2022 Year In Review
September is the end of our Local Integrating Organization grant year, and we've been taking a look back on what's been accomplished!
The Puget Sound Partnership’s June Leadership Council Meeting was held at the Port of Everett, and we hosted the LIO Forum to bring forward funding and administrative capacity concerns. The LIO Forum called on the Leadership Council to address administrative burdens holding back recovery. Streamlined grants applications, reducing and eliminating grant match requirements, and consolidating reporting were discussed as tools to break barriers and expedite recovery action. A letter of support from Paul Cereghino at NOAA was particularly moving. Read the response from the Leadership Council. |
We commented on the Puget Sound Partnership’s new 2022-2026 Action Agenda to make sure it was relevant to our watersheds. The Agenda was adopted on August 4. A subcommittee of LIO Members worked to prioritize an early version of the Action Agenda. Looking ahead, we’re hoping to expand those efforts and are working with Puget Sound Partnership staff to encourage additional prioritization of the Action Agenda. The Sno/Stilly LIO conducted an informal survey to brainstorm ideas about barriers that inhibit our work and the work of our partners. These barriers were matched to Action Agenda items to prioritize and focus efforts moving forward. |
Our LIO is collaborating with the Collective LIO Project focusing on Onsite Septic Systems throughout the Puget Sound. The project is called “Fostering Innovative and Creative Solutions Addressing OSS Barriers in Puget Sound.” This project will explore and recommend innovative and creative solutions to help overcome challenges by drawing from global, national, and local examples (community septics, small satellite treatment systems, etc). |
The Sno/Stilly LIO was granted an ex-officio seat on the Ecosystem Coordination Board (ECB), represented by Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Surface Water Management Director Gregg Farris as the Alternate, both of whom we endorsed. The LIO provided support and briefing memos for the October 28, 2021 West Sound Partners for Ecosystem Recovery's ECB Forum to support Executive Somers’ participation. LIO staff attended the ECB meetings to support Executive Somers and Director Farris. |
Kathleen Pozarycki is participating on a planning team led by Puget Sound Partnership (PSP), The US EPA, and the Strategic Implementation Leads (SILs) to encourage better collaboration between LIOs and SILs. Initially, each LIO was to receive $500k in funding to increase local capacity to implement Ecosystem Recovery Plans, meant to replace the $100k in funding LIOs have annually directed to Near Term Actions. Ultimately, PSP decided to instead use new funding to hire a new team of staff to develop a:
The Sno/Stilly LIO sent a letter to PSP regarding this decision and PSP sent a response. We are working with PSP to ensure that these teams will benefit our LIO. |
We’ve been attending meetings and sharing funding opportunities with project implementers throughout the year. Our Sno/Stilly LIO webpage is being updated regularly with new funding opportunities, including:
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