All Articles

PSNERP logo

Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project

The Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project (PSNERP) works to assess the health of Puget Sound nearshore environments and provides strategies for their protection and restoration. 

Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve. Photo courtesy of the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Priority Marine Sites for Conservation in the Puget Sound

This 2006 report from the Washington Department of Natural Resources identifies areas of Washington's inland marine waters with high conservation value.

Puget Sound drainage area. Image courtesy of the Washington Department of Ecology.

Puget Sound Watershed Characterization Project

This project is a coarse-scale, systematic characterization of different areas within the Puget Sound watershed, aimed at providing a framework for land use discussions.

A bald eagle in Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

West Coast Governors' Alliance Integrated Ecosystem Assessment

The West Coast Governor's Alliance on Ocean Health, a regional collaboration to protect and manage U.S. West Coast ocean and coastal resources, was launched in September of 2006. This collaboration began an integrated ecosystem assessment (IEA) covering the entire coast, comprised of six regional IEAs (R-IEAs) in Washington, Oregon, and California. The R-IEAs evaluate a range of management

An infographic explains the basic principles of TDR. Image via King County.

Report: Regional transfer of development rights in Puget Sound

A 2013 report from the Environmental Protection Agency discusses progress on implementing transfer of development rights (TDR) as a strategy for conservation and increased development capacity in Puget Sound.

Oyster shell cultch containing seed oysters is washed onto a public beach. Image courtesy of WDFW.

Report: Evaluating the effects of bivalve filter feeding on nutrient dynamics in Puget Sound

A January 2014 USGS report discusses approaches for measuring the effect of bivalves on nutrient availability in different regions of Puget Sound.

Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra). Photo by Dave Menke, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Marine and terrestrial bird indicators for Puget Sound

A December 2013 report identifies marine and terrestrial bird species for use as indicators within the Puget Sound Partnership's "Vital Signs" for ecosystem health. 

Graphic of the IEA loop. Credit: NOAA

Ecological assessments in the Salish Sea

Ecological assessments (sometimes referred to as "conservation assessments") typically identify and evaluate the ecological attributes of an ecosystem. There is no single type of ecological assessment, but the following list includes an informal inventory of related efforts in the Salish Sea. This list does not include Ecological or Environmental Impact Assessments, which are targeted to specific

Camano Island State Park coastline. Image courtesy of WDFW.

Lessons learned: Island Local integrating pilot process for selecting near term actions for the 2014 Action Agenda.

This report discusses lessons learned from the task of choosing near term actions (NTAs), activities and initiatives for achieving recovery targets for Puget Sound Vital Sign indicators. It focuses on efforts by Local Integrating Organizations in Island County, including Whidbey and Camano Islands. 

Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 2010. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

Making science useful in complex political and legal arenas: A case for frontloading science in anticipation of environmental changes to support natural resource laws and policies

Scientists argue that environmental disasters are inevitable and that it is just a matter of when and where they will occur. "Our coasts and oceans routinely experience significant environmental crises," writes Dr. Usha Varanasi, who makes a case for staying ahead of the curve and "frontloading the science." Her 2013 paper in the Washington Journal of Environmental Law & Policy proposes a new