PWR LIO Meetings

  • Next Meeting – April 26; 10:00-12:00 PM PST – (Zoom)
  • Past LIO Meeting Notes/Summary (Jan 25, 2023)

 

Local Events

  • Earth Day Events – A few events taking place over this weekend on April 22:

 

  • Beach Strategies: A Web-Based Tool for Nearshore Restoration and Protection in Puget Sound – Please join the Habitat Strategic Initiative for a webinar highlighting the results of one of their grants, that advances the Shoreline Armoring Implementation Strategy. This project seeks to build upon existing strategies for beach restoration and by using new geospatial information and soliciting input from shoreline planners and restoration practitioners to create a web-based data tool (more project info HERE). The webinar will take place on Monday April 24 from 2-3pm. Please register in advance for the meeting HERE.

 

  • SPSSEG Annual Meeting – SPSSEG is hosting their 32nd Annual Meeting next week on Tuesday April 25 at 6 pm to 7 pm via Zoom. They have decided to have the meeting virtually once again to hopefully make it easier and quicker for you to attend and will highlight the previous year’s success and showcase upcoming projects and grant proposals.

 

  • Survive the Sound 2023 – Long Live the Kings is hosting their 7th annual Survive the Sound This is an interactive online game where everyone is invited to pick a fish, form teams with friends and family, and watch 48 funny looking fish race for their lives. Over a 5 day migration from May 1-5, participants receive daily updates about their fish and facts about salmon and steelhead. Have fun while learning about some of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic species while playing! The event is free and has some neat prizes!

 

  • Pierce County Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan – The Pierce County Planning & Public Works Department is working on the Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan. The public will be invited to provide public comments and attend a virtual open house that closed on May 3. For more details, access the virtual open house and to sign up for updates visit HERE.

 

  • Puget Sound Day on the Hill – Mark your calendars: this year’s Puget Sound Day on the Hill will take place in Washington, D.C. the week of May 8! Puget Sound Day on the Hill is an annual event organized by the Puget Sound Partnership and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission that advocates for effective policy and sustained federal investment in Puget Sound restoration and salmon recovery. Representatives from tribes, state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, and businesses, along with concerned residents, lend their voices in support of action to save Puget Sound and uphold tribal treaty rights. Virtual participation opportunities will be forthcoming. For more info and to register click HERE.

 

  • DNR 2023 Science Conference – The Cooperative Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Committee (CMER) will host their eleventh Forest Practices Adaptive Management Science Conference on Thursday, May 11, 2023, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, in Olympia, Washington. CMER is responsible for conducting research and monitoring in support of adaptive management of the Forest Practices Rules. Fores Practice Rules which governs forestry practices on private and state forestlands across the State of Washington. This conference will highlight CMER studies covering a variety of research topics, for more info click HERE. There is no fee for the conference, however registration is required. To register, please send an e-mail including your name, affiliation, and e-mail address to Natalie.Church@dnr.wa.gov by May 4, 2023.

 

  • Environmental Career Expo – Foss Waterway Seaport is hosting a Science Career Expo to highlight job and volunteer opportunities for high school & college students and the community on May 18 from 4-7:30pm. The mission of this expo is to share job opportunities in science, environmental studies, education and outreach with local high school students and the community in a more accessible way. The expo will be free to both the public and business participants and is a great way to recruit new volunteers and employees to your organization. Participating organizations include; NOAA Fisheries, City of Tacoma, Pierce County Planning and Public Works, University of Washington – Tacoma, Washington State University and more. They are currently looking for more organizations to participate in our Expo. If you are interested or would like more information regarding the expo please contact Kaela Arellano, the Education and Outreach Coordinator at: kaela.arellano@fosswaterwayseaport.org Additionally their registration form can be found here: https://forms.gle/CPF68capAbnihbf69

 

Local News

  • Updated Draft Puyallup and Chambers Watersheds Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan – Please review the Puyallup and Chambers Watersheds Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan (MAMP). The first draft (12/31/2022) was reviewed by the Techincal Advisory Group. HERE is a new version (4/17/2023) for your review. Please make all edits in redline/tracked changes and add suggestions in comment bubbles.  Please save as a separate document with your initials and return to Sherrie Duncan (sherrie@skyenviron.com) by April 28.

 

  • Alternative Solutions for Temperature Impaired Streams in Puget Sound Watersheds – On March 9 Angella Dillon, Puyallup Tribe – Fisheries Department and PRWC VP, along with her co-workers Char Naylor and Kaitlin Schrup, gave a presentation at the University of Washington School of Aquatics and Fisheries Science regarding “Alternative Solutions for Temperature Impaired Streams in Puget Sound Watersheds. Click HERE to watch the recorded presentation.

 

  • Vital Signs: Summer Low Flow Indicator – The Puget Sound Partnership recently updated the Vital Sign indicator of summer low flow in streams and rivers. The indicator report is the result of a year-long effort to improve the analysis and reporting in order to better describe the regional condition of stream flows during dry months when flows are at their lowest. Some key takeaways:
    • The occurrence of below normal summer flows is increasing in unregulated streams and rivers across Puget Sound. In 2021, summer flows were below normal most of the time at three-quarters of the indicator gages.
    • Consecutive years with below normal summer flows have increased since 1985 and especially since 2015.
    • Accelerated glacial melt may temporarily offset diminishing low flows in some rivers. Substantial glaciers are present around basin headwaters of five of the indicator gages. These systems have generally maintained stable summer streamflows, at levels similar to the 1948-1998 baseline period.

