Resource extraction and a quickly growing population in the Puget Sound region negatively affect the health of the Sound and that of the people and salmon who depend on clean water. Logging can have serious environmental effects, such as reducing habitat for birds and eliminating tree cover over streams that keeps water cool for salmon. And with increasing density and the Pacific Northwest’s notoriously rainy environment, stormwater runoff is the largest source of toxic pollution. To clean up our waterways and help salmon survive, we need a new approach that relies on green infrastructure and innovative techniques to reduce pollution, improve drainage, and filter toxic runoff from roads and rooftops.
We Are Puget Sound, opens a new window is a book and multimedia campaign that celebrates the diverse people and communities working to restore the Salish Sea--and helping everyone find their place in this movement.
For full virtual experience, click on an image to enlarge and navigate through all the images.
PollutionPhoto by Brian Walsh
LoggingPhotos by Brian Walsh
Our Growing ImpactPhoto by Joel Rogers
Where Does Your Garbage Go?All of this garbage was collected in a single day from the beach at the mouth of the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula. Plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980. Petroleum-based plastics persist in marine environments both underwater and on the water’s surface, wash up on shorelines, and are sometimes consumed by marine creatures and birds. Some plastics in the ocean degrade into smaller pieces, contributing to enormous garbage patches across the planet. (Photo by Rob Casey)
