Puget Sound Partnership

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The Puget Sound Partnership is a small state agency created by the Legislature in 2007 to coordinate the efforts of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists and businesses to restore and protect Puget Sound. The Puget Sound Partnership is responsible for managing Puget Sound Chinook Recovery planning under the ESA recovery plan with NOAA and for implementing the EPA Puget Sound National Estuary Program. These federal funding sources augment state funding to sustain agency operations.

Overvivew

  • The Puget Sound Initiative of 2007 defined the Puget Sound Partnership through ammendment of Puget Sound Water Quality Protection (RCW 90.71).
  • PSP employs a team of Ecosystem Recovery Coordinators that are assigned a territory in addition to special topics. They create a potential conduit between local institutions like Lead Integrating Organizations, and Lead Entities and state government.
  • PSP staff manage a system of advisory groups representing different stakeholder groups called the Puget Sound Management Conference.
  • The Puget Sound Partnership executive and the Management Conference reports to a Leadership Council appointed by the Governor
  • PSP replaced the Puget Sound Action Team, which had previously been assigned the task of Puget Sound coordination, though with different authorities.
  • Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration is a large capital appropriation managed by the Puget Sound Partnership through the Lead Entity system developed as part of Washington State Salmon Recovery
  • Under Tony Wright, PSP became a cabinet level agency within the Governor's executive team.
  • PSP is funded by both Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund and the National Estuary Program to perform coordination and management functions, and is vulnerable to changes in those programs.
  • File:Ryan-Penula et al 2017 LIO plan summary analysis.pdf provides a summary analysis of the many improvement opportunities identified by local actors, providing feedstock for Continuous Improvement

Links

Ecosystem Coordination Board

  • The ECB was created to integrate the various caucuses into an advisory body representing federal, state, local, tribal, and private interests. http://www.psp.wa.gov/EB_about.php describes membership.
  • There is no other forum in Puget Sound with as diverse a representation.
  • Duties of the ECB were defined in statute https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=90.71.250 - "The board shall advise and assist the council in carrying out its responsibilities in implementing this chapter, including development and implementation of the action agenda. The board's duties include:
    • Assisting cities, counties, ports, tribes, watershed groups, and other governmental and private organizations in the compilation of local programs for consideration for inclusion in the action agenda as provided in RCW 90.71.260;
    • Upon request of the council, reviewing and making recommendations regarding activities, projects, and programs proposed for inclusion in the action agenda, including assessing existing ecosystem scale management, restoration and protection plan elements, activities, projects, and programs for inclusion in the action agenda;
    • Seeking public and private funding and the commitment of other resources for plan implementation;
    • Assisting the council in conducting public education activities regarding threats to Puget Sound and about local implementation strategies to support the action agenda; and
    • Recruiting the active involvement of and encouraging the collaboration and communication among governmental and nongovernmental entities, the private sector, and citizens working to achieve the recovery of Puget Sound."