Restoring and Protecting Puget Sound’s Nearshore Ecosystems
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Restoring and Protecting Puget Sound’s Nearshore Ecosystems Restore America’s Estuaries Fifth National Conference 13-17 Nov 2010
Transcript of Restoring and Protecting Puget Sound’s Nearshore Ecosystems
Restoring and Protecting Puget Sound’s NearshoreEcosystems
Restore America’s Estuaries Fifth National Conference13-17 Nov 2010
The Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project (PSNERP)
• is a General Investigation study, jointly sponsored by Corps of Engineers and Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
• is a Sound-wide initiative to protect and restore natural processes and functions in the nearshore
• began in 2001, final report in 2011
• can result in Corps construction authority and funding
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Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project
PSNERP is a cooperative effort among government agencies, universities, tribes, and environmental organizations
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Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project
The Nearshore: The shallow water of estuarine deltas & marine shorelines, from the top of the coastal bank to water depths where light supports plant growth and up rivers to the end of tidal influence
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Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystems
Important and Unique• Critical zone of transition
– marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems
• Created and sustained by physical processes– e.g. tidal flux, wave-driven bluff erosion,
and longshore sediment transport• Supports complex mosaic of habitats
and associated biota– high productivity, complex food webs, large
numbers of plants and animals• Provides resiliency to changing sea
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Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystems
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Nearshore Ecosystems: Interrelated complex of diverse shoreforms and associated biota.
Embayments Beaches BluffsRiver Deltas
Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystems
Puget Sound Nearshore: Approximately 2,500 miles of beaches, bays, and deltas
Seattle
Olympia
PacificOcean
Nearshore Zone 7
Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystems
Process
FunctionStructure
Source Conceptual Model: Simenstad et al. 2006, Penttila, 2007
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PSNERP’s process-based approach to restoration : Natural processes create the structure of habitats, which support ecological functions for species and people.
Conceptual Model
PSNERP Approach
Process
FunctionStructure
Wave energySediment delivery
Sediment transport
Beach profileSediment grain sizeBeach temperature
Forage fish spawning & production
Food web support
Conceptual Model:The role of Puget Sound nearshore beaches in sustaining Pacific sand lance
Source Conceptual Model: Simenstad et al. 2006, Penttila, 2007
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PSNERP Approach
How has the nearshore changed?
Taking Action
What actions should we take and where?
How might future growth and development affect the nearshore?
Where are the most problematic changes and why?
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What are guiding restoration principles from literature and practice?
What can we do to protect and manage the nearshore?
PSNERP Approach
Today’s Presentations
Using a Historic Change Analysis to Design Strategic Restoration/Preservation of Nearshore Ecosystems in Puget Sound– Charles Simenstad, University of Washington
Identifying Strategic Needs for Puget Sound Region and Evaluating Restoration Benefits– Paul Schlenger, Anchor QEA
Considering Climate Change in Nearshore Restoration Site Evaluation and Implementation in the Puget Sound Region– Andrea MacLennan, Coastal Geologic Services– Ilon Logan, University of Washington
Strategic Restoration Planning for Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystems– Curtis Tanner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Related Posters
Management Measures for Protecting and Restoring the Puget Sound Nearshore– Margaret Clancy, ESA Adolfson
Assessment of Strategic Restoration Needs for Puget Sound– Paul Schlenger, Anchor QEA
A Spatially-Explicit Analysis of Historic Change of Nearshore Ecosystems in Puget Sound– Jennifer Burke, University of Washington
