“Saving the Salish Sea: Will New Programs Turn the Tide?”
A One-day Symposium, March 5th, 2008
(Times Shown in Program)
Puget Sound, the Straits of Georgia, and the Straits of Juan de Fuca comprise a complex inland marine and estuarine waterway generally known as the Salish Sea. The Sea and its surrounding watersheds were historically the home of diverse and abundant fisheries and aquatic resources. As human populations have dramatically expanded, however, physical and biological habitats have been altered and the resources themselves have been overused, to the point where some species are threatened or endangered of extinction. Because these inland seas are central to life in the Pacific Northwest, an increasing number of governmental and non-governmental programs are being established to reverse the trends. Huge questions remain, however, about whether these efforts will really make a difference.
This symposium will be one concurrent session among several others at the WA-BC Chapter of AFS Annual Meeting. This year’s conference theme is “Sound Management: Mountains to the Sea”. This highly relevant session will assemble leaders from government, tribes, watershed groups, and public interest groups to present the problems, describe the proposed solutions, and address the question: “Will New Programs Turn the Tide?”. How will the nexus of policy, science, education, funding, and public motivation be sufficiently energized to the point where Salish Sea water quality, ecosystems, and fisheries are returned to healthy abundance? All speakers will be asked to speculate on whether they believe current strategies will make a difference and, if not, what they recommend be done differently.
Confirmed and Invited Speakers
Mr. Joe Ryan – Salmon Recovery Program Manager, Puget Sound Partnership
Dr. Frank Shipley – Western Region Coordinator for Biology, USGS
Dr. John Stein – Deputy Director, NOAA Fisheries, NWFSC
Ms. Sara LaBorde — WDFW
Mr. Ken Berg – Western Washington Manager, USFWS
Ms. Ginny Broadhurst – Director, Northwest Straits Commission
Mr. Richard Doenges – Washington DNR
Mr. Randy Kinley - Lummi Indian Nation – Invited
Mr. Josh Baldi – WDOE
Mr. Bob Fuersentberg — King County
Mr. Rob Masonis — American Rivers
Mr. John Lombard — Saving Puget Sound