DoomsdaysCW<p>Fight to save <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PugetSound" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PugetSound</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KelpBed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>KelpBed</span></a> underscores NW <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/habitat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>habitat</span></a> challenges</p><p>July 25, 2024</p><p>"The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WashingtonState" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>WashingtonState</span></a> Department of Natural Resources and the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SquaxinIslandTribe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SquaxinIslandTribe</span></a> have announced a partnership to conserve the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SquaxinIsland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SquaxinIsland</span></a> Kelp Bed, the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound.</p><p>"DNR and the Squaxin Island Tribe will work to surround the kelp bed with a priority habitat zone, try to reduce <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/environmental" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>environmental</span></a> stresses to improve the kelp bed’s health, and partner with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PugetSoundRestorationFund" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PugetSoundRestorationFund</span></a> on future <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/restoration" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>restoration</span></a> projects, according to a news release.</p><p>"Since 2013, DNR and Squaxin Island staff have seen a 97% decline in the kelp bed, which holds both ecological and cultural significance. In <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Oregon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Oregon</span></a>, the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/coastline" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>coastline</span></a> lost more than two-thirds of its canopy of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BullKelp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BullKelp</span></a>.</p><p>"'We recognize how important it is to protect this critical resource,' said <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KrisPeters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>KrisPeters</span></a>, Squaxin Island Tribe chairman, in a statement. '<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Squaxins" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Squaxins</span></a> can’t do it alone; it takes us all coming together as partners. That is why this local inter-governmental agreement is so important and monumental.'</p><p>"The Squaxin Island Kelp Bed is the first habitat DNR is prioritizing in its statewide <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KelpForest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>KelpForest</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Eelgrass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Eelgrass</span></a> Meadow Health and Conservation Plan, which state legislation directed DNR to hatch in response to the loss of bull kelp and eelgrass on the Washington coastline.</p><p>"The plan’s goal is to conserve and restore at least 10,000 acres of kelp forest and eelgrass meadow habitat by 2040.</p><p>"Restoration efforts will initially focus on three pilot sub-basins: South Puget Sound, the Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and Grays Harbor. As DNR works toward its 10,000-acre goal, it intends to explore conservation and recovery in all sub-basins, according to DNR’s website.</p><p>"'Squaxin people have been stewarding these waters and lands for thousands of years,' Peters said in a statement. '<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KelpBeds" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>KelpBeds</span></a> have also been stewarding these waters for thousands of years, providing nourishment and a critical ecosystem for the many plants, animals, and fish of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SalishSea" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SalishSea</span></a>.'"</p><p><a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2024/07/fight-to-save-puget-sound-kelp-bed-underscores-nw-habitat-challenges.html?outputType=amp" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">oregonlive.com/environment/202</span><span class="invisible">4/07/fight-to-save-puget-sound-kelp-bed-underscores-nw-habitat-challenges.html?outputType=amp</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Northwest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Northwest</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LandBack" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LandBack</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NativeKnowledge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NativeKnowledge</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Nature</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndigenousKnowledge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>IndigenousKnowledge</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/conservation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>conservation</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/sustainability" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>sustainability</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/decolonization" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>decolonization</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PacificNorthwest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PacificNorthwest</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PNW" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PNW</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/environmental" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>environmental</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndigenousLedProject" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>IndigenousLedProject</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/reclamation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>reclamation</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/decolonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>decolonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Restoration" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Restoration</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Landback" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Landback</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Rewilding" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Rewilding</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RestoreNature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RestoreNature</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Salish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Salish</span></a></p>