For the State Legislature

• Enact changes to our regulatory system as recommended by the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council (psp.wa.gov/recommendations) to protect and enhance salmon habitat, ensure human health and safety, provide irreplaceable ecosystem services, sustain tribal cultures, increase resiliency to climate change, and produce food for orcas.
• Authorize new funding that will provide reliable, dedicated funding in the amounts needed for Puget Sound recovery, as recommended by the Leadership Council.
• Fund a Puget Sound Budget that fully supports recovery, as recommended by the Leadership Council, which will include the following:
  • State agency budget requests that fund implementation of the 2018-2022 and 2022-2026 Action Agendas for Puget Sound.
  • Habitat protection and restoration programs, including the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration fund, the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program, the Floodplains by Design program, and state match for the federal Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project.
  • Stormwater pollution prevention programs, such as the Stormwater Financial Assistance Program.
  • Programs to protect and enhance shellfish beds, such as Pollution Identification and Control programs, and working lands and natural resource industries.
  • Scientific research to deepen our understanding of effective recovery mechanisms, and monitoring to report progress and identify emerging issues.
• Enact and fund implementation of the recommendations of the Governor’s Southern Resident Orca Task Force. In particular, we seek implementation of the Task Force’s Recommendation #48: Adopt and implement policies, incentives, and regulations for future growth and development to prevent any further degradation of critical habitat and sensitive ecosystems; enable and channel population growth in ways that result in net ecological gain; evaluate and report outcomes for all jurisdictions at the state, county, tribal, and municipal levels.

For state agencies

• Work with the Partnership and the Leadership Council to develop the Puget Sound Budget. Submit budget requests to implement the 2018-2022 and 2022-2026 Action Agendas for Puget Sound.
• Work with the Leadership Council to identify and implement changes to state policies and programs that will accelerate recovery and increase climate resiliency while sustaining vibrant human communities and working lands.
• Enhance collaboration with local governments and landowners to find effective ways to protect and restore habitat and water quality.
• Collaborate with the Partnership to finalize the 2022-2026 Action Agenda. Commit within the Action Agenda to implementing actions that will achieve biophysical and human wellbeing outcomes.
• Continue and enhance collaboration with British Columbia to ensure our recovery efforts don’t stop at the border. Accelerate salmon recovery work with Oregon, Idaho, California, and Alaska.
• Implement the Riparian Working Group recommendations.
• Collaborate with the Partnership on evaluations of ongoing programs.
• Work with our state family to collectively advance environmental justice efforts and implement the HEAL Act.

For local governments

• Collaborate with the Leadership Council and other regional partners to identify ways that state agencies and other partners can support local government efforts to accelerate recovery while enhancing human wellbeing.
• Adopt, implement, and enforce land use policies that protect habitat, prevent stormwater pollution, and lead to the reopening and protection of shellfish beds. Look for ways to achieve environmental net gains while accommodating growth.
• Help constituents understand the connections between these land use policies, climate resiliency, and Puget Sound recovery.
• Participate in watershed-scale recovery planning and implementation efforts, via Local Integrating Organizations and salmon recovery Lead Entities.
• Collaborate with the Partnership to finalize the 2022-2026 Action Agenda. Commit within the Action Agenda to implementing actions that will achieve biophysical and human wellbeing outcomes.

For Congress

• Fund the Puget Sound Geographic Program at a level commensurate with the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay.
• Pass the Promoting United Government Efforts to Save Our Sound (PUGET SOS) Act to establish a Puget Sound Program Office at the EPA and require federal agencies to align their efforts.
• Fund science and monitoring to increase our understanding of, and ability to report on, Puget Sound recovery.
• Double the annual funding for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund to ensure that salmon recovery actions occur throughout the U.S. range of the Southern Resident orcas.
• Fund needed infrastructure in a manner consistent with recovery needs.

For federal agencies

• Implement the priorities of the Puget Sound Federal Task Force and report progress regularly.
• Work with the Leadership Council to identify and implement changes to federal policies and programs that will accelerate recovery while benefitting all communities equitably.
• Collaborate with the Partnership to finalize the 2022-2026 Action Agenda. Commit within the Action Agenda to implementing actions that will achieve biophysical and human wellbeing outcomes.
• Develop a science enterprise to coordinate federal science and monitoring work and implement the priorities in the Puget Sound Science Work Plan.
• Continue and enhance collaboration with Canada and its Indigenous communities to ensure our recovery efforts don’t stop at the border.

