The attendees of the Symposium today are being asked “How would you restore Budd Inlet?”
A table sized map of Budd Inlet has been laid out in the event center, with dozens of possible projects represented by a paper cup. Each attendee can take ten pieces of gravel and vote for each project with one or more piece of gravel.
Below is Tracey Farrel from the Department of Ecology and Joe Peters of the Squaxin Island Tribe assessing their choices.
You can view more photos of the Symposium here.
Pete Swensson, Senior Planner Thurston Regional Planning Council, spoke on “South Sound population growth projections.”
How forecasting is done, our changing economic base, pattern of growth
Where population growth and decline comes from: birth rates and death rates change slowly, but migration is highly variable. We need to look at economics and demographics to find labor force supply and demand
currently our growth is slowing due to state gov’t employment growth slowdown (since Intiative 601) and recession
gov’t share of jobs is falling
There are more commuters between Puget Sound counties. We’re “NOT YET a ‘bedroom community'”
outbound commuters “bring more earnings into local economy than State Government”
Commuters from Pierce and King (8,700) combined is approximately equal to commuters from Mason, Grays Harbors, and Lewis counties (8,900)
growth is cyclical and comes in spurts
“For the first time since the early ’80s, Thurston employment is droppping,” but “TRPC forecasts a return of rapid long-term growth for Thurston.”
Long term models cannot predict the timing of recessions or recovers, but are good for major trends.
Joe Gaydos from the SeaDoc Society encouraged the scientists attending to learn to communicate our science in a more effective way. We need to be able to talk to the general public about the science we are doing in way that is interesting and useful to them. Joe asserted that this is necessary to counteract people who are “denialists” – people who allege there is a conspirancy, use fake experts, cherry pick evidence, create impossible standards for their opponents, use logical fallacies and manufacture doubt. Joe cited Randy Olson’s book “Don’t Be Such A Scientist” that describes how many scientists are too negative, too literal, and poor storytellers.
Joe suggested four main principles for scientists to be more effective in getting their good science out to the community:
1. Resolve to speak from science, not opinion. Speak about your data and know what it means and the implications for society.
2. Know the playing field – understand the audience you are communicating with. Don’t send detailed scientific publications to elected officials who have no time to read them.
3. Pursue excellence and be realistic – focus on whether the big message got across, not the minute details.
4. Expect backlash – it is going to happen and is not a sign of failure, but rather can be an indication that your message is getting attention.
Jeff Dickison welcomed attendees.
Tribal fishermen have moved onto chum salmon. While sockeye was good this year, coho salmon was dismal. We need to look into this.
Referenced new research into algal blooms that provide danger to fish. Ask Jeff to email you the article.
Thanked planners and sponsors.
Dr. Julia Parrish (University of Washington) will be facilitator today.
Encouraged us to focus on integrating ideas for a research agenda.
Joe Gaydos of The SeaDoc Society provided opening remarks. He is a member of Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel, and Northwest Straits Commission. Here are some selections from his talk:
Used example of Lancet article stating there was a link MMR vaccine and autism that has since been discredited as an example of denialism.
“prescription for denialism: allege there is a conspiracy, use fake experts, cherry-pick evidence, create impossible standards for your opponents, use logical fallacies, manufacture doubt”
“…we expect miracles, but have little faith in those capable of producing them.” -Michael Specter, Denialism
There is a “scientific vacuum in a world of information overload.”
Scientists are too negative and too literal, and we’re poor story-tellers (Don’t Be Such a Scientist – Randy Olson)
We need share our research to the public in a way they can understand
“Step 1: Resolve to speak for your science”
“Step 2: Know the playing field” (know what the media expects)
“Step 3: Pursue excellence and be realistic”
“Step 4: Expect backlash” (possible personal, and possibly from other scientists)
Julia , who will be facilitating the day, explained that today is about understanding how the South Sound works and what are the important factors. She encouraged attendees to be the space for problem solving in the South Sound by going beyond documenting the impacts of our actions on the South Sound and looking how those impacts affect human communities and the local ecosystem. She called for an interdisciplinary integration of ideas that allow us to come up with new innovative ways to deal with the issues facing the South Sound.
Jeff welcomed the approximately 350 attendees to the event. He thanked the folks that helped to organize the day. He also mentioned to people that there is a new organization forming in the South Sound to bring together the elected officials from the four counties that touch the South Sound (Mason, Kitsap, Thurston and Pierce), the three Tribes (Squaxin, Nisqually and Puyallup), and other agencies and organizations. The purpose of this organization will be to be a coordinating, policy making body for the sustainable management of South Puget Sound. There will be an official launch of this new organization on December 17th.
Jeff Dickison is giving the introductory remarks right now, and he mentioned that we could start calling this event the South Salish Sea Science Symposium, or S5.
What do you think of that?
More information on the Salish Sea moniker here.
Folks from around the South Sound are streaming in ready to spend a day learning about the latest science in the South Sound. Speakers today will be presenting on topics ranging from human population growth, the pelagic food web of the South Sound, and invasive mudsnails in Capitol Lake. There are also a number of posters set up that cover additional topics including monitoring the restoration of the Nisqually Estuary, nitrogen loading in the South Sound, and bacterial monitoring of swimming beaches in Puget Sound.
We will be live blogging the day as speakers present so check back on this website often if you would like to track the conversations today and learn more about South Sound Science.
Jeanette Dorner and I will be updating what’s happening at the 2010 South Sound Science Symposium. Updates will be posted at https://www.squaxin-nr.org/
Some background information about the Symposium is on the Puget Sound Partnership website, which also has the agenda.
If anyone else present as your own updates or observations, please feel free to email them to me: kanderson [at] nwifc [dot] org
During the wrap up this afternoon, speakers will have a chance to respond to questions from the audience (here at the Squaxin event center and following on the internet). Use the comment thread below to submit your questions.