2015 state of the sound

The 2015 State of the Sound

Nisqually River CouncilJanuary 15, 2016

2015 State of the SoundFour-part communication

format• Report to the Governor and Legislature

Responds to six questions in RCW 90.71.370(3)

• Report on the Puget Sound Vital Signs

Conveys monitoring findings about progress toward ecosystem recovery targets

• Report to the Community Snapshot of Puget Sound ecosystem

trends and what’s needed to advance recovery

• Website: www.psp.wa.gov/sos

2015 State of the SoundReport to the Governor and Legislature

020406080

100

4 0 11 523 19

70

100

4471

48 52

170 11 12 15 14

0 0 11 2 7 69 022

10 7 8

Completed On Plan Off PlanSerious Constraints Not Started

NTA Category (SI = Strategic Initiative)Perc

ent b

y St

atus

Cat

egor

y

2012 Action AgendaPercent of NTAs by status category, and by

Strategic Initiative

2015 State of the SoundReport to the Governor and Legislature2014 Action Agenda (in progress)

Percent of NTAs by status category, and by Strategic Initiative

Habita

t SI N

TAs

Shell

fish SI

NTAs

Storm

water S

I NTA

s

All SI

NTAs

NTAs n

ot ass

ociate

d with

SI

All NTA

s0

20406080

7 1223

11 9 9

5669

4657 50 52

16 19 15 16 15 16130 8 9 12 129 0 8 7 11 10

0 0 0 0 3 2

Completed On Plan Off PlanSerious Constraints Not Started Not Reported

NTA Category (SI = Strategic Initiative)

Perc

ent b

y St

atus

Cat

egor

y


0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Percent Funded

2012 Action Agenda 2014 Action Agenda

2012 and 2014 Action Agendas Percent NTA funding gap by Strategic Initiative


Funds provided to the Partnership & recommendations for funding to match Action Agenda priorities

Expenditures to affect recovery

• $578 million for 2015-17 (of $715 million requested by Governor)

• 57 percent shortfall in funding 2012 NTAs

• $7.5 million of state funds to Partnership for 2015-17

• $14.4 million of federal NEP funds to Partnership and for pass-through to local entities for FFY14 and FFY15

• Funding strategy describes unmet need for strategic initiatives: $300M/y for habitat $40M/y for shellfish $100-250M/y for stormwater

2015 State of the SoundReport on the Puget Sound Vital SignsGetting better Not

changingMixed results

Getting worse

No data

1. On-site sewage inspection & inventory

2. Shellfish beds3. Salmon

commercial harvest

4. Shoreline armoring

5. Forest to developed

6. Riparian restoration

7. Floodplain restoration

8. Estuary restoration

9. Summer low flows

10. Chemicals exceeding sediment quality standards

1. Swimming beaches

2. Sound behavior index

3. Recreational fishing licenses

4. Eelgrass 5. Freshwater

quality index 6. Sediment

chemistry index

1. Marine birds2. Insects in

small streams3. Sediment

quality triad index

4. Toxics in fish: herring

1. Chinook salmon

2. Pacific herring3. Southern

Resident Killer Whales

4. Conversion of ecologically important lands

5. Marine water condition Index

1. On-site sewage repairs

2. Expand Marine Recovery Areas

3. Quality of Life Index

4. Terrestrial birds5. Armoring on

feeder bluffs6. Use of soft

shore techniques

7. Population growth in Urban Growth Areas

8. Floodplain function

9. Estuary restoration for salmon recovery goals

10. Freshwater impairments

11. Dissolved oxygen

12. Toxics in fish: English sole

13. Toxics in fish: salmon

Are indicators making progress? Are they reaching targets?

10 indicators

4 indicators

6 indicators

5 indicators

Few are meeting 2014 interim targets: 2 of 14 indicators

12 indicators

Mixed results, pressures continue, change is slow,

few will reach 2020 targets

Most are habitat indicators

Estuary restoration

Floodplain restoration

Riparian restoration

Shoreline armoring

Forest loss

10

Shoreline armoring

11

Land cover change: forest to developed

12

Riparian restoration

13

Floodplain restoration

14

Area of estuarine wetlands restored to tidal flooding

Interim targets are not met

Most are species indicators and none of the species are getting better

Pacific herring

Chinook salmon

Orcas

Marbled murrelet

16

Chinook

Interim targets are not met

17

Orcas

Interim target is not met

18

Land development: conversion of ecologically important lands

19

Marine water condition index

1. Swimming beaches

2. Sound Behavior Index

3. Recreational fishing licenses

4. Eelgrass

5. Freshwater Quality Index

6. Sediment Chemistry Index

1. Marine birds

2. Insects in small streams

3. Sediment Quality Triad Index

4. Toxics in fish: herring

21

Human WellbeingPuget Sound Partnership Goals:

A healthy human population supported by a healthy Puget Sound that is not threatened by changes in the ecosystem

A quality of human life that is sustained by a functioning Puget Sound ecosystem

2222

Shel

lfish

Bed

s

Newly adopted human wellbeing Vital Signs

Air

Qualit

y

Outdoor Activity

Cultural Wellbeing

Good Governance

Sense of Place

Local Foods D

rinking W

ater

Sound Stewardship

Economic Vitality

On-

site

Sew

age

Newly adopted human wellbeing indicators

Human health• Outdoor activity

• Nature-based recreation

• Nature-based work

• Air quality• Local foods• Drinking water

Quality of life• Economic vitality

• Natural resource industry output• Percent of GDP in natural resource

industries• Employment in natural resource

industries

• Participation in cultural practices• Good governance• Sense of place

• Sense of place index• Psychological wellbeing index• Overall life satisfaction

• Sound stewardship

23

24

2015 State of the SoundMessagesHow is the ecosystem doing? Some indicators are improving, but most are not Slow to change, and many indicators are

not likely to meet targets

Are we making progress in implementing the Action Agenda? A majority of Near Term Actions are on track,

but many are stalled Funding is the most common barrier to progress

What are the next steps? We need to improve focus and fund priority

actions.

2015 State of the SoundNow what?

• Improve the shared road map Develop discrete, achievable NTAs with

better performance measures Increase focus on Strategic Initiatives

• Mobilize funding Implement the Partnership’s Funding

Strategy Use the new funding model increase the

rate of funding for NTAs

• Communicate findings from the shared measurement system to educate key partners, remove barriers, and advance policy


(b) Actions inconsistent with the Action Agenda

(a) Progress in implementing the Action Agenda

• Higher rate of implementation for Strategic Initiatives

• Recommendations (e.g., for 2016 AA)

• Effectiveness of actions

• Report card forums Water resources & habitat Salmon recovery Pollution identification &

correction Shoreline armoring


(d) Citizen concerns and their disposition

(c) Science Panel comments on implementation and findings from monitoring

• Progress in recovery of the Puget Sound ecosystem in key areas

• More than 70 percent of NTAs are complete or moving forward

• Progress in linking ecosystem status to recovery efforts

• Many Vital Signs have not changed or are even deteriorating relative to the goals

• Additional actions are needed to maintain and increase the rate of recovery

• Issues addressed Preventing oil spills Improving distribution of funding Using riparian buffers Reducing threats from toxic chemicals

2015 state of the sound

Environment