For non-governmental organizations

• Continue and intensify advocacy for policies and funding that support Puget Sound recovery and healthy and resilient human populations.
• Collaborate with the Partnership to finalize the 2022-2026 Action Agenda. Commit within the Action Agenda to implementing actions that will achieve biophysical and human wellbeing outcomes.
• Help raise funds for implementation of the 2018-2022 and 2022-2026 Action Agendas.
• Increase public awareness of the condition of Puget Sound, why it matters, the effects of human activities and climate change on Puget Sound, and how individuals can support Puget Sound recovery.

For the Puget Sound Partnership

• Work with the Leadership Council and all partners to identify and implement changes to state, federal, and local policies that will accelerate recovery and increase climate resiliency while sustaining vibrant human communities and working lands.
• Lead development of the Puget Sound Budget with the Leadership Council and state agencies.
• Engage more partners in the recovery system and diversify and enhance funding sources to leverage state investments in Puget Sound, including philanthropy, impact investment, private sector commitments, and federal funding.
• Lead collaboration with all partners to implement the 2018-2022 Action Agenda and to develop the 2022-2026 Action Agenda update, which will identify a short, unified set of strategies and actions that will accelerate recovery and enhance human wellbeing.
• Commit to specific actions to advance strategies in the 2022-2026 Action Agenda.
• Continue to develop and enhance our accountability and ecosystem monitoring programs to ensure investments in Puget Sound recovery are effective and targeted.
• Continue to facilitate partner alignment with a single recovery system, thus focusing and coordinating resources and efforts, and amplifying the impact of investments across multiple agencies and partners.
• Deploy cutting-edge science to diagnose pressures on Puget Sound, identify and test potential solutions, and stay abreast of emerging issues.
• Tell the story of Puget Sound recovery.
• Work with our state family to collectively advance environmental justice efforts and implement the HEAL Act. Increase diversity, equity, and inclusion to represent everyone in the recovery effort.

For business

• Participate in programs that support recovery such as EnviroStars, LEED, and Salmon Safe.
• Invest in solutions with the non-governmental organization community.
• Participate in Puget Sound Day on the Hill to help make the case to our federal delegation that Puget Sound recovery helps the economy.
• Support innovation by participating in forums such as Water 100.
• Support recovery efforts in the watershed you do business in.
• Commit within the Action Agenda to implementing actions that will achieve biophysical and human wellbeing outcomes.

For the public

• Get involved. Participate in the recovery community within your area. Volunteer on a habitat restoration project or in a community-based science program. See pugetsoundstartshere.org for links to organizations to join. Or plant a tree at home.
• Quiet the waters of Puget Sound to help orcas find food. If you’re a boater, give orcas space. Follow the BeWhaleWise (bewhalewise.org) guidelines for whale watching. And please use pump-out stations to keep sewage out of Puget Sound.
• Drive less. Support efforts to improve alternative transportation options in the Puget Sound region.
• Keep plastics and toxic chemicals out of our waterways. Reduce single-use waste, reuse what you can, and recycle smartly. Use environmentally friendly products in your home and on your landscape, fix vehicle leaks, use a commercial car wash, and have your vehicle oil changed by a professional.
• Speak up for Puget Sound. Vote. Tell a friend. Make sure your local, state, and federal representatives know how important Puget Sound is to you.
• Learn about the tribes, tribal sovereignty, and treaty rights.

For tribes

The Partnership and the Leadership Council recognize that our tribal partners are sovereign nations. We respectfully ask tribes to continue to work with us in the following ways.

• Continue working together to protect and uphold tribal treaty rights.
• Identify changes to federal, state, and local laws, policies, and programs that will accelerate recovery and implement the tribal habitat strategy while enhancing human wellbeing.
• Participate in regional and watershed-scale recovery planning, implementation, and science and monitoring efforts.
• Work with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Leadership Council to help us integrate habitat, harvest, and hatchery efforts in Puget Sound.
• Collaborate with the Partnership to finalize the 2022-2026 Action Agenda.