 

  • PSAR 15-Year Program Review Preliminary Results – The purpose of this project is to analyze and develop a report of results from the last 15 years of Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) Funding. This report will support the development of a PSAR Fund 10-Year Plan, a final report will be produced on May 4 with key takeaways. To see the preliminary results, click HERE.

 

  • Puget Sound Shellfish Strategic Initiative Lead Implementation Strategy comment period – The Shellfish Beds Implementation Strategy update is open for comment. The Shellfish Beds Implementation Strategy outlines a recovery plan to accelerate progress towards restoring and protecting harvestable shellfish beds by preventing and reducing pathogen pollution in Puget Sound. The update builds upon the 2016 version. The Shellfish Beds Implementation Strategy guides the work and investments of the Shellfish Strategic Initiative Lead. The comment period is open from April 11 to May 26, 2023. Click HERE for more information about the update and how to provide comment.

 

 

Funding Opportunities

  • PSP’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tracker – This tool tracks funding in the BIL related to Puget Sound recovery priorities, to view the BIL funding tracker please click HERE (updated regularly). PSP also produced an End-of-Session Review for the 117th Congress, to read up on it click HERE.

 

  • Federal Funding for Nature Based Solutions – The National Wildlife Federation has developed a new searchable database of federal funding sources for nature-based infrastructure solutions. To view the list and see if your project would qualify for over 75 programs please visit HERE.

 

  • Puget Sound Strategic Initiative Lead’s Funding – The Shellfish and Stormwater SILs are excited to announce two new funding opportunities for programs, activities, and lines of work that advance Puget Sound recovery and protection.
    • Shellfish SIL RFP to Integrate shellfish bed classification priorities in municipal and industrial wastewater facility function, planning and/or upgrades. Shellfish RFP Solicitation opens April 11, 2023 and applications are due May 31, 2023, with a total of $1 Million to award.
    • Stormwater SIL RFP to reduce Toxics in Fish in Puget Sound. This Stormwater Strategic Initiative Lead Request for Proposals (RFP) is currently accepting applications until May 1, 2023. Up to $5.5 million is available for the two investment priorities included in this solicitation with up to $1 million per proposal. Please review the solicitation materials for more information HERE.

 

  • 2023 NEP Coastal Watersheds Grant – Restore America’s Estuaries, in partnership with the U.S. EPA, is pleased to announce the 2023 funding round of the National Estuary Program (NEP) Coastal Watersheds Grant. Approximately $1 million in grants will be made available. The NEP Coastal Watersheds Grant Program is a nationally competitive grants program designed to support projects that address urgent and challenging issues threatening the well-being of coastal and estuarine areas within determined estuaries of national significance. RAE will select grantees through a two-step process: 1) letters of intent (LOI); and 2) full proposals by invitation only. Both steps are competitive and a request for full proposal does not guarantee funding. LOIs are due on Friday, May 5, 2023. To learn more and apply (portal will be available in the coming days) click HERE.
    • NEW! The Puget Sound Partnership is taking requests for Letters of Acknowledgement until April 24 at 5:00 PM so that applicants can submit with their LOI/Full proposals. Click HERE to request a letter from PSP.

 

  • NEW! 2023 Environmental Restoration Grants – The Department of Ecology is currently accepting applications for 2023 Environmental Restoration Grants. Maximum available funding is usually between $100,000 and $400,000 and the typical grant award ranges from $10,000 to $50,000. Eligible projects range from salmon habitat restoration, livestock exclusion fencing, derelict crab pot removal, land acquisition, and stormwater improvement projects. Applications are due Thursday, May 4. To learn more and apply, click HERE.

 

  • EPA Ensuring Environmental Justice, Human Wellbeing, and Ecosystem Recovery in Puget Sound RFA – EPA is accepting applications for entities interested in advancing environmental justice (EJ) in the restoration and recovery of Puget Sound. The request for application’s primary objective is to establish a competitive subaward program that advances EJ in the restoration and recovery of Puget Sound ecosystem and its communities. The applicant will develop and administer a competitive subaward program that will fund projects and activities that focus on providing environmental and community benefits. Applications are due May 31, 2023. For more information, register for the webinars and how to apply click HERE.

 

  • NEW! 2023-25 Shoreline Planning Competitive Grant – Ecology is pleased to announce they will be offering the Shoreline Planning Competitive Grant Program in the 2023-25 biennium. The grant program will fund shoreline planning-related projects that support a wide range of goals, including topics such as advancing climate resilience, improving SMP implementation, and supporting local shoreline planning priorities. Successful projects do not need to result in an SMP amendment. The 2023-25 Shoreline Planning application period runs from July 5, 2023, through August 17, 2023. To get you started on thinking about project proposals, they encourage you to visit Ecology’s Shoreline Planning web page for short descriptions of projects were funded in the 2021-23 pilot grant round HERE.

Job Announcements

  • Nisqually Land Trust – Office & Development Associate

The Nisqually Land Trust (NLT) is looking for an Office & Development Associate! This is a full-time position which will remain open until filled. Details and application information can be viewed HERE.