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Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council to co-host forum with the Hood Canal Coordinating Council

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
September 8, 2023

*MEDIA CONTACT: *Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, [email protected]?

The Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council will meet on Tuesday, September 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. with an optional afternoon tour following, and Wednesday, September 13, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Skokomish Tribe Community Center, 19731 North US 101, Skokomish, WA 98584.?

All are welcome to attend the meeting.?With the expiration of the Governor?s COVID-19 State of Emergency, masking for Partnership staff, board members, and attendees is voluntary. We continue to strongly support those who choose to wear a mask.

We?ll be providing all-virtual livestreams of this meeting, through TVW (links below). We highly encourage partners and other members of the public to use this virtual option, if possible, to reduce carbon emissions and to minimize COVID risks for everyone. If you do elect to use the livestream option and wish to submit public comment, please send your written comments to [email protected]?by noon on Monday, September 11. We will review public comments submitted by email during the general public comment period on September 12.

TVW web links:?

September 12:?[link removed]?

September 13:?[link removed]

The agenda and meeting materials are available through our board meetings page: [link removed]

Meeting highlights include:


* A?presentation and discussion about the Partnership's strategic funding team. The Partnership is investing National Estuary Program Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to create the strategic funding team, which will help mobilize funding for recovery actions, identify and align funding needs and opportunities across Puget Sound, strengthen the effectiveness of investment decisions, and remove barriers to acquire and implement funding. Presentation by Jenn Grimm, strategic funding manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.?


* A presentation on the addendum to the regional chapter of the Salmon Recovery Plan. This session will include a presentation about the addendum, which includes strategies and actions to move salmon recovery forward, a monitoring and adaptive management framework, and funding strategies for implementing the addendum. Presentation by Melissa Speeg, salmon recovery manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.


* A forum with the Hood Canal Coordinating Council. The forum will include discussion about the following topics: the future of Hood Canal and East Strait of Juan de Fuca summer chum salmon recovery after removal from the Endangered Species Act list; and how to integrate ecosystem recovery and community development using a strategic and comprehensive approach. Forum participants will include Kate Dean, Leadership Council member and member of the Hood Canal Coordinating Council's board of directors; Haley Harguth, watershed program manager, Hood Canal Coordinating Council; Scott Brewer, executive director of the Hood Canal Coordinating Council; Joseph Pavel, director of the Skokomish Indian Tribe Natural Resources Department; Katie Knight Pruit, salmon recovery coordinator, Governor's Salmon Recovery Office; Alicia Olivas, salmon program implementation manager and Lead Entity coordinator, Hood Canal Coordinating Council; Jenn Grimm, strategic funding manager at the Puget Sound Partnership; and Emily McCartan, implementation support planner, Stormwater Strategic Initiative Lead, Washington State Department of Ecology.?


* A presentation before a tour of an active Skokomish River restoration project. Alex Papiez, restoration biologist with the Skokomish Indian Tribe Natural Resources Department, and Alex Gouley, habitat program manager with the Skokomish Indian Tribe Natural Resources Department, will present information about the river restoration site before the tour.


* The Leadership Council, Partnership staff, Skokomish Indian Tribe Natural Resources Department representatives, and interested parties will tour the River Mile 5 Phase 1 Habitat Restoration project.?No official business will be conducted on the tour and will not be part of the official meeting or TVW livestream.

* A presentation and decision about the "2023 State of the Sound" report. The biennial State of the Sound report must be submitted to the Governor's Office no later than Nov. 1, 2023. Partnership staff will present the "2023 State of the Sound "report and draft communications and outreach plan for review and approval by the Leadership Council. Presentation by Jon Bridgman, communications manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.?


* A presentation and discussion about the implementation of the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act. This session will include a discussion about how the Partnership will carry out key components of the HEAL Act in 2023: conducting environmental justice assessments of significant agency actions and embedding environmental justice principles and equal distribution of environmental benefits within the Partnership's budget and expenditure processes. Presentation by Melissa Schutten, environmental justice and equity manager at the Partnership and Lea Anne Burke, tribal affairs manager at the Partnership.


* A presentation and discussion about federal policies and appropriations related to Puget Sound recovery. This session will also include discussion of themes and structure for the Puget Sound Day on the Sound event on Oct. 10. Presentation by Ahren Stroming,?special assistant for federal affairs at the Puget Sound Partnership.?


* A?presentation and decision about identifying priorities for the 2024 Washington state legislative session. Partnership staff will ask the Leadership Council to approve a list of state policy and budget ideas to proceed through a prioritization exercise for board members. Presentation by Don Gourlie, legislative policy director at the Puget Sound Partnership.


* A presentation about the Lower Big Quilcene restoration project. This session will include an overview and discussion about the restoration project. Presentation by Gus Johnson, habitat program director for the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group.?

The full Leadership Council agenda and meeting materials are available?through our board meetings page at:?[link removed].

If you need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please notify Special Assistant to the Boards Anna Petersen at 360.338.2384.

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About the Leadership Council

The Leadership Council is the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Its seven members are leading citizens chosen from around the Sound and appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms. Dennis McLerran currently chairs the Leadership Council.

About the Puget Sound Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region?s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of government agencies, tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits, the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda, advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.

For more information, go to www.psp.wa.gov [ [link removed] ].







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