FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, kevin.hyde@psp.wa.gov
OLYMPIA — Today, the Puget Sound Partnership released its biennial State of the Sound report, which assesses the health of the Puget Sound ecosystem and progress towards its recovery.
The Puget Sound ecosystem is not doing as well as we all aspire to. Many of the indicators we use to gauge the health of Puget Sound are not making enough progress toward recovery, and climate change is a significant additional stressor on the Puget Sound ecosystem. Some indicators are showing local declines, which means we need to devote attention to those areas to prevent the declines from getting worse.
However, with collective effort, we can restore Puget Sound to health and ensure it can adapt to climate change and other pressures. We’ve seen continued progress in areas where decision-makers can make direct change—for example, by restoring habitat in estuaries and floodplains. New funding from the federal government and the state gives our region a chance to accomplish major recovery goals, and policy changes will make it easier for partners across the Sound to work together.
“This is a pivotal time for Puget Sound recovery,” said Dennis McLerran, chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council. “In the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in funding for recovery. We must use that funding wisely to set ourselves on the right path, but we also need to commit to action and resources that meet the scale of the challenge. The longer we delay, the harder and more expensive it becomes to achieve a healthy Puget Sound.”
“The 2023 State of the Sound has clear messages for all of us,” said Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership. “Our restoration efforts have given us a chance for resilient, functioning ecosystems, but that’s not enough. We need to do more to make progress at the speed that’s required, to restore this beautiful place for ourselves and those who come after us.”
In its letter within the 2023 State of the Sound, the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council outlines seven actions that we should take now to support a resilient Puget Sound ecosystem: make smart use of increased funding; streamline and enable infrastructure investments to support salmon and ecosystem recovery; work with partners to align our actions to the 2022-2026 Action Agenda; support science and monitoring endeavors; align growth management efforts with Puget Sound recovery efforts; deepen our commitment to advancing environmental justice; and better coordinate recovery efforts.
The Partnership’s Science Panel, in its comments in the report, emphasizes the need for urgent action in our effort to recover the ecosystem. “Can we work together to see a Puget Sound that is healthy, resilient, and beautiful for the next millennia? [We reiterate] that this is likely possible only by acting boldly, creatively, collaboratively, and doing so immediately and at the scale necessary to give the ecosystem a fighting chance at recovery.” The Science Panel expanded on its State of the Sound comments in a letter published in Making Waves, the Partnership’s magazine.
As the report shows, most of the Puget Sound Vital Signs—measures of ecosystem health—are staying the same or getting worse. While six indicators are getting better, 23 show no trend, seven show mixed results, and five are getting worse.
In the report, the state of the recovery effort section includes information about how the Partnership and partners are working together to make progress on Puget Sound recovery. This progress includes changes in funding, policy, advocacy, research, and other collective work.
The State of the Sound’s call to action from the Leadership Council to the entire recovery community offers detailed actions that we can all take to accelerate the recovery of Puget Sound. The call to action emphasizes the ways in which we can do more to protect and restore habitat, clean up the water, cool our rivers and streams to improve salmon survival, and combat climate change and its effects on both the ecosystem and vulnerable communities.
The accomplishments section of the report, new for the 2023 State of the Sound, highlights projects and efforts from our partners that have made a difference in Puget Sound recovery. These accomplishments show the quality and range of work that our partners do—and demonstrate the commitment of the recovery community.
To download the report, visit stateofthesound.wa.gov. The Spanish version of the 2023 State of the Sound report can also be downloaded from the website.
About the State of the Sound
The biennial State of the Sound report helps our partners and decision makers better understand: (1) how well the recovery effort is going, (2) ecosystem health and progress toward Puget Sound recovery goals, and (3) the role each partner can play in achieving Puget Sound recovery. It also responds specifically to state statute (RCW 90.71.370(3)). This report reflects the work accomplished by hundreds of groups throughout the Puget Sound region, including governments, Tribes, nonprofits, communities, scientists, and businesses. See https://stateofthesound.wa.gov/.
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.
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