News from the Puget Sound Partnership

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Toni Droscher
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10-16-2007

27 named to Ecosystem Coordination Board

One more piece of the Puget Sound Partnership came together earlier this month with the naming of the 27-member Ecosystem Coordination Board.

The Board’s primary initial role will be to advise and assist the Partnership’s Leadership Council as it develops the 2020 Action Agenda.

The 27 members of the Board represent specific interests and areas from around Puget Sound, including 7 Puget Sound Action Areas; local and tribal governments; state and federal government agencies; legislature; ports; and business and environmental interests.

On Oct. 1, the Leadership Council appointed 14 members to the Board and ratified the 7 appointments provided by the state’s legislative caucuses and state agencies. Gov. Chris Gregoire also invited 6 people to serve on the Board—3 to represent tribal governments and 3 to represent federal agencies.

Eleven of the Board positions were selected through a nomination process, the rest were appointed or invited. More than 70 people volunteered or were nominated by colleagues and fellow citizens.

“The overwhelming response speaks to the high level of interest and enthusiasm from the Puget Sound community to be a part of this reinvigorated effort to restore Puget Sound’s health,” said Bill Ruckelshaus, Chair of the Leadership Council. “I’m pleased that we have such high-caliber people representing diverse interests to help guide this important work.”

The Board will also play a key role in seeing that ideas for protecting Puget Sound are adopted as commitments by the numerous interests that can sponsor or bring about on-the-ground results for Puget Sound.

“I am looking forward to working with members of the Ecosystem Coordination Board to define the most critical work that needs to be done restore Puget Sound by 2020,” said David Dicks, Executive Director of the Partnership. “I applaud the new Board members for stepping up to this challenge. I’m happy to have them aboard and excited to get them engaged in the work we have before us.”

Lengths of term and the naming of the chair and vice chair of the Board have yet to be determined.

Who’s on the Ecosystem Coordination Board?

Representing	Name	Affiliation
Strait of Juan de Fuca Action Area	Steve Tharinger, Commissioner	Clallam County
San Juan Islands Action Area	Bob Kelly	Nooksack Indian Tribe
Whidbey Island Action Area	Gary Rowe	Skagit County Administrator
North Central Puget Sound Action Area	Steve Bauer, Commissioner	Kitsap County
South Central Puget Sound Action Area	Ron Sims, Executive	King County
South Puget Sound Action Area	Dan Wrye	Pierce County
Hood Canal Action Area	Teri King	Washington Sea Grant
Business interests	Samuel Anderson	Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
Small business interests	Bill Dewey	Taylor Shellfish
Cities	Jeanne Burbidge, Council member	City of Federal Way
Counties	Kevin Ranker, Council member	San Juan County
Environmental interests	Kathy Fletcher	Puget Sound Environmental Caucus, People for Puget Sound
Environmental interests	Jacques White	Puget Sound Environmental Caucus, The Nature Conservancy
Federal agencies	Robert Lahn	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Federal agencies	Tom Eaton	Environmental Protection Agency
Federal agencies	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	Ken Berg
Legislative caucus	Dale Brandland, R, 42nd District / Whatcom County	Washington State Senate
Legislative caucus	Phil Rockefeller, D, 23rd District / Kitsap County	Washington State Senate
Legislative caucus	Christine Rolfes, D, 23rd District / Kitsap County	Washington State House of Representatives
Legislative caucus	Bob Sump, R, 7th District Northeast Washington	Washington State House of Representatives
Port districts	John Calhoun	Port Commissioner, Port Angeles
Tribal government	David Troutt	Nisqually Tribe
Tribal government	Randy Kinley	Lummi Tribe
Tribal government	Dave Herrera	Skokomish Tribe

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