Category: Uncategorized

Event celebrates the anniversary of the Clean Water Act and new funding for Puget Sound

EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe gave a speech about new federal funding for the environment while visiting the Center for Urban Waters in Tacoma.
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It could have been mistaken for a foggy morning along the waterfront, but the occasional coughs and burning eyes among the crowd of 60 or so people gathered here last Wednesday told a different story. Like much of the Northwest, Tacoma was shrouded in a haze of smoke from a spate of forest fires giving it and its neighbor Seattle the dubious distinction of having some of the worst air quality in the world, topping places like Delhi and Beijing. Against this smoky backdrop, a group of policymakers, tribal leaders […]

Job alert: PSI is hiring two post-doctoral scholars focusing on ecosystem modeling and fisheries science

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From UWHires: https://ap.washington.edu/ahr/position-details/?job_id=104123 Postdoctoral Scholar – Ecosystem Modeling and Fisheries Science: Climate Change, Nutrient, and Contaminant Impacts on the Salish Sea Position Overview Organization: School of Engineering and Technology Title: Postdoctoral Scholar – Ecosystem Modeling and Fisheries Science: Climate Change, Nutrient, and Contaminant Impacts on the Salish Sea Position Details Position Description The University of Washington Tacoma’s Puget Sound Institute, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Services, Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle WA seeks 2 (two) Postdoctoral Scholars to conduct ecosystem modeling research in […]

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves the 2022-2026 Action Agenda

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Press release reprinted from The Puget Sound Partnership U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves the 2022-2026 Action Agenda FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 24, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, kevin.hyde@psp.wa.gov OLYMPIA — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the 2022-2026 Action Agenda as the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Puget Sound National Estuary Program (NEP). Each NEP develops a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan that establishes priorities for activities, research, and funding for the estuary. These plans serve as a blueprint to guide decisions about a wide range of environmental protection issues. […]

New paper describes PSI’s support of ecosystem-based management

The Center for Urban Waters along the Foss Waterway in Tacoma
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Right now, researchers across Puget Sound are carefully measuring the salinity and temperature of the water, searching for harmful algal blooms and studying the feeding patterns of endangered orcas. They are testing the effects of ocean acidification, counting rockfish and checking the health of our declining kelp forests. Their scope includes salmon genetics and invasive crabs, the flow of rivers and streams. They study thousands of different species and thousands of miles of winding shoreline across a region the size of a small state. Within this region are two pristine national […]

PSI monthly roundup

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PSI monthly roundup for March 2022 Nick Georgiadis joins SeaDoc Society’s scientific advisory board Puget Sound Institute senior research scientist Nick Georgiadis has been selected as a member of the SeaDoc Society Scientific Advisory Board. Nick specializes in ecosystem-scale research on subjects ranging from elephant conservation to ecological pressures in the Salish Sea. 
Read more.   Around the Sound April 15 | Comments are due on the draft 2022-2026 Action Agenda for Puget Sound. Don’t miss your chance to influence the course of Puget Sound recovery. April 26-28 | The virtual 2022 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference will be held online from […]

Job opening: Stakeholder engagement and science communication manager

The University of Washington Puget Sound Institute is located at the Center for Urban Waters on Tacoma's Thea Foss Waterway.
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The University of Washington Puget Sound Institute (PSI) is seeking a highly motivated stakeholder engagement and science communication manager, with experience working with municipal staff and their stakeholders in wastewater or stormwater, marine/aquatic resources, or other interdisciplinary environmental management and planning areas. The position will expand current PSI capabilities to synthesize and communicate scientific results in a compelling way for managers, stakeholders and the general public seeking to understand complex water quality challenges in Puget Sound, and scientifically valid solutions. See the Salish Sea Modeling Center website for an example of scientific products […]

A treasure trove of ‘big ideas’ for Puget Sound

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A series of reports from the Puget Sound Institute will synthesize key findings from close to 100 projects funded over the past five years by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Six years ago, the EPA authorized more than $20 million dollars for projects to protect, restore and study critical habitats like beaches and floodplains in Puget Sound. The result is what PSI research scientist Aimee Kinney describes as a treasure trove of new information that will help guide future Puget Sound recovery efforts. “These are the big ideas of the last five […]

Salmon study sparks controversy

A young southern resident killer whale calf (J56) carrying a dead fish between her teeth while swimming next to her mother (J31) in the Salish Sea. Credit: A.W. Trites/University of British Columbia
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Occasionally, this space includes reports and essays from guest writers on the subject of Puget Sound ecosystem recovery. Biologist and author Eric Wagner has this look at the controversy surrounding a recent study of salmon numbers in the Salish Sea.  By Eric Wagner A couple of weeks ago, the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences published a research article from the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The article, first-authored by a hydroacoustician named Mei Sato, looked at the abundance of Chinook salmon during […]

Two science and monitoring funding opportunities from the Puget Sound Partnership

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From the Puget Sound Partnership: Announcing Two Science and Monitoring Funding Opportunities from the Puget Sound Partnership  The Partnership is pleased to announce two solicitations for collaborative proposals to inform and accelerate Puget Sound recovery: Puget Sound Scientific Research and Monitoring to Accelerate Recovery. Projects are expected to begin early fall and continue through June 30, 2023 (or September 30, 2023 for a subset of ‘Monitoring’ projects). The two solicitations are complementary in nature. In addition to advancing Puget Sound recovery, both recognize the importance of and seek to advance management-relevant science; biophysical and social sciences […]

Young orca calves take part in fall excursions into South Puget Sound with their mothers

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The two orca calves born to J pod in September are still alive and doing well, according to Mark Malleson of the Center for Whale Research, who spotted J pod on Monday near the Canadian city of Victoria. (Check out Mark’s encounter report.) This is good news, of course, for the highly endangered southern resident killer whales, which frequent Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. But winter months still lie ahead, so we hope that they can find enough food to make it through their first winter, a challenging time […]

Job opportunity for postdoctoral research scientist

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The Puget Sound Institute is hiring a post-doctoral research scientist. The listing from UW Human Resources is below.  POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST 2 Req #: 165198 Department: UW TACOMA-CENTER FOR URBAN WATERS Job Location: UW Tacoma Posting Date: 11/15/2019 Closing Info: Open Until Filled Salary: Salary and benefits are competitive. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Shift: First Shift Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For detailed information on Benefits for this position, click here. Please note that this position has been re-posted.  […]

PSI hosts seminar on green infrastructure

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The Puget Sound Institute will host a seminar on Monday, April 16th at 11:00 AM focusing on geodesign-based planning support of green infrastructure. The seminar will be held at the Center for Urban Waters in Tacoma and is presented by Mary Roderick, PhD of the University of Washington Department of Urban Design and Planning. Green infrastructure is increasingly utilized to improve and restore ecosystem function and ecosystem services in urban areas; however, it is often implemented in a piecemeal, opportunistic, single-purpose fashion. This research uses the Steinitz geodesign framework to systematically analyze […]