Saving the Sound, One Watershed at a Time

April 21, 2008 | Water Supply, Small Streams & Wetlands, Stormwater & Sewage

Darcy Nonemacher
Associate Director, Washington Conservation Programs

Everyday, I look out my window and see Fishermen's Terminal, a hub for boats of all types: commercial fishing boats, small cruise ships, and other vessels. The boats docked at Fishermen's Terminal are floating on freshwater and just around the corner the boats use the Ballard Locks to enter the saltwater of Puget Sound. Yesterday's Seattle Times published a great piece by William Dietrich on the complex relationship between the health of our freshwater rivers and condition of the Puget Sound. For me, nowhere is the connection between fresh and salt water more apparent than outside my window.

American Rivers is working hard to make sure that rivers and watersheds around Puget Sound are protected and that the critical link between the health of our freshwater and marine ecosystems is not ignored. Currently, the Puget Sound Partnership is putting together information on a number of different issues ranging from freshwater resource management to habitat conservation to water quality. The Partnership recently released draft issue papers that explain the science and policy behind protecting and restoring the Sound. Later this year, the Puget Sound Partnership will release an Action Agenda, which will include a "To Do" list for saving Puget Sound and the watersheds that sustain it by 2020. The public is encouraged to provide feedback and participate in the Action Agenda development process.

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