The proposed federal listing of Puget Sound Chinook under the Endangered Species Act has challenged our region to reverse trends that threaten or endanger the existence of our native salmon. The salmon and the waters they live in define our quality of life in the Puget Sound area.
To survive, salmon must have clean, abundant, cool water. Water that flows from the Cascades to Puget Sound is affected by land uses from within many political boundaries and is often shared in many, sometimes conflicting, ways. Unfortunately, this can affect the quality and quantity of habitat conditions needed for salmon to survive.
Restoration and maintenance of healthy salmon populations and protection of the estuaries, rivers and streams in which they reside require that state, tribal and local governments work together to address the situation and avoid the negative impacts of an Endangered Species listing. To this end, Pierce County Executive Doug Sutherland, Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel and I have taken responsibility for convening state, tribal and local government stakeholders to develop an economically sound, coordinated response to the Endangered Species listing.
This approach to salmon restoration will be the most massive regional cooperation effort in our region's history. From it we can learn how governments and citizens can work together.
King County Executive
Ron Sims
Tri-county response