Welcome Kara Cardinal
Welcome Kara Cardinal!
The Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network is excited to welcome Kara Cardinal (she/her) as our coordinator. Here’s a bit about her.
Kara has worked all throughout Washington in various capacities in the marine and habitat restoration world for over 12 years now, including salmon restoration in the Skagit River watershed, estuarine education and water quality testing with the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, land stewardship in Eastern Washington, derelict gear removal, coastal vulnerability, sea level rise planning and shoreline planning with the Nature Conservancy, and marine debris planning with the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
Kara grew up along the beaches of Whidbey Island and spent countless hours with her family exploring the Elwha and Dungeness Rivers. She spent her early education and career years throughout Washington, including in Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Seattle and Spokane. She has lived and worked within Jefferson County for over ten years, and is so grateful to be putting down roots with her family in Chimacum, restoring an old farm house and raising kids and chickens.
Kara Cardinal with her family.
Farewell to John Cambalik
Since the mid 2000s, John Cambalik has been the coordinator for the Puget Sound Partnership’s local Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network. This group, meeting quarterly at the beautiful Red Cedar hall of the Jamestown S’Klallam (and on Zoom since the pandemic), has been the place where local governments, tribes, NGOs and citizens could convene to discuss restoration projects and their funding needs. The results would be rolled up to the Puget Sound Partnership’s ongoing efforts to fund these activities both here and around the Sound.
John has done a great job of managing this very large (28 people at the last meeting) and diverse group of representatives. Some, given their governmental roles, cannot take stands on political issues, and others, like the Tribes have large financial stakes in the outcomes, given that they often manage the restoration projects. Much of John’s time has been in getting consensus on prioritization along with education of the participants on the issues.
While these meetings are often marathons of obscure but needed work, I want to take a minute to thank John for his great work at shepherding this group over the years. Kara Cardinal will be taking over John’s role. Her email is coordinator@straitern.org
John will still be around in the area, hopefully in happy retirement or tackling shorter term projects. Thanks for your all your hard work over the years John!
Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network Legislative Priorities and Example Actions for the 2022 Washington State Legislative Session
We have prepared our legislative priorities for 2022. You can download the document that describes them here.
2022-2026 Action Agenda Action Identification Workshops: Meeting 2 Overview
We are excited about the upcoming 2022-2026 Action Agenda public workshops to co-generate draft high-level actions that will implement Puget Sound recovery strategies! This document is designed to help you prepare for Meeting 2 of each workshop (A-F) and includes an overview of the workshop materials, structure, and tools. The workshops will be fun, interactive, and productive and will provide you the chance to contribute to the co-generation of high-level actions. Meeting 1 workshops are now complete and workshop presentations and online MURAL workspaces with breakout group notes are available on the Action Agenda webpage under the Workshop Schedule. The workshops are designed to build off each other, so we highly encourage participation in both workshops.
Governor Inslee appoints Kate Dean to the Puget Sound Partnership's Leadership Council
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, kevin.hyde@psp.wa.gov
OLYMPIA — Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Kate Dean to the Puget Sound Partnership's Leadership Council, the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Dean is a Jefferson County Commissioner for District 1, Port Townsend, and has served on the Puget Sound Partnership’s Ecosystem Coordination Board, which advises the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council on carrying out its responsibilities.
“With her knowledge and passion, Kate will make great contributions to the Puget Sound Partnership’s work to achieve a healthy, resilient Puget Sound,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “Her experience with local economic development issues, her understanding of rural communities, and her leadership as a Jefferson County Commissioner and member of the Partnership’s Ecosystem Coordination Board all make her an outstanding addition to the Leadership Council.”
“I am really excited about Kate Dean joining the Leadership Council,” said Jay Manning, chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council. “She has already proven herself as an effective and passionate advocate for restoring Puget Sound to good health and she will make the Leadership Council a stronger voice for recovery. We just issued the 2021 State of the Sound report and it is clear that what we as a society are doing now to protect and restore Puget Sound is not enough. Kate, and her experience as a County Commissioner, will help us make the hard decisions we need to make to save Puget Sound.”
Dean was elected to the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners in 2017. She moved to Jefferson County in 1999 and spent 10 years farming and working to grow the local food economy through businesses she co-founded, including FinnRiver Farm and Mt. Townsend Creamery. Her experience as an entrepreneur is critical to her understanding of the local economy and community.
