Series:

Series: Habitat protection and restoration–sponsored by the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead

About the series

Puget Sound recovery strategic initiatives

This series of articles profiles select findings from grant-funded projects commissioned by the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL), a cross-agency team co-led by the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources. HSIL distributed EPA Puget Sound Geographic Program funds to more than 100 grant recipients between 2016-2020. Articles in this series describe findings from several of those projects, including assessments of the risk of flooding driven by climate change, research to mitigate flooding caused by beavers, and zooplankton monitoring efforts.

Sponsored by

Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL)

Latest story posted: 10/30/2023

Aerial view of Interstate 5 stretching across a large area of land covered by brown flood waters from the Nooksack River in the foreground with mountains and Puget Sound in the distance and grey skies above.
In areas like Snohomish County where the Nooksack River has been known to flood its banks, sea level rise can exacerbate the problem. Shown here is flooding of the Nooksack River in 2009 along Interstate 5 near Ferndale, Wash. Photo: WSDOT (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/5Uec7d

Studies target increasing flood risks

Related stories

Two people standing on a boat hosing off two long, black sampling nets that have been pulled out of the water by a small crane.

10/30/2023

The ups and downs of zooplankton in Puget Sound

Zooplankton are critical to the marine food web, but until recently there have been few surveys of the zooplankton community in Puget Sound. Ongoing monitoring is now revealing a system full of complexity and surprises. The following article was commissioned by the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL), a cross-agency team co-led by the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources.

Species and food webs, Invertebrates, Zooplankton, Salmonids, Marine heat waves, Phytoplankton, Monitoring

A beaver sitting at the base of small tree on mud surrounded by green vegetation.

10/30/2023

Program seeks alternatives to beaver dam removals

Beavers provide critical benefits for wetland ecosystems but can also alter the landscape in ways that are unpredictable for property owners and conservationists alike. New techniques are helping humans and beavers share the landscape with the goal of benefiting both parties. The following article was commissioned by the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL), a cross-agency team co-led by the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources.

Species and food webs, Mammals, Fishes, Freshwater habitat