Action Agenda for Puget Sound
Welcome to the new Action Agenda Tracker!
The Action Agenda Tracker was created to allow implementers, funders, decisionmakers, and the public to track Puget Sound recovery actions. The Tracker also helps us tell stories about the work and accomplishments of the broad community of organizations and individuals dedicated to Puget Sound recovery.
The actions in this tracker are all included in the Action Agenda for Puget Sound, a regional plan developed through the collaborative work of government agencies, tribes, and other organizations committed to improving the health and resilience of the Puget Sound ecosystem. The Action Agenda for Puget Sound outlines strategies and priority actions to improve the health of human communities, species and habitats, and the quality and quantity of water resources.
Learn more about the Action Agenda.
*** Support materials for NTA reporting ***
NTA managers, please see the Training resources under the Help menu in the upper right for guidance on how to update your NTA, including materials from the training sessions in April. If you have questions about NTA reporting, please contact Alex.Mitchell@psp.wa.gov.
Featured Near Term Actions
Elwha River, Large Woody Debris 3.3.18
| Regional Priority Approach | Protect and/or restore critical habitat for salmon populations. |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | North Olympic Land Trust |
| Other Organizations | Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity |
| Stage | Implementation |
| Duration | 2019 - 2022 |
In 2016, NOLT and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe completed a prioritization of parcels in the Elwha River watershed, including Indian Creek and Little River. The project partners believe that long-term conservation strategies for the Elwha River can be best addressed by protecting the best existing salmon habitat and ecosystem function while identifying and treating limiting factors on private land. Limiting factors include habitat degradation and loss, floodplain modification, channel conditions, riparian conditions, water quality, and biological processes (Habitat Limiting Factors for WRIA 18). In 2019 and 2020, we have partial funding to conserve priorities #4 and #10.
Culvert
| Regional Priority Approach | Implement plans and priorities to restore habitat |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | North Olympic Land Trust |
| Other Organizations | Clallam County, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Makah Tribe, North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity |
| Stage | Planning/Design |
| Duration | 2021 - 2022 |
Our overall goal is to advance restoration at the Lyre Conservation Area by removing a fish-blocking culvert on a tributary to Nelson Creek, which is a tributary of the Lyre River, and restore fish passage, opening up over half a mile of habitat. Additionally, this project will stop the spread of noxious weeds through consultation with Clallam County's Noxious Weed Program, and removal by the Washington Conservation Corps. With any remaining funding, the goal is to educate the public on the area's environmental significance and why it was prioritized for conservation.
A. Stillaguamish River estuary looking north toward Stanwood
| Regional Priority Approach | Develop and implement local and tribal pollution identification and correction (PIC) programs |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | Snohomish County |
| Other Organizations | Snohomish Conservation District, Snohomish Health District, Stillaguamish Tribe Of Indians, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Washington State Department of Ecology |
| Stage | Planning/Design |
| Duration | 2020 - 2022 |
Snohomish County will continue working with partner agencies to expand and enhance the Lower Stillaguamish Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) effort to include additional focus areas for proactive targeted water quality monitoring, pollution source tracking, regulatory compliance coordination, education and outreach, technical assistance, and cost share incentives. This work will help Snohomish County fully implement the Port Susan Pollution Response Plan that the County will adopt and begin implementing in March 2018 as required by the Washington Department of Health due to the August 2017 downgrade of 190 acres of the Port Susan commercial shellfish growing area.
Photo by Roger Mosley
| Regional Priority Approach | Protect and/or restore critical habitat for salmon populations. |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | North Olympic Land Trust |
| Other Organizations | Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Makah Tribe, North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity |
| Stage | Planning/Design |
| Duration | 2020 - 2022 |
In 2014, Phase I was completed through acquisition of 280 acres, now known as the Lyre Conservation Area. That property was critical to anchor future efforts. In future phases, North Olympic Land Trust will conserve additional privately-owned parcels along the Lyre River, along Nelson Creek, and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, through fee-simple acquisition or conservation easement, and pursue restoration including undoing the channelization of the lower river and adding large wood to further improve existing salmon habitat.
Pysht River Conservation Area trail map
| Regional Priority Approach | Protect and/or restore critical habitat for salmon populations. |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | North Olympic Land Trust |
| Other Organizations | Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Makah Tribe, North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity |
| Stage | Planning/Design |
| Duration | 2020 - 2022 |
These acquisitions would be pursued as part of Phase IV and future phases. Phase IV and other phases will protect additional floodplain and riparian habitat along the Pysht River, by means of conservation easements and fee simple acquisition, particularly those properties identified as priorities in the Western Straits Conservation Plan (priorities #11, 14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 34, 37, 39, 42, 44, 50, 54, 56, 63, 67, and 71). This project aims to protect a highly utilized reach of Pysht River that is annually used for spawning habitat by multiple salmonid species. The Pysht River system supports chinook salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon, coastal cutthroat trout, and steelhead/rainbow trout.
