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MEDIA CONTACT
Katy Johansson
360.725.5442 (office)
360.701.3568 (cell)
katy.johansson@psp.wa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May, 22 2008

Puget Sound Partnership needs photos depicting Sound’s ‘silent crisis’
Help educate the public about what is plaguing Puget Sound

OLYMPIA – The Puget Sound Partnership needs your help shedding light on what many have called the Sound’s “silent crisis.”

To help the public better understand the urgency surrounding the restoration and protection of Puget Sound, the Partnership is creating a pool of images that paint a not-so-pretty picture of the Sound.

“One of the reasons many people aren’t aware that Puget Sound’s health is at serious risk is because we rarely see the problems,” said David Dicks, the Partnership’s executive director. “We’re all familiar with the idyllic images that make people want to live here. Jumping orcas. Ferries sailing into the sunset. Kids playing on the beach. They’re pretty, but they’re also deceptive: They perpetuate the idea that nothing is wrong.”

Starting today, the Partnership is accepting on an ongoing basis digital photos that illustrate Puget Sound’s problems.

Images will be used as part of a public awareness program, one of the Partnership’s three main focuses. Public engagement has been deemed important because while 97 percent of Puget Sound residents say leaving a legacy of a healthy Puget Sound to future generations is important, a sizable majority rates the current health of the Sound as good to excellent.

“We’re all guilty of taking Puget Sound’s on-the-surface beauty for granted. But if we want people to understand there is something wrong, we need to show them what’s wrong,” Dicks said.

Those who prefer to capture and share photos that portray the Sound’s beauty will not be shut out. The Partnership will accept these images as well.

Any photo entered could potentially be featured in future Partnership publications or electronic media.

How do I enter my photos?

  1. If you don’t have one already, create a free Flickr account at www.flickr.com
  2. Join the Puget Sound Partnership group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/pugetsoundpartnership/
  3. In joining, you agree to the following rules: http://www.flickr.com/groups/pugetsoundpartnership/rules/
  4. Upload your photos. Please include a photo cutline describing your photo (date taken, location and any other helpful descriptive information).
  5. Entrants younger than 18 should ask a parent or guardian to enter photos.

How many photos can I enter?

  1. As many as you like.

What’s the deadline?

  1. There is no deadline; the Partnership will be collecting images on an ongoing basis.

Who gets the copyright?

  1. By submitting photos, you give the Partnership permission to use them for nonprofit governmental purposes. The Partnership reserves the right to distribute the photos to partner agencies and the media for promotional purposes. Where reasonable, the Partnership will give photo credit.

For more details, visit www.psp.wa.gov or http://www.flickr.com/groups/pugetsoundpartnership/.

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