Dean left the farm but didn’t go far; she started a consulting business that had her working on natural resource and rural economic development issues locally and regionally. She coordinated the Jefferson Landworks Collaborative (a farmland preservation and enterprise development initiative), managed Washington State University Extension’s Small Farm Program, worked for Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, and was the regional director for the North Olympic Development Council, a council of governments tasked with community and economic development.
Dean has served on the Ecosystem Coordination Board as the alternate for Rep. Steve Tharinger, representing the Strait of Juan de Fuca Action Area since 2017, and representing Puget Sound counties since early 2021. In 2019, Dean proposed the board form a land use subcommittee to work on identifying tools, policies, and funding mechanisms to support the participation of counties and cities in the protection and recovery of Puget Sound. Since then, she has co-chaired the land use subcommittee, which includes many of the local elected officials on the board and representatives from tribal, state, and federal governments. She also helped draft a protocol for the board to rotate meetings around the Puget Sound to co-host local forums. The purpose of the local forums is to expand local decision-maker engagement with the Puget Sound recovery community and discuss local priorities.
Dean holds her Master of Public Administration degree from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. Her publications include USDA Farmland Changing Hands and Preparing for Climate Change on the North Olympic Peninsula. In her spare time, Dean can be found gardening, riding her bike, or in the mountains with her two teenagers.
“It’s an honor to be appointed to such a committed group as the Leadership Council,” Dean said. “I’m pleased that the Partnership sees the value of having local government represented in this critical work. A healthy Puget Sound is essential to a rural county like mine and I look forward to working on a regional scale to protect and restore it.”
"I’m delighted that Kate is joining the Leadership Council," said Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership. “In her work as a Jefferson County Commissioner, Ecosystem Coordination Board member, and regular attendee at Puget Sound Day on the Hill, she has shown her commitment to Puget Sound recovery and her passion for connecting with partners. I know that she will help us advance our work toward a resilient Puget Sound.”
Dean’s term on the Leadership Council runs through June 25, 2025. She fills the vacancy recently left by Stephanie Solien, who served on the council for seven years. Solien recently served as vice chair for the Leadership Council and was co-chair of the Southern Resident Orca Task Force.
About the Leadership Council
The Leadership Council is the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Its seven members are leading citizens chosen from around the Sound and appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms. Jay Manning currently chairs the Leadership Council.
About the Puget Sound Partnership
The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of government agencies, tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits, the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda, advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.
For more information, go to www.psp.wa.gov.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, as the fiscal agent for the Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network (Strait ERN), is seeking proposals to coordinate the work of the Strait ERN Local Integrating Organization to help protect and recover the North Olympic Peninsula along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, as well as the Puget Sound basin.
Download the Request for Proposal.
PUGET SOUND LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR Fall 2021
The Puget Sound Partnership is changing the way we share information about the Legislative Calendar!
This change is coming just in time for the upcoming Legislative Committee Days (November 15-19) during which legislators will hold virtual hearings and work sessions to plan for the 2022 legislative session. The 2022 session is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 10.
View Calendar Here
Ecology announces action plan for addressing PFAS
FILE—PFAS can be found in some types of furniture upholstery and aftermarket carpet treatments, potentially causing the greatest harm to those closest to the source.
OLYMPIA—The state Department of Ecology is rolling out its new PFAS Chemical Action Plan (CAP), a thoroughly researched set of recommendations intended to reduce uses and releases of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
For years, Washington state has been studying PFAS and the dangers they pose to human health and the environment. Widely used in commercial products such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, stain-resistant upholstery, and take-out food containers, researchers have now discovered these toxic chemicals in drinking water sources around Washington, as well as in the bloodstreams of nearly everyone in America. Sometimes called “forever chemicals,” PFAS molecules don’t break down naturally in the environment and are nearly impossible to eradicate entirely once contamination has occurred. Exposure can affect liver function, reproductive hormones, development of offspring, and mortality.
Ecology held numerous webinars and public meetings, collecting over 900 comments from industry representatives, stakeholder groups, and Washington residents alike. The resulting CAP, an exhaustively detailed, 635-page report, will guide ongoing and future efforts to address PFAS contamination across the state.
“Ecology has identified the dangers of these toxic substances and worked toward reducing or eliminating them from use,” said Darin Rice, who oversees Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction (HWTR) program. “I’m proud of our team and very excited to see this CAP put into action, because it really will make a difference in the environmental future of our state.”
