EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Protecting Puget Sound

Puget Sound & Islands, northwestern Washington, USA

Explanation:   Puget Sound is a get-away paradise for urbanites of the greater Seattle, Washington area.  There are hidden coves, endless channels, and many islands to explore by car, foot, and bicycle.  People kayak, canoe, and boat, in watch of orcas and other marine life.  Commercial ferries ply the waters as one of the only ways to access many of the islands.

But Puget Sound is not well.  The waters are becoming tainted with the runoff from wastewater of some 472,000 septic tanks not connected to water treatment plants.  At risk is a wide variety of wildlife species using the Sound as their home, including Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, Harbor Seals, and many fish.  

Wildlife habitat, in the form of undisturbed coastal habitats, estuaries, and marine environments, are being compromised by land development and contamination.  Salt marshes are being flooded by excessive stormwater runoff from developments, and oxygen levels in Hood Canal are declining, threatening to greatly reduce marine and estuarine life.  

Enter the Puget Sound Partnership, formed in 2007 by Washington State Governor Gregoire.  The Partnership is designed to mobilize citizens, governments, tribes, scientists, and businesses to protect Puget Sound and its environment.  

A number of events sponsored by the Partnership are bringing focus to the need for environmental restoration and protection, for the benefit of all inhabitants -- human and others -- of this unique national treasure.  

With diligence, cooperation, and dedication, the health of Puget Sound will be retained and restored for many generations to come.