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 […]
March 13, 2014
Legislature hears testimony on Puget Sound forage fish
Puget Sound Institute research scientist Tessa Francis testified before the Washington House Environment Committee today about the ecological importance of the region’s forage fish. She discussed findings from PSI’s recent Study Panel on Ecosystem-based Management of Forage Fish in Puget Sound. Watch the testimony online.
March 11, 2014
Governor appoints new members to PSP Leadership Council
The governor’s office has appointed Jay Manning and Stephanie Sollen to the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council. Diana Gale was re-appointed through 2015 and will take over for David Dicks, who recently stepped down. Read Leadership Council member bios.
February 26, 2014
From Puget Sound to Everest: water quality studies may aid climbers
By Jeff Rice Scientists at the Puget Sound Institute (PSI) and the Center for Urban Waters have taken their research to the highest place on earth. The same techniques used to analyze water quality in Puget Sound are being applied at Everest base camp. Water samples were collected on the mountain and sent back to […]
February 25, 2014
Reducing the risk of PCBs in sediments
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) were banned in the 1970s, but continue to persist in sediments at the bottom of Puget Sound. A vestige of earlier use and improper disposal, they remain among the most toxic pollutants in local waters, are implicated in the decline of the region’s endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population, and are at […]
February 21, 2014
New approaches to ecosystem synthesis
Is technology changing the way we think about ecosystem information? PSI’s Encyclopedia of Puget Sound will host a two-part session on new approaches to ecosystem synthesis at this spring’s Salish Sea conference. Presentations will run the gamut from demonstrations of visualization software to wiki-based conceptual models. The session will conclude with a 30-minute panel discussion […]
February 20, 2014
Updated habitat classifications for Puget Sound
Species and their habitats are a foundation of the ecosystem framework, but there is currently no generally agreed upon habitat classification system for Puget Sound. The closest thing for its marine and nearshore environments may be Dr. Megan Dethier’s 1990 resource A Marine and Estuarine Habitat Classification System for Washington State. Much of the work for […]
February 6, 2014
Stormwater conference focuses on cleanup strategies for businesses
Our colleague Kurt Marx is moderating a session at the Managing Stormwater in the Northwest conference on March 5th in Tacoma. Approximately 75% of the pollution in Puget Sound comes from stormwater runoff, and the conference looks at how businesses in particular can lower their impact. Visit the conference website.
January 26, 2014
The importance of synthesis to disaster planning and response
The U.S. government spends billions on disaster relief every year—$136 billion between 2011 and 2013 alone—but one crucial area tends to be overlooked. There are often major gaps in the scientific understanding of the environments in question. When disasters hit, responders must often play catch up, using valuable time assessing prior ecological conditions or pulling together […]
January 25, 2014
PSI report examines selection of near-term actions in Island County
Local communities play an important role in the development of the state’s Action Agenda for Puget Sound recovery. The Puget Sound Partnership has established a series of Local Integrating Organizations (LIOs) in nine geographic regions to help establish conservation priorities. A 2014 report from the Puget Sound Institute looks at this process as it occurred in the […]