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PSP’s 2012 Action Agenda update now available

By Jeff Rice
Published September 28, 2012
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By Alicia Lawver, Puget Sound Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership is excited to announce the 2012 update to the Action Agenda, which outlines the region’s priorities and actions to address the foundational elements of a healthy Puget Sound: our economy, environment, human health, and quality of life.

This plan is the result of a coordinated regional effort through the Puget Sound Partnership, which involved the science community working closely with tribes, local governments, businesses, conservation organizations, state and federal agencies, and educational institutions.

The Action Agenda, originally created by the Partnership in 2009, is regularly updated to reflect progress, lessons learned and emerging scientific knowledge.

To guide future versions of the Action Agenda, the Partnership compiles resources to integrate science’s vital role in an adaptive management framework and performance management system. The Puget Sound Science Update and the Puget Sound Science Review are primary sources for synthesized, peer-reviewed scientific information related to Puget Sound and the Salish Sea.

The three regional priorities in the 2012 Action Agenda are:

  • Prevent pollution from urban stormwater runoff.
  • Protect and restore shorelines and salmon habitat.
  • Restore and re-open shellfish beds.

Improvements since 2008 include:

  • Regional recovery targets have been adopted to guide action.
  • Performance measures have been established to track progress and ensure accountability for results.
  • Peer-reviewed, scientific information has been synthesized and applied through the Puget Sound Science Update, Puget Sound Science Review and other scientific resources.
  • Targets and indicators of ecosystem health have been established and incorporated into a web-based dashboard of “Vital Signs of a healthy Puget Sound” to transparently promote the status of the health of Puget Sound. http://www.psp.wa.gov/vitalsigns/index.php
  • Regional strategies and actions are aligned with recovery targets – incorporating progress, lessons learned and new information since 2009.
  • Salmon recovery, climate change adaption, fish consumption and other crosscutting issues are identified.
  • Performance measures and actions have been assigned to owners responsible for implementation, including complete dates and performance milestones.

The Partnership adopted the updated Action Agenda on Aug. 9 and it is available at: http://www.psp.wa.gov/action_agenda_2011_update_home.php.

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Alicia Lawver is a Public Information Officer at the Puget Sound Partnership.