A Seattle Times story features a recent paper in the Marine Ecology Press Series about shifting baselines in the Puget Sound food web. Forty years of data from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reveal a trend toward more jellyfish and less of some forage fish species in the region. High amounts of jellyfish can […]
April 22, 2015
2016 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference now accepting proposals for special sessions
The 2016 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference is now accepting proposals for special sessions. This year’s conference theme is “Strengthening Connections around Changing Times,” and the deadline for proposals June 30, 2015. The conference will be held in Vancouver, B.C. from April 13-15, 2016. Read more at the conference website.
April 21, 2015
New book focuses on the natural history of the Salish Sea
The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest brings together more than 230 extraordinary images of the Salish Sea. But don’t call it a coffee table book. Its lush photos are backed by a serious scientific perspective on this complex and fragile ecosystem. Read an interview with the authors in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.
April 13, 2015
Science Panel speaker series continues April 23rd
The Puget Sound Science Panel speaker series continues April 23rd at the University of Washington Tacoma campus. Wayne Landis addresses “Wicked problems, black swans and managing the future of Puget Sound,” while Katharine Wellman looks at shellfish aquaculture. Where: UW Tacoma, Dugan 201 When: 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Download the presentation flyer for more information.
March 25, 2015
Identifying the greatest threats to Puget Sound
In the early days of Puget Sound conservation, the polluters were easier to spot. There were the usual suspects—industrial pipes pumped toxic chemicals into the water; dams blocked the way for salmon; natural resources were over-harvested. Those problems still persist, but ecosystem management has become increasingly complicated since the 1970s and 1980s. Scientists now recognize that what […]
March 10, 2015
EPA announces new funding framework for Puget Sound
The Environmental Protection Agency announced today a new model for distributing National Estuary Program funds for Puget Sound recovery. The framework is effective in 2016 and is driven by the Puget Sound Action Agenda, while emphasizing habitats, shellfish and stormwater. Funds from the program totaled $117 million dollars from 2009-2015. According to EPA, the framework will strengthen […]
March 6, 2015
Looking ahead to Salish Sea Sea Ecosystem Conference 2016
SAVE THE DATE: The next Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference is scheduled for April 13-15, 2016 in Vancouver, B.C. For additional information visit the conference website, and watch this blog for updates as they become available.
February 20, 2015
In the news: Cleaning a lake with sludge
We’ve all heard of cleaning up environmental waste, but can waste be used to clean up the environment? A research team led by PSI’s Andy James is using waste product to remove phosphorus from stormwater entering Wapato Lake in south Tacoma. A group of students in collaboration with James and UWT professor Jim Gawell has […]
February 17, 2015
Could healthier, happier humans lead to a healthier Puget Sound?
For the past two years, Puget Sound Institute Lead Social Scientist Kelly Biedenweg has been working with the Puget Sound Partnership to identify and recommend what are termed “human wellbeing indicators.” These indicators will be adopted by the agency as part of its Human Quality of Life Vital Sign. Biedenweg, along with Kari Stiles of […]
February 13, 2015
UW scientist studies how pharmaceuticals impact the environment
Dr. Ed Kolodziej is one of the Puget Sound Institute’s newest collaborators. Kolodziej began his appointment at the University of Washington Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering last fall with a joint appointment at Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at UW Tacoma. His research looks at some of the ways that organic compounds like steroids and […]