Adaptive Management of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon and Ecosystems. Stacy Vynne McKinstry Conference on Ecological and Ecosystem Restoration July 2014

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1 Adaptive Management of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon and Ecosystems Stacy Vynne McKinstry Conference on Ecological and Ecosystem Restoration July 2014

2 Puget Sound Partnership: Leading Puget Sound Recovery Washington State Agency National Estuary Program Regional Recovery Organization for Puget Sound Salmon

3 The Challenge 16 different recovery plans 10 years old No monitoring and adaptive management plans Inability to speak at regional level Disconnect with regional ecosystem recovery

4 The Need Common Language Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan: track data, assess results, make decisions, and share lessons Framework for ecosystem-wide recovery planning

5 The Chinook Monitoring and Adaptive Management Project Common Framework: regional taxonomy Open Standards: systematic process for planning and adaptive management Miradi and Miradi Share: all information into one, searchable, online database Regional Contractor Team: one-on-one coaching Project Toolkit: a process guide for the watersheds to work through as they translated their recovery plans Partnership Staff: facilitated working groups and product delivery

6 Process and Products We are developing and reporting the following information at the watershed and regional scale: Recovery goals Ecosystem condition Most important pressures to Chinook and their habitats Highest priority strategies and actions that need regional support and theories of change linking actions to pressure reduction and ecosystem recovery Coordinated monitoring efforts and an operationalized adaptive management process

7 Process and Products We are developing and reporting the following information at the watershed and regional scale: Recovery goals Ecosystem condition Most important pressures to Chinook and their habitats Highest priority strategies and actions that need regional support and theories of change linking actions to pressure reduction and ecosystem recovery Coordinated monitoring efforts and an operationalized adaptive management process

8 Goals Mostly Qualitative Need Regional Guidance/Support No loss of ecosystem function An increasing number and percentage of landowners are willing to consider conservation easements or acquisitions Spawner Abundance: 2,300 (at 3.3 returning adults per spawner) to 9,900 (at 1.0 returning adults per spawner)

9 Process and Products We are developing and reporting the following information at the watershed and regional scale: Recovery goals Ecosystem condition Most important pressures to Chinook and their habitats Highest priority strategies and actions that need regional support and theories of change linking actions to pressure reduction and ecosystem recovery Coordinated monitoring efforts and an operationalized adaptive management process

10 Ecosystem Condition Components: What we care about Key Ecological Attributes: Processes to support what we care about Indicators: Measurements of process and ecosystem health Current and Desired Status: Where we are and where we want to be in the future Binning: Classification of health (poor, fair, good, very good)

11 Ecosystem Condition What we care about What needs to be healthy How we measure health Current Status Desired Future Status By When Floodplains Floodplainchannel interactions Floodplain connectivity area FAIR 10,510 acres GOOD 12,813ac Year 2055 Floodplain connectivity fragmentation FAIR Fragmented GOOD not fragmented Year 2055 Isolated floodplain area NA No Data GOOD Year 2055

12 Ecosystem Condition

13 Process and Products We are developing and reporting the following information at the watershed and regional scale: Recovery goals Ecosystem condition Most important pressures to Chinook and their habitats Highest priority strategies and actions that need regional support and theories of change linking actions to pressure reduction and ecosystem recovery Coordinated monitoring efforts and an operationalized adaptive management process

14 Pressures CHINOOK PRESSURE % Watersheds Abstraction of ground water 100% Marine shoreline infrastructure 100% Runoff from residential and commercial lands 100% Housing and urban areas 94% Agriculture and forestry effluents 94% Marine and freshwater finfish aquaculture 94% Abstraction of surface water 94% Logging and wood harvesting 94% Roads and railroads (including culverts) 94% Fishing and harvesting aquatic resources 88% Marine levees, floodgates and tidegates 88%

15 Process and Products We are developing and reporting the following information at the watershed and regional scale: Recovery goals Ecosystem condition Most important pressures to Chinook and their habitats Highest priority strategies and actions that need regional support and theories of change linking actions to pressure reduction and ecosystem recovery Coordinated monitoring efforts and an operationalized adaptive management process

16 Strategies and Theories of Change Linking strategies to goals, identifying strategic gaps and logic Look beyond restoration Visual tool and foundation for tracking progress and success Ah Ha! moments

17 Strategies and Theories of Change Prevent new and remove shoreline armoring FUNDING SECURED??? ARMORING REMOVED??? SHORELINE INFRASTRUCTURE HAS REDUCED IMPACT SHORELINE HARDENING LESS IMPACTFUL Bluff Beaches improve Goal Pocket Estuaries improve Goal

18 Strategies and Theories of Change Prevent new and remove shoreline armoring FUNDING SECURED ARMORING REMOVED SHORELINE INFRASTRUCTURE HAS REDUCED IMPACT SHORELINE HARDENING LESS IMPACTFUL MODEL CODE LANGUAGE DEVELOPED BETTER SMPs ADOPTED IN 17 JURISDICTIONS Bluff Beaches improve Goal Pocket Estuaries improve Goal Miracle Occurs

19 Process and Products We are developing and reporting the following information at the watershed and regional scale: Recovery goals Ecosystem condition Most important pressures to Chinook and their habitats Highest priority strategies and actions that need regional support and theories of change linking actions to pressure reduction and ecosystem recovery Coordinated monitoring efforts and an operationalized adaptive management process

20 Adaptive Management Intentional Learning opportunity Operationalize management of recovery plan Process for updating recovery plan

21 Project Outputs Adaptive management system for the Puget Sound Chinook Recovery Plan: foundation for Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plans Monitoring priorities for Chinook recovery Highlighted strengths and gaps in plan chapters: support plan updates Easier integration of information in the Chinook recovery plan into the Puget Sound Action Agenda: support greater ecosystem recovery efforts Improved relationships and collaboration amongst the watersheds

22 What s Next? Development and implementation of regional sets of indicators and measurements for health Full development of Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plans Application to ecosystem wide recovery planning efforts

23 Lessons Learned and Further Application Provide: taxonomies recommended/common sets of indictors/ measurements of health template strategies guidance Build local capacity and ownership Communicate: vision and value Move quickly but not too fast Resources available

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