Recently we’ve been presenting a landscape analysis to small groups in the area. Hopefully, our analysis will help kick-start a conversation about how to best approach restoring Budd Inlet.

Here is a press release about the project from the NWIFC:

The Squaxin Island Tribe has taken more than 20 years of studies and developed a resource to restore Budd Inlet. “We’ve taken every technical report, assessment and action plan written and come up with the ultimate Budd Inlet resource,” said Scott Steltzner, a biologist for the Squaxin Island Tribe.

Rather than writing a top to bottom restoration plan, the tribe created a way for practically any group to find out where to best apply their efforts. “This isn’t a straight up and down list of priority projects, but rather a way to find the project that’s right for a particular budget or effort,” Steltzner said. “If you have $25,000 and want to restore a shoreline, we can find a project for you. Or, if you have want to do projects that benefit shorebirds or forage fish, this tool can help you develop a strategy.”

The best thing about our work is that it doesn’t tell you what to do, just gives policy-makers the resources they need to make informed choices.

Here is our biologist Scott Steltzner giving a presentation on the analysis. Just click on the window below and you can hear Scott as he presents:

Here is a link to the spreadsheet Scott referred to in the presentation, and here is the complete map of the analysis.

Too see why a part of Budd Inlet was ranked in a particular way, you can find its number on the spreedsheet and find what attributes were associated to it.