Swamp Creek
| Regional Priority Approach | Protect and/or restore critical habitat for salmon populations. |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | North Olympic Land Trust |
| Other Organizations | Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Makah Tribe, North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity |
| Stage | Implementation |
| Duration | 2019 - 2022 |
There are a number of current opportunities in the Sekiu and Clallam Bay vicinity, many of which are high priorities in the Western Strait of Juan de Fuca Salmonid Habitat Conservation Plan. Negotiations with landowners and partner organizations has already begun, so success is likely. Priorities #33 and 58 are proposed as a conservation easement. Other acquisitions would likely be fee-simple. The following acquisitions in the Clallam Bay vicinity are priorities in the Western Strait of Juan de Fuca Salmonid Habitat Conservation Plan - priorities #3, #26, #28, #33, #35, #41, #58, and #61. We currently have partial funding for priority #3 through PSAR (18-1293).
Creosote Pilings in the Snohomish Estuary
| Regional Priority Approach | Protect and/or restore critical habitat for salmon populations. |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee |
| Other Organizations | City of Everett, Washington State Department of Natural Resources |
| Stage | Planning/Design |
| Duration | 2020 - 2022 |
This project provides support to the overall recovery of the Snohomish River Estuary, a critical habitat for salmon populations, by addressing and removing creosote pilings. Creosote pilings negatively affect salmon population by producing point sources of pollution; including over 300 chemicals such as PAH's. This project will also remove harmful structures from critical riparian habitat salmon population utilize on the Snohomish River, ultimately increasing and improving habitat for salmon. Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) will work to create planning team to assess creosote pilings in the Snohomish River Estuar...
Derelict Vessel in the Snohomish Estuary identified for removal
| Regional Priority Approach | Protect and/or restore critical habitat for salmon populations. |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee |
| Other Organizations | Washington State Department of Natural Resources |
| Stage | Planning/Design |
| Duration | 2020 - 2022 |
This project provides support to the overall recovery of the Snohomish River Estuary, a critical habitat for salmon populations, by addressing and removing derelict vessels. Derelict vessels negatively affect salmon population by producing point sources of pollution; both toxics and nutrients. This project will also remove harmful structures from critical riparian habitat salmon population utilize on the Snohomish River. Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) will work with Department of Natural Resources (DNR) under RCW 79.100 to prioritize and remove derelict vessels. This project addresses the Chinook Vital Sign 7.1.
Pre-spawn mortality in Coho Salmon due to urban runoff
| Regional Priority Approach | Address stormwater treatment. |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Other Organizations | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Suquamish Tribe, Washington State University Extension |
| Stage | Implementation |
| Duration | 2019 - 2022 |
Urban stormwater (SW) runoff has become the foremost water quality threat to aquatic habitats in Puget Sound. Human population growth continues to drive development in watersheds, leading to greater imperviousness and increasing SW runoff. We have recently shown that untreated SW is highly toxic to salmon and has the potential to undermine recovery efforts. We have also shown that green infrastructure (GSI) technologies can remove toxicity. The current project will continue a long-term collaboration between NOAA Fisheries, USFWS, WSU, and the Suquamish Tribe. The specific aim of this project is to identify the aquatic effects & toxics in SW as well as investigate effective GSI...
Photo taken in August 2017 during restoration work (mole removal), shoreline along the Strait shown
| Regional Priority Approach | Protect and/or restore critical habitat for salmon populations. |
|---|---|
| Owner Organization | North Olympic Land Trust |
| Other Organizations | Coastal Watershed Institute, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Makah Tribe, North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife |
| Stage | Planning/Design |
| Duration | 2020 - 2022 |
The conservation project will protect over 1/2 mile of critical, Strait of Juan de Fuca shoreline & more than 16 acres of nearshore habitat critical to out-migrating salmon, with eelgrass beds surf smelt spawning beaches. There are 2.6 miles on the west side of the West Twin River and tributaries, and the Twin Rivers is one of the most important coho and steelhead systems in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Please Note: The NTAs above are examples of featured NTAs. We have not yet determined how to choose NTAs to feature on the home page. We will be soliciting input from partners on how to select from among the 631 NTAs to feature a few periodically.