Media Advisory: Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council to meet June 21

MEDIA ADVISORY
June 20, 2017

MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Cochrane, 360.790.7958, cathy.cochrane@psp.wa.gov 

Leadership Council to hear about the Clean Samish Initiative 

Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council will meet June 21 in Mt Vernon

The Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council will meet on Wednesday, June 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mt. Vernon. Council members will re-convene at 1:45 for a tour of the Fir Island Farms estuary restoration project.  

Meeting highlights include:

• A presentation on the Clean Samish Initiative which is a coalition of federal, state and county governments, tribes, non-governmental organizations, shellfish growers and private individuals working to reduce fecal coliform pollution in the Samish Bay watershed. When fecal coliform comes in contact with shellfish beds, the Department of Health is required to protect human health by closing the beds to harvest. Protecting and recovering shellfish beds is one of the three Strategic Initiatives of the Puget Sound Action Agenda, which charts the course for protection and recovery of Puget Sound.
• A presentation on European green crabs, a non-native species whose presence in Puget Sound has recently been confirmed. European green crabs pose a major threat to other species in Puget Sound, such as smaller shore crabs, clams and oysters.

The full agenda, meeting materials and directions are available at http://psp.wa.gov/LC_meetings.php. This meeting is open to the public and all are welcome to provide comment and learn about the regional effort to recover and protect Puget Sound.

If you need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please notify the Special Assistant to the Boards, Dominique Hampton, at 360.464.1229.

About the Leadership Council

The seven-member Leadership Council is the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms, members are among the leading citizens from around the Sound. 

About the Puget Sound Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of governments, tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits, the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda, advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.

For more information, go to www.psp.wa.gov.