Proceedings of the 2007 Georgia Basin Puget Sound Research Conference

Panel 2A: Puget Sound Partnership--the Path to a Healthy Sound by 2020

Chair: Kathy Fletcher

Governor Gregoire charged her Puget Sound Partnership with recommending the necessary ingredients of an effort to restore Puget Sound to health by the year 2020, addressing the action agenda, funding, science, public involvement, and how to structure the effort. The Partnership made its recommendations to the Governor in November 2006, in time for the Governor’s recommendations to the 2007 session of the state legislature. What was recommended, where does it stand, what remains to be done? What are the key ingredients for a successful effort to restore the health of Puget Sound and the Georgia Basin?  Did the Partnership (and the legislature) get it right? What are the most urgent action items to restore Puget Sound’s health by 2020? This panel will also address other efforts at transboundary ecosystem management in the Salish Sea.

Panel Members:

• Brad Ack, Executive Director, Puget Sound Action Team and co-manager of Governor’s Puget Sound Partnership

• Josh Baldi, Special Assistant to the Director of the WA Department of Ecology

• Jay Manning, Co-chair Puget Sound Partnership

• Rod Dobell, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, University of Victoria Centre for Global Studies and former President, North American Institute – Canada

• Diana Gale, Faculty, Daniel J. Evans Graduate School of Public Affairs, University of Washington, and consultant on governance to the Governor’s Puget Sound Partnership