FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, kevin.hyde@psp.wa.gov
The Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council will meet on Thursday, March 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Fort Worden (Commons Room), 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
All are welcome to attend the meeting. We’ll also be providing an all-virtual livestream of this meeting, through TVW (link below). We highly encourage partners and other members of the public to use this virtual option, if possible, to reduce carbon emissions. If you do elect to use the livestream option and wish to submit public comment, please send your written comments to wendy.loosle@psp.wa.gov by noon on Wednesday, March 13. We will review public comments submitted by email during the general public comment period on March 14.
TVW web link: https://tvw.org/video/puget-sound-partnership-leadership-council-2024031034/?eventID=2024031034
The agenda and meeting materials are available through our board meetings page: https://psp.wa.gov/board_meetings.php
Meeting highlights include:
- A presentation and decision to appoint a new Ecosystem Coordination Board member. Scott Brewer, who served as the Hood Canal Action Area representative from 2016-2023, has stepped down. The Leadership Council is asked to appoint David Dicks to complete the existing term until June 30, 2024, as well as a new term from June 30, 2024, to June 30, 2028. Presentation by Tristan Contesse, boards program manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.
- A presentation and discussion about the 2024 Washington state legislative session that began on January 8 and ended on March 7. Partnership staff will provide an update on the legislative session and how the Leadership Council's adopted 2024 Puget Sound legislative priorities fared, as well as discuss next steps and an outlook for 2025. Presentation by Don Gourlie, legislative policy director at the Puget Sound Partnership.
- A presentation and discussion about the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. The Maritime Washington National Heritage Area program supports coastal communities in celebrating, maintaining, and sharing their water-based stories across nearly 3,000 miles of Washington state's saltwater shorelines. This session will provide a background about the program as well as its communications and storytelling framework. Presentation by Alex Gradwohl, program director at the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area.
- A presentation and discussion about the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan Addendum. Partnership staff will provide a summary and update of the first of two planned Tribal consultation and public comment periods for the Salmon Recovery Plan Addendum, and a revised timeline for the completion based on Tribal feedback. The Addendum will guide the Puget Sound regional salmon recovery organization's salmon recovery strategies and actions over the next ten years. The Partnership seeks input and guidance from the salmon recovery community to ensure we achieve the goals and desired impact of the Addendum. The session will also discuss proposed actions for the Leadership Council. Presentation by Melissa Speeg, salmon recovery manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.
- A presentation and decision about the Partnership's Shared Principles of Partner Respect and Engagement, a central guide and resource about the kind of conduct Partnership staff will exhibit in agency-sponsored meetings and expect others to reciprocate in that same spirit. This session will include discussion of the Core Principles in the document and a decision to approve the final version of the guide as is or approve with modifications decided during the session. Presentation by Larry Epstein, deputy director of the Puget Sound Partnership.
- A presentation and discussion about federal policies and appropriations related to Puget Sound recovery. This session will also include discussion of key messages for the 2024 Puget Sound Day on the Hill event this spring and an update on the Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force. Presentation by Ahren Stroming, special assistant for federal affairs at the Puget Sound Partnership, and Peter Murchie, geographic programs manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The full Leadership Council 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 Boards Policy Advisor Wendy Loosle at 360.791.8397.
About the Leadership Council
The Leadership Council is the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Its seven members are leading citizens chosen from around the Sound and appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms. Dennis McLerran currently chairs the Leadership Council.
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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