$4 million for Puget Sound Restoration in Federal Budget
Nature Conservancy applauds leadership of Murray, Dicks
SEATTLE, WA — December 21, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy praised Congress for including more than $4 million for restoration work in Puget Sound in the final spending bill that the U.S. House and Senate passed on Wednesday, December 19.
The funding includes $1.279 million for the Puget Sound Nearshore Restoration Partnership, and $2.952 million for the Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters program.
“Our leaders are recognizing that we’re at a tipping point for Puget Sound,” said Jacques White, director of the Conservancy’s marine conservation program in Washington. “If we don’t act now to protect and restore key habitats and water quality, we’re at risk of losing our salmon, our whales, and our marine fish.”
The Nearshore Restoration Partnership is an effort to evaluate the Puget Sound shorelines and design an effective and efficient restoration effort, White said. It includes local, state, and federal agencies as well as nonprofits and Indian tribal agencies.
The Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters program is for early-action projects identified by the Nearshore Partnership. Costs for these projects are shared between the federal government and local sponsors.
“These are projects that we can do now, that we know will help restore the shoreline, and we can learn from them. It’s an opportunity to test and improve restoration techniques and methods,” White said.
The Conservancy applauded Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Tacoma), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and the entire western Washington congressional delegation for their leadership on this issue. The measures were supported by representatives Brian Baird (D), Rick Larsen (D), Jay Inslee (D), Jim McDermott (D), Dave Reichert (R), and Adam Smith (D) in addition to Rep. Dicks.
“The state is fortunate to have leaders in Washington D.C. who have the foresight to help us protect Puget Sound while we still have a chance,” said David Weekes, the Conservancy’s state director. “These funds will help ensure that Puget Sound remains healthy and vibrant for generations to come.”
“We have an opportunity to make a real impact toward restoring Puget Sound with the projects that this money will fund,” Rep. Dicks said. “I’m delighted to be able to support this effort.”
“These projects offer an opportunity to get Puget Sound restoration done correctly,” said Sen. Patty Murray. “We’ll be able to leave a cleaner, healthier Sound to our children and grandchildren.”
Other agencies involved in restoration efforts had words of praise for Congress’s action as well.
“The Puget Sound Nearshore feasibility study is designed to address large-scale problems with large-scale solutions,” said Dr. Jeff Koenings, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We’re thrilled with the continued support from Congress to protect and restore critical estuary and shoreline habitats in Puget Sound.”
“Funding for the Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters construction program provides important match opportunities for the Puget Sound Estuary and Salmon Restoration program,” said Tim Smith, program manager for Estuary and Salmon Restoration at the WDFW. “By combining federal, state, tribal, local and private funds, we can tackle large scale restoration projects, like the Nisqually and Skokomish river deltas, that are too big and too complex for any single entity to take on. Federal support is critical to our success.”
The four projects planned for fiscal 2008 would restore 1,800 acres of estuarine and 26 river miles of watershed habitats. They include a wild fish passage project on the Nooksack River and restoration work in the Nisqually, Skokomish, and Snohomish river estuaries.
This funding is in addition to other money appropriated by Congress for the Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup efforts, and other salmon recovery funding.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
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