Guiding Chinook salmon recovery projects towards a more resilient future

Changing climate conditions, along with land-use and other ecological changes, are affecting the health, vitality, and resilience of Chinook salmon populations in watersheds throughout Puget Sound. Restoration and protection projects are designed to address the most critical factors affecting salmon populations. However, with climate change, these factors may change: the medium- and long-term success of the projects and expected benefits to salmon may be compromised and/or current investments may not achieve expected results. The Puget Sound Partnership recently released guidance to help project sponsors and local salmon recovery lead entities identify key climate-related risks for Chinook salmon, guide project sponsors in their development of projects in a changing climate, and provide more robust review criteria for funding decisions. The guidance builds from the work of others and informs complementary projects underway (e.g., Washington Sea Grant’s Coastal Resilience Project). This presentation will provide an overview of the guidance, demonstrate intended use, and provide examples of pilot projects applying the guidance in Puget Sound