Olympia has joined with other governing bodies, organizations, and community groups to strengthen stewardship of the watershed. They encourage community members to take action to improve the health of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea.
The Olympia City Council signed a proclamation designating September 2022 as “Puget Sound Starts Here” Month during its meeting on Tuesday, August 23.
"The health of Puget Sound is declining, and creatures and plants great and small, from our bull kelp forests and salmon to our orcas and shellfish, are at risk from the human impacts of stormwater runoff, loss of natural habitats, and a changing climate. We all have the power to protect our Puget Sound treasure, working together to discover and take clean water actions through the Puget Sound Starts Here Campaign and the Year of the Salish Sea," stated the proclamation.
Susan McCleary of Olympia’s Public Works Water Resources division is on the environmental services team. She thanked the council members for joining the campaign through proclamation, which she said raises awareness of the threats facing Puget Sound.
"The campaign is a call to action and highlights simple actions that all of us can do to become better stewards of our shared watershed," she said.
The campaign, Puget Sound Starts Here, McCleary said, "is an opportunity to celebrate our connection to the Salish Sea. It's a time to reflect on and to acknowledge the environmental harms of the past and the present."
Squaxin Island Tribal Council chair Kris Peters reminded the community that the Salish Sea is sacred to the Squaxin people.
"The salmon, the orca, the marine animals, and all the plants and surrounding environment do not have a voice for itself. It takes us, people, to be its voice. We are the ones who can save it all from extinction," he said.
This year's activity for Puget Sound Starts Here campaign includes:
McCleary said the Puget Sound Starts Here staff would distribute coffee sleeves to Olympia businesses. Local artists designed the sleeves. "They depict actions that people can take to prevent water pollution."
Last year, she said they also distributed about 14,000 coffee sleeves to 17 coffee shops in the city.
McCleary said they are launching the first Instagram Reel Challenge. She is inviting people throughout Thurston County to make and submit a 30- to 90-second video that features what actions they take to protect Puget Sound.
She said there would award grand prize and second prize winners.
"The reels will be featured on the Stream Team and our jurisdictional social media platforms.
McCleary said the video campaign focused on car care practices. In 2021, she said they had 46,000 views in Olympia.
She added they raised $59,000 funds last year, and part of it would pay for the videos' voiceover in Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese.
For more information about the Puget Sound Starts Here campaign, click here.
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