PUGET SOUND WATERSHEDS

 

Puget Sound is a deep, vast, and complex ecosystem. The region encompasses mountains, farmlands, cities, rivers, forests, and wetlands. Within the Puget Sound region, 16 salmon recovery chapter areas are defined. In addition, there are 10 local integrating organizations (LIOs) around Puget Sound that coordinate closely with the salmon recovery watersheds to advance priorities as strategies for local ecosystem recovery.

Each watershed has its own unique geographic, urban, suburban, and rural areas. The Puget Sound Partnership collaborates with partners throughout the entire region to ensure that salmon recovery efforts work toward protecting Chinook salmon, steelhead, and the rich biodiversity of species that rely on Puget Sound. It is within each of these local watersheds that recovery takes place. Tribes, lead entities, local jurisdictions, and community-based organizations work together to protect and restore habitat and get the word out about the importance of keeping Puget Sound clean and protected.

Lead entities are local, citizen-based, organizations that coordinate salmon recovery efforts in their local watersheds. Per statute (RCW 77.85.050), lead entities are tasked with establishing a committee made up of habitat recovery interests in their area and developing a list of habitat recovery projects. In Puget Sound, lead entities work with local and state agencies, tribes, citizens, and other community groups to adaptively manage their watershed recovery plans to recover salmon and ensure that salmon recovery actions are implemented on the ground.

Contact information for the lead entities is provided below. More information about the Lead Entity Program is available on the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office website.

Watershed Lead Entity Contact Phone Email Watershed Recovery Plan Chapters
Lake Washington/Cedar/
Sammamish
Carrie Byron, King County 206-573-6056 cbyron@kingcounty.gov 2005 WRIA 8 Chapter 2017 WRIA 8 Chapter
Green/Duwamish Suzanna Smith, King County 206-477-4641 susmith@kingcounty.gov 2005 WRIA 9 Chapter 2021 WRIA 9 Chapter
Hood Canal Alicia Olivas, Hood Canal Coordinating Council 360-271-4722 aolivas@hccc.wa.gov 2010 Skokomish Chapter 2017 Skokomish Chapter
Island Clea Barenburg, Island County 360-678-7267 c.barenburg@islandcountywa.gov 2005 Island Chapter 2019 Island Chapter
Nisqually River Ashley Von Essen, Nisqually Indian Tribe 360-456-5221 vonessen.ashley@nisqually-nsn.gov 2005 Nisqually Chapter  
Nooksack Becky Peterson, contractor 360-392-1301          genevaconsulting@comcast.net  2005 Nooksack Chapter  
North Olympic Peninsula Cheryl Baumann, Clallam County 360-417-2326 cbaumann@co.clallam.wa.us 2005 Elwha Chapter 2007 Dungeness Chapter
Puyallup/White & Chambers/Clover Lisa Spurrier, Pierce County 253-798-6158 lisa.spurrier@piercecountywa.gov 2005 PuyallupWhite Chapter 2018 Puyallup White Chambers Clover Chapter
San Juan Sam Whitridge, San Juan County 360-317-3242 samw@sanjuanco.com 2005 San Juan Chapter 2022 San Juan Chapter
Skagit Richard Brocksmith, Skagit Watershed Council  360-826-2164 rbrocksmith@skagitwatershed.org 2005 Skagit Chapter  
Snohomish Gretchen Glaub, Snohomish County
425-330-0311


gretchen.glaub@snoco.org   2005 Snohomish Chapter  
South Sound Amy Hatch-Winecka, Thurston Regional Planning Council; Jacob Murray, Mason Conservation District Amy: 360-956-7575; Jacob: 360-427-9436 x155 hwamy@trpc.org
jmurray@masoncd.org
2005 So Sound Chapter  
Stillaguamish Donald “Kit” Crump, Stillaguamish Watershed Council
425-388-3464 Ext. 4658 Donald.Crump@snoco.org 2005 Stillaguamish Chapter  
West Sound/East Kitsap Renee Johnson, Kitsap County 360-509-9941  rkjohnso@kitsap.gov 2005 West Sound Chapter

2020 East Kitsap DIP Steelhead Recovery Plan

 

Lead Entity Contact list and Chapter links last updated July 2022

Please note that this list is intended to be representative but not comprehensive of all the critical organizations and agencies working in the watershed for salmon recovery.

Last updated: 3/15/23

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