PWR LIO Meetings 

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

 

Local Events 

  • 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.  
  • Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force – coordination of resources, policies, and programs to support ecosystem and salmon recovery and the protection of treaty rights. The first livestream event, on May 9, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. PDT, will be a panel discussion about Puget Sound recovery with representatives from federal agencies moderated by Peter Murchie, Puget Sound Geographic Program manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To register click HERE. 
  • Puget Sound Day on the Hill event with Congressional delegation and Admiral Hann. The second livestream event, on May 10, 7:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. PDT, will feature members of the Washington Congressional delegation and Admiral Nancy Hann of NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps. To register click HERE. 

 

 

  • 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  

  

  • Webinar series on Incorporating Indigenous Knowledges into Federal Research and Management – The National Climate Adaptation Science Center is hosting a webinar series on how to integrate Indigenous Knowledges (IK) into Federal research and resource management programs. Running bi-weekly on Thursdays at 3 PM EST through June 1, 2023, this series centers Indigenous voices to explore ethical, legal, and scientific considerations for working within different knowledge systems and provides guidance reflecting best practices. Speakers will explore what it means to ethically engage with Indigenous Knowledges in resource management and conservation spaces. We will learn from Tribal and Indigenous communities about the frameworks they use to protect and share their knowledges, and from Federal agencies about how they navigate their responsibility to foster respectful, mutually beneficial relationships with knowledge holders.  Find out more about this offering HERE. 

 

Local News 

  • 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. 

  

  • Floodplains By Design Fully Funded! – The Proposed Compromise Budget Bill was just released and Floodplains by Design will receive $67.4M in the 2023 – 2025 biennium! Though this number is different from the original Dept. of Ecology ask of $70.4M, it actually represents full funding as the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership were recently awarded a NOAA grant for their Lower East Fork Lewis River project and were able to reduce their ask. This historic funding level represents ~$17.6 million from the Natural Climate Solutions Account (NCSA) tied to the Climate Commitment Act, which highlights the important messaging project partners across the state carried forward to emphasize how these projects create climate resiliency. 

 

  • Habitat Restoration and Capacity Building – NOAA is recommending nearly $25 million in funding for 35 new projects that will advance the coastal habitat restoration priorities of underserved communities. The investment, provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support community-driven habitat restoration and help build the capacity of underserved communities to more fully participate in restoration activities. This includes a project by Long Live the Kings that will build capacity for the Nisqually Indian Tribe to incorporate their vision and voice into restoration in the Nisqually River Delta. They will integrate the tribe’s priorities for habitat restoration and nature-based solutions to reduce flooding, increase climate resilience, and support salmon. The increased capacity will help ensure the tribe’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge and vision for habitat restoration is reflected in the replacement of an Interstate 5 bridge. ($502,000). To learn more about this announcement click HERE. 

 

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. 

 

  • NEW! Biodiversity Conservation – News Flash!  This week the Legislature passed the 2023-25 biennial operating and capital budgets which included $23M for biodiversity conservation! More information about this funding opportunity will be released shortly by WDFW. If you have any have ongoing biodiversity conservation needs for funding contact Michelle Tirhi (michelle.tirhi@dfw.wa.gov). If you have local biodiversity specific projects that are already fleshed out (aka a proposal stage) or line item actions from a planning document (need item and plan reference), Michelle can add those to the list.   

 

  • 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.  

 

  • 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. 

 

  • 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 

  • Ecology’s opening for a Floodplain Management Policy Lead in the Coastal/Shorelands section can be found here for sharing: State of Washington Job Opportunities | Work that Matters (governmentjobs.com). As the Floodplain Management Policy Lead, you will play a significant internal and external leadership role in addressing Washington’s most challenging floodplain management policy and planning issues, especially as they relate to climate change. You will establish priorities, develop and be accountable for program implementation strategies, provide direction to and oversight of initiatives for program growth and enhancements, build internal and external relationships, and manage staff work. There is no closing date for this application. 

  

  • DNR is hiring for the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead Policy Lead 

Come co-lead the HSIL team, bring your creativity and vision to helping us achieve our goals for Puget Sound habitat recovery, work with an amazing WDFW-DNR team, and supervise the DNR staff. Applications close on 5/17, to apply and learn more click HERE. 

 

  • DNR is hiring for the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead Policy Lead 

PSP have open Environmental Planner position on the planning team. This permanent full-time position is a key position for leading processes to develop and implement the Action Agenda. Some of the core duties include:  

  • Lead key aspects of major planning and policy initiatives by working across agency programs and with diverse partners (tribal, state, federal, local, non-governmental organizations, and business). 
  • Engage with diverse partners to increase participation, ensure effective implementation, and advance targeted outcomes. 
  • Coordinate and influence the work of partners, expand constituencies, and create opportunities for input on agency priorities, policies, and programs.

Applications close on 5/18, to apply and learn more click HERE.