S-3479.1  _______________________________________________

                    SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8030

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington   57th Legislature        2002 Regular Session

By Senators Jacobsen, Poulsen, Kline and Spanel

Read first time 01/16/2002.  Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Shorelines.

Requesting recognition of the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project.

    TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, Puget Sound is the nation's largest, most complex inland sea and the Puget Sound ecosystem supports diverse flora and fauna, from resident pods of orca whales to the world's largest octopi, and its unique geology and large tidal range have created some of the largest, most productive estuarine environments in the world; and

    WHEREAS, Puget Sound has historically been central to the state's economic prosperity, providing passage to Alaska's gold fields in the 1800's, providing prosperous salmon and shellfish industries in the 1900's, providing access to numerous ports and refineries, and providing a quality of life that attracted high technology companies to the region that has ranged from aerospace to the internet and biotech over the past several decades, but is now facing economic uncertainty related to the future of these historic industries; and

    WHEREAS, Many of Puget Sound's best known plant and animal species have experienced significant population declines in recent years, including Chinook and Chum salmon, Orca whales, rockfish, and herring; and

    WHEREAS, Preventing Endangered Species Act listings through restoration and protection of critical habitat continues to be one of the most cost‑effective approaches to species management; and

    WHEREAS, The United States Army Corps of Engineers Reconnaissance Study identified Puget Sound as a high priority and opportunity for restoration and protection of critical nearshore habitat; and

    WHEREAS, The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, with the participation of other state natural resource agencies, tribes, and local agencies, have entered into a cost-sharing agreement to conduct a general investigation to assess ecosystem restoration and protection opportunities;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the President and the Congress recognize the importance of the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project as a large-scale ecosystem protection and restoration project, similar in scope to the effort underway in the Florida Everglades and Chesapeake Bay, and with broad public support and involvement.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That Congress provide sufficient funding through the local and federal project partners to complete the assessment phase and begin the construction phases of the project and that the project sponsors and their partners be encouraged to report to the President and to the Congress on their progress; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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