Category: Resources

Is it found in Puget Sound?

Map of Puget Sound
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The Puget Sound and Salish Sea watersheds contain many incredible geographic features, but it’s not always easy to tell which ones are truly part of the region. Does Puget Sound really include three active volcanoes? (Yes! See above.) How far north does the Salish Sea extend? And does that reach as far as Canada’s wonderfully named Octopus Islands? (We would hope so.) To help answer questions like these, we have created a simple overlay in Google Maps that includes the geo-referenced boundaries of our ecosystem. We hope you will bookmark it […]

Introducing DORA Explorer

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Whether on land or in the sea, oxygen is critical for sustaining life. Healthy ecosystems depend on it, and the amount of dissolved oxygen in marine environments is one of the ways that scientists measure water quality. Both the research community and the regulatory authorities rely on complex computer models of the Salish Sea to predict dissolved oxygen levels, and key mechanistic drivers of water quality change, such as Nitrogen (N), and Net Primary Production (NPP). Now, the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute and the Salish Sea Modeling Center […]

New online magazine focuses on the stories behind Puget Sound recovery efforts

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“Making Waves,” a new online magazine from the Puget Sound Partnership, promises to bring us the stories behind the many efforts to protect and restore the Puget Sound ecosystem. The first issue of “Making Waves” — published this week — contains five stories. Jon Bridgman, communications manager, conceived of the magazine format and pushed the idea forward. “This was Jon’s brainchild; he believes in the power of storytelling,” said Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Partnership, a state agency created by the Legislature to coordinate the ongoing recovery of Puget […]

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 […]

Tracking the effectiveness of armor removal in Puget Sound

Armor-removal project at Cornet Bay State Park before and after site restoration. Photo courtesy of PSEMP
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The removal of shoreline armoring has become a priority for the state’s Puget Sound recovery efforts. The Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program (PSEMP) is providing details on the effectiveness of armor-removal projects at 49 study sites. Summary In February 2019 the PSEMP Nearshore work group completed the compilation of armor-removal sites that have had restoration and monitoring occur since 2005. Sites are also included if pre-restoration monitoring has occurred, and restoration is planned to occur in the near future. Sites are not listed when monitoring has not occurred, or if restoration […]

A guide for oil spill response

Guide cover
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Puget Sound’s ports are expected to grow rapidly in coming years, on pace with the region’s urban areas. More ships on the water could mean more accidents. Some management efforts can lessen the risk of a spill in Puget Sound. Lower speed limits for ships, more onboard monitoring, rescue tugs and double hull fuel tank protection are some of the options being proposed. But no efforts can eliminate the risk of all accidents. In 2017, the Puget Sound Institute on behalf of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife produced […]

New website outlines Puget Sound recovery efforts

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Over the past year or so, the EPA has begun funding a new effort to speed up and prioritize Puget Sound recovery. A coalition of state agencies and other partners is developing a series of plans known as Implementation Strategies that take on some of the practical considerations and next steps for the Puget Sound Partnership’s Action Agenda. We wrote about this last year in our magazine Salish Sea Currents, and have continued a series of stories about some of the science driving the process. We’ll be writing more stories […]

PSI publishing mobile app for Salish Sea conference

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PSI’s Encyclopedia of Puget Sound has been chosen to publish the official mobile app for the upcoming Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. The app will allow users to customize their schedules, network with conference participants and receive real-time news about conference events. It will be available for all devices and will be the first time a mobile app has been developed specifically for the biennial conference. EoPS is creating the app with the help of developers at CrowdCompass with funding support from the Puget Sound Partnership. The Salish Sea […]

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound now online

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A beta version of the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound is now online. Find hundreds of descriptive articles, maps and other media related to Puget Sound ecosystem science at eopugetsound.org. Give us your feedback. Tell us what you would like to see on EoPS pages in the future, and find out how you or your organization can become part of the knowledge network. Read more at the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.  

Puget Sound is calling: Download EoPS ringtones

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The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound has ringtones! Download free mp3 calls of select Puget Sound species to your smartphone.

PSI collaborates with NOAA on Puget Sound maps

Screenshot of NOAA's ERMA online mapping tool
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The Puget Sound Institute is collaborating with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enhance a new web-based mapping resource for Puget Sound. The project will utilize NOAA’s Environmental Response Management Application® (ERMA) within the Institute’s forthcoming Encyclopedia of Puget Sound to bring together a wide array of GIS and oceanographic data. ERMA was first used extensively in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the same mapping application is now being customized for the Puget Sound watershed and Northwest area.

Sound and Vision documentary

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Those who missed yesterday’s showing at the Seattle Aquarium may want to attend a free screening on February 27th of the new documentary Sound and Vision, by filmmaker Eric Becker. The film was produced by the People for Puget Sound, and is “told through the the stories of people working to clean up, protect and restore habitat in Puget Sound and beyond.” The free screening will be hosted by the UW American Water Resources Association on Monday, February 27 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM, and will be held on the […]