News

Collaborative Receives Bullitt Foundation Grant

The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), the implementation organization for the Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative recently received a grant award from the Bullitt Foundation. The grant will be used to advance the Collaborative’s strategic areas, develop a robust website to include tools and resources relevant to the region, and expand its membership to include more tribal governments and organizations working directly with frontline communities.  During its formative years, the Collaborative has seen an increase in its members and partners, and has established a structured process to advance preparedness efforts in the region. Additional investment by the Bullitt Foundation will help solidify the Collaborative as the go-to resource in advancing climate preparedness work in the region. 

The Bullitt Foundation provided vital support for the early formation of the Collaborative and has continued to provide significant resources that have enabled our ongoing growth. We are grateful to the Bullitt Foundation for their ongoing support, partnership, and leadership in enabling our region to advance toward a more climate-prepared future. 

Department of Natural Resources Releases Climate Resilience Plan

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released a statewide climate resilience plan for mitigating the effects of climate change on Washington’s public lands and reducing the agency’s carbon footprint.  The resilience plan also includes seven chapters on resource-specific needs and opportunities, including priority responses for DNR’s programs in the following areas: Forest Management; Agriculture, Grazing, and Leased Trust Upland Management; Ecosystem Conservation, Natural Areas, and Natural Heritage Programs; Aquatic Resources and Coastal Management; Landslides, Tsunami, Groundwater, and the Washington Geological Survey; Wildfire Management; and Recreation.

Last year, DNR staff worked with a variety of stakeholders to address threats facing our wildlife, lands, and communities as a result of climate change. The Collaborative members were part of this process, co-hosting a workshop along with DNR staff to better understand local needs and opportunities related to climate preparedness.  

Member News

Member Highlight - Pierce County

By Ryan Dicks, Sustainable Resources Administrator, Pierce County

Pierce County includes Mt. Rainier, a huge mountain that makes our climate resilience challenges unique. All of our threats appear to be water-related--either we are getting too much of it, not enough of it, or changing the makeup of water through carbon emissions (ocean acidification). We know from science that these challenges are just beginning and that flooding, extreme heat, forest fires, and sea-level rise will only worsen with time.

Pierce County’s efforts to address climate change started in 2010 when the county launched the Sustainability Program and began working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These efforts have saved the county millions of dollars and reduced waste while improving our environment and human health. Local governments are learning that reducing emissions is difficult and critical work, yet we must simultaneously prepare for the effects of current climate change impacts.

Learn more about Pierce County. 

New member - City of Issaquah, Office of Sustainability

By David Fujimoto, Sustainability Director, City of Issaquah

The City of Issaquah is excited to be a new member of the Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative! As a fast-growing community situated at the edge of the urban growth boundary, Issaquah identifies with, and is surrounded by, the region’s incredible natural resources. At the same time, our local geography presents important challenges. Situated at the urban-wildland interface, we face significant flooding potential (as was recently witnessed this winter), protecting local groundwater supplies, and a population of people who are, or have been made to be, especially vulnerable in our community.

For many years, the city’s Office of Sustainability has been successful in integrating sustainability planning across several resource areas. This includes policy development and programs in areas such as water quality, mobility, waste and material management, habitat restoration, health and human services, equity, and strategic planning. Recently, the Office of Sustainability has restructured its work to provide additional focus on climate mitigation and adaptation. While the city has implemented a number of climate mitigation efforts, there has been minimal work on resiliency and adaptation. In 2020, the city expects to update and formalize its climate implementation framework and begin developing an integrated resiliency approach. The city has started to engage stakeholders, identify policy gaps, inventory plans and activities, and consider approaches to assess vulnerabilities. 

Upcoming Events

Climate Change and Health Impact Convening Postponed

Due to the ongoing concerns around Coronavirus, the Climate Change and Health Impact Convening has been indefinitely postponed.  While we recognize the importance of holding a workshop to discuss the nexus between climate change and public health, we want to do our part to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.  In addition, we also want to ensure that the local and state public health staff have the capacity to participate in this convening. The Collaborative is working on an alternative topic for a convening and will share more as details emerge.

Tools and Resources

• The Washington Coastal Hazards Resilience Network recently launched their revamped website.  The portal provides a pathway to avoiding disasters by orienting users to coastal hazards science, providing examples of community responses across Washington, and offering connections to important resources and people who can provide assistance.

• The University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group released a new report on Shifting Snowlines and Shorelines: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere and Implications for Washington State. The nine-page brief is intended to provide an accessible overview for regional planners, land managers, scientists, and members of the public.

• King County’s recent launch on a beta version of their Climate Change Geographic Information System (GIS) open data portal, can help the public and decision-makers better understand, prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change over time and space.

  The portal includes a variety of climate change data layers for the Puget Sound basin developed by the UW Climate Impacts Group for the 2015 Puget Sound State of Knowledge: Climate Change in Puget Sound report. Data include historical and projected changes in temperature, precipitation, snowpack, and streamflows. The portal is a beta version and therefore data sets continue to be configured and added to the portal.