Category: Grants and funding

‘Outdoors Act’ would repair national parks, protect land and address recreation needs

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UPDATE: July 23 The Great American Outdoors Act passed the House yesterday on a 310-107 vote. See Associated Press and news release from U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. —– It appears that the political stars are lining up for what some people are calling the most significant environmental legislation in decades. Billions of dollars have been laid upon the table for parks, recreation facilities and environmentally sensitive lands across the country. The U.S. Senate has already passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which pairs two previous spending proposals: the […]

PSI launches Salish Sea Modeling Center

Maps generated from the Salish Sea Model showing surface layer transport in the Northwest Straits (left) and sea surface salinity (right). Images: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
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The Puget Sound Institute is launching a new program that will use supercomputers to advance ecosystem recovery of the Salish Sea. The Salish Sea Modeling Center will allow scientists from around the region to access sophisticated computer models to predict changes in the ecosystem. Work at the center will tackle vexing environmental problems such as the changing chemistry of the Salish Sea and other mysteries puzzling scientists. The center is supported by the Environmental Protection Agency and other regional water quality partners. If you want to understand where fish or […]

Funding for Puget Sound projects envisioned as part of a national stimulus package

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Puget Sound recovery efforts could get a boost from a newly proposed five-year, $494-billion economic stimulus package, according to U.S. Reps. Denny Heck, D-Olympia, and Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. The two Washington congressmen, known for their efforts to help restore the Puget Sound ecosystem, spoke online Friday to more than 160 people during the first Virtual Puget Sound Days on the Hill forum. The event was sponsored by the Puget Sound Partnership, the agency coordinating the recovery of Puget Sound. While the bill’s future is uncertain, this so-called “Invest in […]

‘Days on the Hill’ will go online this year, widening audience for Puget Sound talks

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Folks who care about salmon, killer whales and the Puget Sound ecosystem will get a chance to participate in the annual discussion known as Puget Sound Day on the Hill. But this year the event will be called “2020 Virtual Puget Sound Days on the Hill,” as the talks go online. Online meetings with Washington’s congressional lawmakers will be held each Friday in June. Putting the meetings online will allow anyone interested to listen to the discussion, which generally focuses on upcoming legislation and funding for Puget Sound. Loved by […]

2020 NEP funding announcement

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This is a reprint of an article originally published by the EPA-funded Strategic Initiative Leads for Puget Sound. 2020 NEP Funding Announcement The Strategic Initiative Leads for Habitat, Stormwater and Shellfish are pleased to share the funding recommendations of the Strategic Initiative Advisory Teams (SIAT) and the Local Integrating Organizations (LIOs) for Federal Fiscal Year 2020 Puget Sound Geographic Funds. Puget Sound Geographic Funds (commonly known as National Estuary Program, or NEP, funds) are invested as a result of several concurrent and coordinated funding processes that brought together local and […]

Washington has received big money from federal wetlands grants program

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A little-known funding program to protect and restore coastal wetlands across the United States has been very, very good for Washington state. Over the past five years, Washington state has received $26.9 million to purchase and restore wetland properties as part of the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program. That’s a surprising 28 percent of the $95 million made available to 20 states situated along the U.S. coasts and Great Lakes. Not only has Washington state received more money than any other state every year for the past five years, […]

2020 NEP funding announced

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Three inter-agency teams at the state of Washington have announced their recommendations for the distribution of more than $10.9 million dollars in National Estuary Program Geographic Funds for Puget Sound in 2020. The funding is provided annually by the Environmental Protection Agency to support habitat protection, stormwater mitigation and the protection of shellfish beds. The money will be distributed pending Congressional authorization by teams led in part by the state departments of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife, Health, and Natural Resources. Details about the funding recommendations can be found on the […]

PSI in the news: ‘Salmon on Prozac’ and more

The Brightwater Treatment Plant in King County. Image courtesy of King County.
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PSI’s Andy James is collaborating with scientists at NOAA and Washington State University to understand how wastewater affects juvenile salmon in Puget Sound. The study is led by Jim Meador of NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Sciences Center and focuses on discharge from three major sewage treatment plants in King County. Wastewater will be analyzed at the University of Washington Tacoma’s Center for Urban Waters for chemical signatures of contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and PCBs. The study was featured this week in the publication Crosscut. “The scope of chemicals monitored in this […]

EPA announces $27.5 million in funding for Puget Sound

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The Puget Sound Institute is one of more than a dozen organizations in the state of Washington to receive funds this year from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program. The agency awarded $27.5 million in grants in 2019 to organizations working to protect and restore the Puget Sound ecosystem. A news release from the EPA announcing the funding is available below. You can view the original announcement on the EPA’s website. News release from EPA Region 10 EPA announces $27.5 million in funding for Puget Sound National Estuary Program […]

PSI study will look at potential of low-interest loans for armor removal

A bulkhead along the shores of Puget Sound. Photo by Christopher Dunagan.
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There are more than 45,000 residential properties along Puget Sound’s shoreline. Of those, almost half have some form of environmentally damaging shoreline armoring. That makes private landowners a primary focus of state and federal armor removal efforts, but many landowners say they either lack funds or are unwilling to pay for sometimes costly beach restorations. Now, the Puget Sound Institute in collaboration with Coastal Geologic Services and Northern Economics is looking at ways to provide low-interest loans to homeowners for this purpose. PSI and its partners will conduct a feasibility […]

How did science fare in this year’s legislature?

A researcher gathers data at a herring spawning site in Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of NOAA.
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By Jeff Rice There is no such thing as a general “science budget” for the state of Washington, but scientific research is meant to inform and catalyze many of the policies that govern Puget Sound recovery. There would be little understanding of how to protect Puget Sound’s beloved orcas without legions of scientists in the field, getting wet and collecting data. The maxim extends to any facet of ecosystem recovery, from Chinook marine survival to studies of zooplankton. Even so, science funding can be nebulous. It may be a consequence […]

Video: Identifying sources of pollution in the Skagit Valley

Screenshot from video.
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A video produced by the University of Washington Center for Urban Waters shows how chemical tracers can identify sources of pollution affecting shellfish growers in Puget Sound’s Skagit Valley. Fecal coliform pollution is a widespread problem in Puget Sound, resulting in costly beach and shellfish bed closures whenever it is detected. Analytical techniques can now reveal whether polluted water came from humans or livestock, an often contentious issue when cleaning up contaminants. If scientists can find traces of chemicals such as caffeine or cough syrup, they know to look for […]