Puget Sound residents struggling to pay high water utility fees could benefit from a study funded this month by the Washington Legislature. The legislation coincides with research sponsored by the Puget Sound Institute that quantifies wastewater utility costs for the region. The funding for the study is part of Senate Bill 5950, omnibus legislation passed […]
March 20, 2024
Resources for local habitat protection, monitoring, and adaptive management
The following article was commissioned by the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL), a cross-agency team co-led by the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources. Do you work with local environmental regulations? Would you like to improve habitat protection through more effective permitting? This overview can help if you are thinking about responding […]
March 14, 2024
Social marketing basics for Puget Sound recovery
The following article was commissioned by the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL), a cross-agency team co-led by the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources. Are you interested in responding to a Request for Proposals from the Puget Sound Strategic Initiative Leads with a project that involves behavior change? Curious about why or […]
February 15, 2024
Author talk will counter “climate doomism”
The Salish Sea Science Roundtable speaker series continues on Tuesday, March 5th with a talk by Dr. Elin Kelsey, author of the book Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis. The talk will be hosted by the Puget Sound Institute and facilitated by the Salish Sea Institute […]
February 12, 2024
The words ‘in common with’ were pivotal to Judge Boldt’s ruling on Native American fishing rights
Three common words and their legal interpretation a half-century ago helped set the stage for a cultural revival among Native Americans while propelling an environmental movement that still resonates today in Washington state. It was 50 years ago today that U.S. District Judge George Boldt handed down his landmark ruling, which resolved the meaning of […]
November 29, 2023
Latest Puget Sound marine waters overview now available
Announcement from the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program: Today, the Puget Sound Marine Waters Work Group of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program released the eleventh annual report on marine water conditions in Puget Sound. The report combines a wealth of data from comprehensive monitoring programs and provides a concise summary of what was happening […]
November 21, 2023
GAO report calls for strengthening of regulations on nonpoint source pollution
By Sarah DeWeerdt A new report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) is renewing calls to strengthen Clean Water Act protections against nonpoint source pollution such as stormwater and agricultural runoff. The recommendation echoes findings made by the GAO in 2013 when it called for Congress to revise “largely voluntary” regulations for nonpoint pollution sources that wash […]
November 8, 2023
Puget Sound ecosystem holding on, but recovery remains uncertain, says latest status report
Efforts to restore ecological health to Puget Sound have largely failed to meet recovery goals, yet fish and wildlife populations are still hanging on, according to a new report that describes many struggling populations as neither increasing nor decreasing to a significant extent. The latest State of the Sound report, released last week by the […]
October 12, 2023
A no-death census year for Puget Sound’s orcas, with observations about a recent shift to more female births
For the first time since Census Year 1993, no deaths were reported this year among the Southern Resident killer whales, which frequent Puget Sound, according to the official census report. Two new births were reported among the whales, increasing the population from 73 to 75. I would also like to share some potentially hopeful information […]
September 30, 2023
What may be the nation’s largest estuary seems hidden in plain sight for many people
What is the largest estuary in the United States? This is a question loaded with confusion and open to interpretation, as you will soon see. Before we get to the likely answer — which may surprise you — let me share a few authoritative views on the subject: Chesapeake Bay Foundation: “Chesapeake Bay is the […]