FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, kevin.hyde@psp.wa.gov
The Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel will meet online on Thursday, April 20, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
TVW will be providing an all-virtual livestream of the meeting. TVW web link: https://tvw.org/video/puget-sound-partnership-science-panel-2023041021/?eventID=2023041021
The full Science Panel agenda and meeting materials are available through our board meetings page at: https://psp.wa.gov/board_meetings.php.
Meeting highlights include:
- A presentation and discussion about the 2023 Washington state legislative session and recent federal policy. Partnership staff will provide an update about the 2023 Washington state legislative session and a review of federal actions for Puget Sound recovery. Science Panel members will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss policies in play. Presentation by Don Gourlie, legislative policy director at the Puget Sound Partnership, and Ahren Stroming, special assistant for federal affairs at the Puget Sound Partnership.
- A presentation and discussion about the Puget Sound Future Scenarios Project. The Puget Sound Future Scenarios Project explores the interactions between driving forces (such as population growth, land use policy, climate change, and others) and how our Puget Sound recovery goals (such as human wellbeing and orca populations) might respond in these different futures. This session will include an update to the Science Panel about a simple index that can compare how "salmon friendly" each scenario is. Presentation by Elizabeth McManus, principal, Ross Strategic.
- A presentation and discussion about the recruitment and nomination process for the Science Panel. The Science Panel's nomination subcommittee is working to revise the recruitment and nomination process to match the Leadership Council and Science Panel goals for new membership and to discuss opening the Panel to expertise in a diversity of ways of developing and sharing knowledge. The subcommittee will ask Panel members to provide input on the call for nominations, evaluation criteria, and outreach approaches to emphasize in the 2023 round of nominations. Presentation by Science Panel member Nick Bond and Science Panel officers; Scott Redman, Science and Evaluation program director at the Puget Sound Partnership; and Anna Petersen, special assistant to the boards at the Puget Sound Partnership.
- A presentation and discussion about the Science Panel's comments in the 2023 State of the Sound. The Puget Sound Partnership is scheduled to prepare a State of the Sound report this year, which is a requirement in state statute (RCW 90.71.370(3)). As part of this requirement, the Science Panel is required to provide comments on their assessment of the implementation of recovery efforts and findings from monitoring. With Partnership staff, the Science Panel will discuss how to proceed in preparing its comments, the content and themes of the Panel's comments, and whether to form a subcommittee to lead development of the comments. Presentation by Science Panel member Paul Mayer; Scott Redman, Science and Evaluation program director at the Puget Sound Partnership; Jon Bridgman, communications manager at the Puget Sound Partnership; and Mary Ramirez, monitoring performance analyst at the Puget Sound Partnership.
- A presentation and discussion about integrating knowledge through synthesis in large-scale ecosystem restoration. This session will include a presentation by Heida Diefenderfer, Earth scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, about various synthesis efforts in large-scale restoration programs and discuss its application to the assessment of cumulative effects of restoration in Puget Sound.
The full Science Panel agenda and meeting materials are available through our board meetings page at: https://psp.wa.gov/board_meetings.php.
If you need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please notify Special Assistant to the Boards Anna Petersen at 360.338.2384
About the Science Panel
The Science Panel's expertise and advice are critical to the Puget Sound Partnership’s efforts to develop a comprehensive, science-based plan to restore Puget Sound. The members, appointed by the Leadership Council, are chosen from the top scientists in Washington State.
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 government agencies, 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.
|
