The Partnership invited Steven Schauer to write a guest article providing lessons learned from the San Antonio River Improvements Project. Schauer, who now resides in Seattle, served as the director of external communications for the San Antonio River Authority during the construction and implementation of this innovative project.

The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge encompasses more than 4,500 acres around the Nisqually River Delta. Among the many visitors to the refuge each year are hundreds of people who come to hunt geese, ducks, and other waterfowl during the fall and winter hunting seasons.

While it may seem foreign to most of the country, walking along public beaches with a shovel and bucket in hand to bring home dinner is a pastime Washingtonians know well. With hundreds of public beaches in Puget Sound, recreational shellfish harvesting allows access to local foods year-round for Washington residents.

The 2022-2026 Action Agenda is our community’s shared plan to advance Puget Sound recovery over the next four years. With bold leadership and collaboration at all levels, coordinating our efforts, and acting urgently, Puget Sound can be a resilient ecosystem that supports healthy and diverse human communities and the habitats and species that we care about.

This episode of Making Waves Conversations features an interview with Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, and Dennis McLerran, chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council. In the interview, Laura and Dennis discuss what they find most exciting about the new Action Agenda and how it will help guide funding for recovery.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a game-changing boost to Puget Sound. This money will be invested in salmon recovery, transportation infrastructure, roads and bridges, and in helping to make Puget Sound more climate resilient. Watch our video to learn more about the impacts.

Toxic chemicals in Puget Sound and the surrounding environment affect aquatic animals throughout the region. These chemicals can affect water quality and degrade habitat.

An often unacknowledged but surprising aspect of modern life is that toxic chemicals are pretty much everywhere. We encounter them in common consumer products and building materials. Toxic chemicals are also used in manufacturing processes throughout a wide range of industries.

Following the release of the 2022-2026 Action Agenda, the Habitat, Shellfish, and Stormwater Strategic Initiative Leads (SILs) have released requests for proposals to solicit programs, activities, and lines of work that protect and restore habitat, water quality, and harvestable shellfish beds.

The Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, is the only oyster native to Washington. Its historical range stretches from the coasts of British Columbia down to Southern California. Before the arrival of white settlers in Washington, there may have been 20,000 acres of Olympia oysters living throughout the bays and inlets of Puget Sound.

Zooplankton are a diverse group of small organisms that drift in marine and freshwater and feed on phytoplankton (plant plankton) and other zooplankton. This group includes jellyfish and comb-jellies, small crustaceans like copepods and krill, the larval forms of crabs and oysters, the larval or juvenile forms of some fish, and many other organisms.

Last year, Pierce Conservation District became the first of its kind in the nation to create a carbon credit program. As one of 45 conservation districts in Washington State and approximately 3,000 nationwide, this is a big win in the fight against climate change for the state.

Born and raised in Virginia, Amy Eberling’s love of the ocean began on family trips to the Assateague and Chincoteague Islands. Although she may not have realized it at the time, those experiences planted a seed that would later bloom into The Salish Sea School.

For the last six years, the Puget Sound Partnership and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission have held an event that draws attendees from around the

Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, speaks with Anji Moraes, senior program officer at Vulcan Inc. They discuss salmon recovery, the removal of obsolete dams in the Pacific Northwest, and how infrastructure can help with salmon recovery and climate change adaptation. This interview was recorded on March 23, 2021.

Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, speaks with Governor Jay Inslee. In their conversation, they discuss the important connections between climate change, Puget Sound recovery, and environmental justice. This interview was recorded on March 8, 2021.

Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, speaks with David Troutt, natural resources director for the Nisqually Indian Tribe. In their conversation, they discuss salmon recovery, climate change, and moving I-5 off the Nisqually Delta. This interview was recorded on February 25, 2021.

The Southern Resident orcas that call Puget Sound home are critically endangered. For the last few years, Washington Conservation Districts—along with dozens of non-profit and

Did you know that some kelp species are among the largest of all seaweeds? And did you know Washington state is home to 22 species

https://youtu.be/nPrN8GY-W00 In 2017, the Northwest Straits Foundation, Skagit Marine Resources Committee, Washington State Parks, and Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group completed a restoration project at the

Puget Sound is a unique place. It’s one of the largest estuaries in the nation, a mix of freshwater from rivers and streams and saltwater