A message from the PSI Director
Earlier this month, the Puget Sound Partnership released its third annual State of the Sound report, a comprehensive summary of the latest progress toward ecosystem recovery. While much remains to be done, the State of the Sound is an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day science and consider the whole picture in wide focus. Read more from PSI Director Joel Baker >
Featured news
The Puget Sound Partnership’s 2013 State of the Sound report showed mixed progress for the agency’s 21 designated Puget Sound “Vital Signs.” Three had slight improvement, although “many of the Vital Signs continue to struggle, and three show a worsening trend,” according to the Partnership.
Could population biology predict the success of social networks? PSI Visiting Scientist Marc Mangel is the lead author on a new paper that looks at how a mathematical theory for studying the propagation of invasive species may also be used to analyze wikis and other social media.
This month, the University of Washington’s Burke Museum opens the exhibit Elwha: A River Reborn, based on the book by Seattle Times reporter Lynda Mapes, with photography by Steve Ringman. The exhibit tells the story of the largest dam removal in U.S. history, and PSI’s Jeff Rice spoke with Mapes about her experience covering the story, her recent book, and the upcoming exhibit. Read the interview at the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.
PSI roundup
The Puget Sound Institute and Stanford University have released a final report describing the process of developing human wellbeing (HWB) indicators for the Hood Canal watershed. The report, written by PSI’s Kelly Biedenweg and Adi Hanein of the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, will serve as a guide for establishment of HWB indicators by the Puget Sound Partnership for the greater Puget Sound watershed.
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Tessa Francis has joined the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound editorial board. Tessa is the Lead Ecosystem Ecologist at PSI, and will serve as the Encyclopedia’s ecosystem-based management topic editor. She is an aquatic ecologist, and her research is related to aquatic food webs, and the impacts of environmental change on food-web dynamics. Read Tessa’s full bio on the Encyclopedia’s editorial board page.
Upcoming events
The 2014 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference has issued a call for abstracts for presentations and posters. The deadline for submission is December 13th. The conference will be held April 30 – May 2, 2014 at the Seattle Convention Center.
Save the date! The 2nd Salish Sea Shoreline Forum is scheduled for February 3, 2014 from 8:30 to 3:30 at the Edmonds Conference Center. The theme: Permitting Efficiency and Effectiveness (including Mitigation). A detailed agenda will be posted on the event site in December. Register now.
Around the Sound
This paper describes a multi-year effort testing whether shoreline enhancements at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle have improved conditions for fish and invertebrates as compared to armored shorelines.
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