Welcome to the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute, and to our first newsletter. The Institute began almost exactly one year ago with a simple idea: There can and should be better communication among scientists working to protect and restore the Salish Sea ecosystem. Coordinated, system-wide knowledge is vital to effective science and policy (see: About the Institute).

Based at the University of Washington Tacoma with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Puget Sound Institute was established in December 2010 to conduct, coordinate, and communicate regional research that supports this vision.

In other words, the Puget Sound Institute is about you. We hope to add value to your science by integrating observations and synthesizing information into insightful and provocative stories that bring science to the policy makers.

This newsletter shows some of what we have done over the past year and some of what we hope to accomplish. You’ll find information about our advisers and staff, ongoing research, upcoming workshops, and the recent publication of the Puget Sound Science Review, an online synthesis of timely scientific information on the Puget Sound watershed. Then keep an eye out for future newsletters every two months, as we highlight the latest findings and dig deep into the interesting people and programs of Salish Sea science community.

As Director of the Puget Sound Institute, I am proud of the talented group we have assembled and thankful for the support and cooperation from our colleagues throughout the Salish Sea region.  PSI is your resource, and will be most successful when the regional science community alerts us to critical research needs and important opportunities to advance Salish Sea science. We look forward to hearing from you.

Joel Baker
Director
Puget Sound Institute