Rice added the CAP will direct both Ecology’s work and the work of other state agencies in four key areas:
· Ensuring safe drinking water,
· Managing environmental contamination,
· Reducing PFAS in consumer products, and
· Evaluating waste management.
Many of the plan’s recommendations are already in motion, such as studying landfill leachate and restricting PFAS in food packaging. Ecology is also determining how it will implement other aspects of the plan, such as enhancing and expanding its partnerships with the state Departments of Health, Commerce, and Fish and Wildlife.
The CAP provides PFAS recommendations, however many of those recommendations require rules, new laws, and funding to implement. Rice says Washington at least now has a roadmap to help address PFAS contamination. Read the entire PFAS CAP at http://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/2104048.pdf.
Puget Sound Partnership Releases 2021 State of the Sound Report
State of the Sound Report released by Puget Sound Partnership.
OLYMPIA — Today, the Puget Sound Partnership released its biennial State of the Sound report, which assesses the health of the Puget Sound ecosystem and progress towards its recovery. While Puget Sound is not doing well, there are signs we are making progress. “When tribal, federal, state, and local decision-makers work together to protect and restore Puget Sound, the ecosystem improves.” While the results of our collective recovery work give us hope, we must “…redouble our efforts to ensure the scale of our response matches the scale and urgency of the problem.”
Global leaders are meeting this week in Glasgow for COP26 to discuss how to make real commitments to address climate change. As the 2021 State of the Sound shows, changing climate and ocean conditions are already influencing the Puget Sound ecosystem and the economy, health, and wellbeing of communities here and around the world. The message is clear—we need to take action now.
“ While the results of our collective recovery work give us hope, we must “…redouble our efforts to ensure the scale of our response matches the scale and urgency of the problem.”
“The 2021 State of the Sound shows that collaboration and partnership within the recovery community have made a difference for the ecosystem, particularly in areas where we have restored estuaries or floodplains or prevented the conversion of habitat,” said Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership. “But we need to do more. We have to take decisive action now and invest in salmon recovery, habitat restoration, and building the coalition necessary to achieve a healthy and resilient Puget Sound.”
In their letter within the 2021 State of the Sound, the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council outlines five bold actions that we should take now to support a resilient Puget Sound ecosystem: 1) Work with the Governor’s Office to make Puget Sound and salmon recovery the cornerstone of Governor Inslee’s third term; 2) Establish a new funding source and increase funding for habitat restoration, road retrofits that reduce polluted runoff, and wastewater treatment systems; 3) Revise the State Growth Management Act and Shoreline Management Act with a Net Ecological Gain standard; 4) Broaden the coalition demanding a healthy Puget Sound; and 5) Implement systems of accountability to ensure our investments in Puget Sound recovery deliver the results we need.
As the report shows, most of the Puget Sound Vital Signs—measures of ecosystem health—are staying the same or getting worse, and few of them have reached the ecosystem recovery targets that the Partnership set for 2020. Only five Vital Sign indicators are near or at their 2020 recovery targets, with 23 indicators below their targets.
In the report, the Leadership Council presents key challenges that have hindered the progress of the recovery effort. The report also includes reasons why the Partnership is hopeful about the future of the recovery effort and our ability to solve difficult problems with collective action. These include the ongoing support of our federal delegation, the historic 2021 state legislative session, the collaboration shaping the 2022-2026 Action Agenda into a recovery plan responding to the scale of the challenge, and finally the passionate commitment we see across the recovery community.
The State of the Sound’s call to action from the Leadership Council to the entire recovery community offers detailed actions that we can all take to accelerate the recovery of Puget Sound. The call to action emphasizes the ways in which we can do more to protect and restore habitat, clean up the water, cool our rivers and streams to improve salmon survival, and ensure there is local food to harvest.
The Partnership has published the 2021 State of the Sound as a website that includes a downloadable version of the report with appendices. The State of the Sound website also features an accompanying video for the report, below.
About the State of the Sound
The biennial State of the Sound report helps our partners and decision makers better understand: (1) how well the recovery effort is going, (2) ecosystem health and progress toward Puget Sound recovery goals, and (3) the role each partner can play in achieving Puget Sound recovery. It also responds specifically to state statute (RCW 90.71.370(3)). This report reflects the work accomplished by hundreds of groups throughout the Puget Sound region, including governments, tribes, nonprofits, communities, scientists, and businesses. See www.stateofthesound.wa.gov.
About the Puget Sound Partnership
The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of government agencies, tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits, the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda, advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.
For more information, go to www.psp.wa.gov.