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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Salmon-Safe Farms, Ellen Southard, Amelia Bahr
Salmon-Safe Farms, Ellen Southard, Amelia Bahr
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Stewardship Partners recognizes the crucial role farmers play in the protection of our watersheds and salmon populations, leading us to implement the Salmon-Safe program in Washington in 2004 to support landowners who are promoting and practicing sustainable land management to combat environmental degradation. To date, we have added more than 100 different Washington State farms and vineyards to the program — ensuring the restoration and maintenance of watershed health across tens of thousands of agricultural acres. Since the major salmon streams in the Puget Sound basin flow through the most productive agricultural valleys, conservation efforts aimed at protecting salmon and …
Accelerating Watershed Protection In The Central Puget Sound Region, Maria Sandercock
Accelerating Watershed Protection In The Central Puget Sound Region, Maria Sandercock
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
In the last five years, 324,000 people have moved to the central Puget Sound region. While helping to fuel economic growth in the area, this rapid growth also threatens the natural wealth that the region is known for. Legacy stormwater issues and hardening watersheds in the region are harming our aquatic systems and Puget Sound. The Puget Sound Regional Council, whose member jurisdictions include the four counties and 82 cities in central Puget Sound, is developing a regional open space conservation plan with the goal of accelerating conservation of the open spaces that support watershed processes and a high quality …
Exploration Of Microplastics In The Lower Puyallup River Watershed, Julie Masura, Shannon Black, Jessica Kelsey, Mary Eldridge
Exploration Of Microplastics In The Lower Puyallup River Watershed, Julie Masura, Shannon Black, Jessica Kelsey, Mary Eldridge
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Microplastics are polymers < 5mm, varying in shape, color, chemical composition, and density. Manufactured plastics are primary microplastics which include pellets, fibers, and microbeads. Secondary microplastics are plastics fragmented through photodegradation and/or mechanical weathering. Research has documented microplastics in high densities (e.g., 100,000 items per m3) in marine environments, but little work has been conducted in riverine environments. Our study is focusing on the Puyallup River Watershed, located in Washington State, and its role in microplastic transport. The Puyallup River and its two principal tributaries, the White River and the Carbon River, drain a watershed of approximately 1,040 square miles and stream from several glaciers located on Mount Rainier, including the Puyallup Glacier. During our preliminary research, samples were collected monthly, both upstream and downstream of municipal wastewater treatment plants, from five cities in the lower reaches of the Puyallup River Watershed. Fibers, fragments, and foams were identified, characterized and quantified. Only 1-foam and 5-fragments were found, with the majority being fibers. The concentration of fibers, ranged from 0 to 204 fibers/L, with an average of 22-fibers/L in each sample collected. Results were statistically inconclusive to determine if wastewater treatment plants were a point source of plastic pollution to the Puyallup River Watershed, although more fiber numbers were located upstream than downstream at most sites.
Watershed Assessment Modelling To Identify Critical Sources Of Pollution And Evaluate Effectiveness Of Conservation Management Practices, Nichole Embertson, Meagan Harris, Andrew Phay
Watershed Assessment Modelling To Identify Critical Sources Of Pollution And Evaluate Effectiveness Of Conservation Management Practices, Nichole Embertson, Meagan Harris, Andrew Phay
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Critical watershed assessments allow land managers to create strategic plans and prioritize funding and technical assistance when resources are limited. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) provides a framework for watershed assessment to support long-term, strategic watershed planning and prioritize resources. The Tenmile Watershed in the Nooksack Basin in Whatcom County was selected as a pilot watershed for the NWQI assessment for Washington State in 2017. The primary objective of this assessment was to identify critical source areas (CSAs) within the watershed that were most susceptible to nutrient, sediment and bacteria export based on physical …