MEDIA ADVISORY: Public comment sought on Southern Resident Orca Task Force updated draft recommendations

MEDIA ADVISORY

October 24, 2018

Media contact: Cathy Cochrane, Puget Sound Partnership, cathy.cochrane@psp.wa.gov; 360-790-7958

Public comment sought on Southern Resident Orca Task Force updated draft recommendations

Governor Inslee’s Southern Resident Orca Task Force is inviting public comment on the updated draft recommendations for actions to recover southern resident orcas. Initial potential recommendations were generated by the three Working Groups that advise the Task Force and were released for public comment on Sept. 24, 2018.

The recommendations focus on the following issues affecting the survival of the southern resident orcas:

• Lack of prey
• Toxic contaminants
• Disturbance from noise and vessel traffic

The Task Force convened October 17-18 to discuss and refine the draft recommendations. The updated draft reflects the outcomes of those discussions.  

Comments on the updated draft recommendations must be submitted no later than midnight, Monday October 29, via the Task Force online public comment portal . For those unable to access the online portal, comments may also be submitted by U.S. Mail to:

Puget Sound Partnership
ATTN: SRKW DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS
326 East D St
Tacoma, WA 98421 

Next steps: Public comments received on this updated draft will be provided directly to the Task Force for consideration at their meeting on November 6, 2018. The meeting will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.at the Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW, Puyallup. The final Year 1 report and recommendations are due to Governor Inslee on November 16, 2018. 

Learn more on Governor Inslee’s webpage for the Task Force.