State of Knowledge reports.
Regional funding program analysis
We analyze results of regional funding programs to identify successful models for advancing recovery priorities and/or overcoming barriers, as well as track progress operationalizing Implementation Strategies.
Codeveloping a regional research agenda
Working with regional recovery partners to develop a research agenda for Puget Sound, we catalog and prioritize uncertainties that limit understanding of problems and solutions related to regional recovery targets.
Critical analyses
We answer key questions hampering the implementation and/or development of Implementation Strategies through targeted data collection and analysis efforts called Critical Analyses.