Puget Sound Partnership

02/10/2026

The new issue of Islands' Weekly includes a fantastic article about a Lopez Island couple who transformed their shoreline into a healthy and accessible beach courtesy of the Friends of the San Juans and the Shore Friendly program.

The Puget Sound Partnership is proud to help support implementation of this project - and others like it - through our Nearshore Credit Program. Truly a win-win for our salmon and our shorelines!

https://www.islandsweekly.com/2026/09/30/grant-funded-beach-makeover-for-lopez-couple-friends-of-the-san-juans-helps-sjc-homeowners-restore-their-shorelines/

Learn more about our Nearshore Credit Program: https://www.psp.wa.gov/pspnc.php

Barry and Maureen Crist are the latest islanders to get a brand new beach, courtesy of the Friends of the San Juan Islands and the Shore Friendly program, which brings funders, contractors, volunteers and property owners together to return shorelines to an ecologically balanced state.

01/10/2026

The Puget Sound Partnership is delighted to see the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act pass the Senate. This legislation is a tremendous step towards accelerating the pace and scale of restoration in Puget Sound and around the country.

For too long, critical salmon habitat restoration projects that had no impact on human infrastructure were obligated to complete the same costly hydraulic and hydrologic analyses as subdivisions and strip malls, a process that caused years of delay and millions of dollars of cost increases.

Thanks to U.S. Senator Patty Murray's leadership and persistence, this bill will provide local governments with the flexibility they need to get restoration projects done faster and more cheaply.

On to the House!

Read more in Senator Murray's press release: https://www.murray.senate.gov/passed-murray-daines-floodplain-bill-passes-the-senate-cutting-red-tape-simplifying-pathway-for-ecosystem-restoration/.

ICYMI: Murray Floodplain Bill Picks Up Dozens of Key Endorsements, Momentum Grows as Commonsense Bipartisan Legislation Is Introduced in the House Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after Senate p...

30/09/2026

Audubon Washington staff recently cohosted a field visit with Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe natural resource colleagues for members of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program (PSEMP) Marine Birds Work Group. The visit provided an opportunity to get out on the landscape, share knowledge and perspectives, and explore opportunities for collaboration and learning.

We’re grateful for the time, knowledge, and shared commitment that brought everyone together, and look forward to continuing the conversation and learning from one another.

📸 Audubon Washington's Trina Bayard and Anna Vallery, along with Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe natural resource colleagues, cohosted a field visit for members of the PSEMP Marine Birds Work Group at Point Julia. Credit: Trina Bayard

Puget Sound Partnership, Port Gamble S'Klallams

27/09/2026

24/09/2026

September 20th to the 27th is Natural Estuaries Week, a celebration of our incredible ecosystems and the benefits estuaries provide.

So many of our partners, from Tribes and local governments, to scientists, community groups, and volunteers work every day to help restore and protect Puget Sound's shorelines and watersheds. During Natural Estuary Week, we're grateful for everyone who has turned goals into actions!

“Thank you to Representatives Rick Larsen and Suzanne Bonamici for introducing a bipartisan House resolution in support of National Estuaries Week. Estuaries like Puget Sound are national treasures and essential to healthy people and a vibrant quality of life. They support fish and wildlife, provide food and jobs, strengthen coastal communities, and help protect people from flooding and storms. This week, we celebrate these extraordinary places and the people working to protect and restore them for generations to come.”

- Mindy Roberts, Executive Director at the Puget Sound Partnership.

Learn more about how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and our partners are helping to protect Puget Sound's Estuaries via the National Estuaries Program: https://www.psp.wa.gov/nep-overview.php

Why not get out and wade into an estuary near you this week? Happy Natural Estuaries Week!

17/09/2026

It starts with an idea in a community to do something for salmon, and through collaboration, projects happen. Congratulations to all the local partners and Tribes working together to make a difference.

The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board has announced the award of $21.5 million in grants for projects to restore salmon habitat around the state.

There were seventy-five grants awarded to projects in twenty-seven counties with the goal of restoring habitat to help struggling salmon populations statewide.

Salmon were first designated as at risk of extinction in Washington in 1991. Today, fourteen populations of salmon and steelhead are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.

See which counties were awarded grants and get descriptions of each project: https://rco.wa.gov/state-board-funds-21-5-million-in-projects-to-restore-salmon-habitat/

15/09/2026

The 15th annual Marine Waters Overview produced by the PSEMP Marine Waters Workgroup is out. In general, 2025 was warmer, drier, saltier, and had less abundant biota. Check out highlights or dive into the details of the new report.
It provides a perspective of Puget Sound marine health based on monitoring and observing programs of marine waters of greater Puget Sound as well as the influence of large-scale climate conditions along the Washington coast. Understanding regional drivers of variability and patterns over time helps researchers better tease out human effects from natural variations and change.
https://www.eopugetsound.org/article/puget-sound-marine-waters-2025-overview

05/09/2026

Position: Systems Administrator APPLY HERE Location: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC), Olympia, WA (Onsite/hybrid schedule with up to 4 out

02/09/2026

WE’RE HIRING!

Are you a collaborative leader who is passionate about protecting and restoring Puget Sound? Are you strongly focused on science? Do you know your Chinook from your chum?

Then the Puget Sound Partnership’s Science and Evaluation Director role might be for you!

As the Science and Evaluation Director, you’ll set the strategic direction for a multidisciplinary program spanning ecosystem monitoring, research, evaluation, social science, salmon recovery, and adaptive management. You’ll help determine the research, monitoring, and evaluation activities required to measure progress towards ecosystem recovery goals.

Sound like the position for you? Then join other like-minded people working to advance the health and recovery of Puget Sound.

Learn more and apply through the State of Washington careers page: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/5464388/science-evaluation-director-ems-band-3