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MEDIA CONTACT
Paul Bergman
360.628.2428
paul.bergman@psp.wa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
09-08-2009

Soliciting comments on ecosystem status indicators for 2009 State of the Sound reporting

The Partnership is soliciting comments on the set of ecosystem indicators listed in the attached table as the basis for its 2009 reporting on ecosystem status and trends.  We welcome comments at any time, and note that comments received by September 15, 2009 will provide the Partnership with the best opportunity to influence the set of indicators reported in fall 2009.  Comments can be sent via e-mail to info@psp.wa.gov or via the Partnership’s comment web form at http://www.psp.wa.gov/contact.php.

The Partnership is preparing a 2009 report on ecosystem status and trends.  For each legislative goal for ecosystem recovery (human health, human well-being, species & food webs, habitat, water quantity, and water quality), reporting will be organized around broad indicator categories developed earlier this summer by the Partnership’s Science Panel.  Partnership staff have been working with data providers and other experts to identify specific indicators to represent these broad categories for 2009 reporting. 

Where possible for 2009, the Partnership will be reporting on a subset of the available indicators identified by the 2008 indicators projects (O’Neill for ecological indicators and Plummer & Schneidler for human well-being indicators).  In cases where a broad category appears to be poorly represented by available indicators, the Partnership will present  “grayed out” indicators (blank reports) to convey our intent to report when an indicator and/or data are available.  The attached spreadsheet shows the specific indicators being pursued for 2009 reporting for each broad indicator category for each goal and notes whether we expect to present status and trend information in 2009 or merely present a “grayed out” indicator. 

The Partnership will periodically re-evaluate the specific indicators used for reporting on ecosystem status to incorporate information from new scientific findings and syntheses.  The Puget Sound Science Update, to be produced in early 2010, will include a peer-reviewed synthesis of information about ecosystem indicators for Puget Sound.

Review the document: http://www.psp.wa.gov/downloads/SOS09/PSP-SandT-indicators2009-08-31.pdf

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