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Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council to decide on 2024 legislative priorities

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
December 11, 2023

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

The Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council will meet on Thursday, December 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Rhodes Center, 949 Market Street, Tacoma, WA 98402.?

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 an all-virtual livestream of this meeting, through TVW (link 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 Wednesday, December 13. We will review public comments submitted by email during the general public comment period on December 14.

TVW web link:?[link removed]

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

Meeting highlights include:


* A?presentation and discussion about the implementation of the 2022-2026 Action Agenda. This session will include an overview of how the Puget Sound Partnership, in its backbone role, plans, accelerates, monitors, and advocates for implementation of the 2022-2026 Action Agenda, along with recent examples of progress. The purpose of sharing this information is to describe the ways in which the Partnership and recovery partners are working together to advance Puget Sound recovery efforts. Presentation by the following Puget Sound Partnership staff: Ahren Stroming, special assistant for federal affairs; Alex Mitchell, performance management analyst; Don Gourlie, legislative policy director; Jon Bridgman, communications director; Laura Rivas, Puget Sound recovery integration manager; and Wren McNally, environmental planner.? ??


* A presentation and discussion about Local Integrating Organization (LIO) strategic visioning. This session will include an update on LIO program strategic visioning, describing work that LIO coordinators completed in 2022-2023 and a proposed second phase of strategic visioning that will begin in January 2024. This work will inform and optimize the role that LIOs play in the Puget Sound recovery system and will improve integration and alignment between local and regional recovery efforts. Presentation by Harriet Booth, LIO program coordinator at the Puget Sound Partnership, and Haley Harguth, Hood Canal LIO coordinator.?


* A presentation and decision about 2024 state legislative priorities for Puget Sound recovery. Over the last few months, Partnership board members have participated in a collaborative process to identify and set legislative priorities. In this session, Partnership staff will ask the Leadership Council to adopt 2024 legislative priorities for Puget Sound recovery. Presentation by Don Gourlie, legislative policy director at the Puget Sound Partnership.??


* A presentation and decision about the 2025-2027 Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) large capital request for proposals (RFP). This session will include a presentation about the PSAR large capital RFP and a request to the Leadership Council to approve the RFP, per the Salmon Recovery Council's recommendation. Presentation by Melissa Speeg, salmon recovery manager at the Puget Sound Partnership, and Marlies Wierenga, PSAR program manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.?


* A presentation and decision about riparian funding allocation from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office's Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB). The SRFB approved $23.87 million in new, one-time riparian-specific funding, which will be distributed through the state's seven salmon-recovery regions. Partnership staff will ask the Leadership Council to consider a recommendation from the Salmon Recovery Council to approve a one-time policy for distributing riparian funding to the lead entities. Presentation by Melissa Speeg, salmon recovery manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.?

* A presentation and discussion about federal policies and appropriations related to Puget Sound recovery. This session will also include discussion of key messages for the 2024 Puget Sound Day on the Hill event next spring. Presentation by Ahren Stroming,?special assistant for federal affairs at the Puget Sound Partnership


* A?presentation and discussion about the Partnership's Shared Principles of Partner Respect and Engagement, a central guide and resource about the kind of conduct Partnership staff will exhibit in agency-sponsored meetings and expect others to reciprocate in that same spirit. This session will include discussion of the Core Principles in the document. Partnership staff will seek feedback from Leadership Council members about the Core Principles. Presentation by Larry Epstein, deputy director of the Puget Sound Partnership.?


* A presentation and decision about the 2024 boards shared priorities. This session will include a review of changes to the boards shared priorities for 2024 and a decision about whether to approve them. Presentation by Tristan Contesse, board program manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.?

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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