Communities and Coastal Restoration in the Puget Sound Region

Community and Environment in Rural America

Communities and Coastal Restoration in the Puget Sound Region

communities and coastal restoration in the puget sound region

Researchers from the Carsey Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries sought to understand how residents of the Puget Sound region of Washington view social and environmental change in the area and engage stakeholders in a discussion of restoration options. This initiative included three principle activities:

  1. Public Perceptions Survey: The project team implemented a telephone survey of Puget Sound residents to better understand their views about social and environmental issues facing the region. The Carsey/NOAA Fisheries researchers produced three fact sheets that outline important findings from the survey. Electronic versions of these facts sheets can be accessed below.
  2. Visualization Models: Using biological, physical, and social data, the research team developed interactive visualization models that graphically represent possible future scenarios for coastal Puget Sound. These models allow users to adjust different features of the natural and built environments to explore how shifts might change conditions on the coast.
  3. Stakeholder Workshops: During workshops with stakeholder groups interested in the future of Puget Sound, participants assessed the representations in the visualization models and provided input on how different scenarios reflected their vision for the region. Drawing upon information from these workshops and the survey results, the project team can begin to predict how different groups might be impacted by changing social and environmental conditions and management interventions.

Disseminating the findings from these activities and expanding this research is an on-going focus for the Carsey/NOAA Fisheries research team. Please direct any questions about this project to Dr. Tom Safford at Tom.Safford@unh.edu.