QA Environment
Basics
- Puget Sound Indicator Name
- Estuarine/nearshore habitat restoration
- Progress Indicator
- Acre (acres)
- /
-
The 2030 Habitat Restoration Target for Puget Sound Salmon directs the region to fund and implement roughly 2,300 acres of estuarine/nearshore habitat restoration activities.
- Topics
- Estuaries (tidal) Management, Floodplains (non-tidal) Management
-
Laura Vary
- Contributing Partners
- Last Updated
- 01/10/2025 22:05:30
Map
Description
Acres of estuarine/nearshore habitat improved through restoration activities
Progress Indicator Chart
Acres of estuarine/nearshore areas habitat restoration implemented or in progress, including all projects that began in fiscal year 2011 through fiscal year 2024.
Estuaries and nearshore areas are critical habitats in Puget Sound. These are boundary areas, linking the land and sea; estuaries and the nearshore create and support a diverse web of natural resources, flora and fauna, recreational opportunities, and valuable farmlands. Estuaries and the nearshore provide important feeding and resting habitat for young salmon, migratory birds, and many other species. Estuaries and the nearshore produce plant materials that fuel a rich food web as they decay.
These rich habitats are also attractive to human developments and Washington’s population is rapidly increasing. The population is expected to exceed 9 million by 2050, which will put additional demands on our limited supply of lands[i]. Given this pressure, it is important to continue protecting and restoring land while prioritizing projects that benefit both humans and wildlife.
This Progress Indicator measures the number of acres restored or in progress of restoration across the Puget Sound region in estuary and nearshore areas. The indicator can help us evaluate our success accelerating the pace of habitat restoration.
[i] Washington State Office of Financial Management (2024). Forecast of the State Population; November 2023 Forecast. Forecasting & Research Division, Office of Financial Management. https://ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/dataresearch/pop/stfc/stfc_2023.pdf
Key Progress Indicator Results
Over the baseline period (2011 through 2024), the number of estuarine/nearshore acres restored has declined, though the number of acres restored varied by year.
- The number of acres restored peaked in 2012 at 650.4 acres.
- On average, the region restored 211 acres of estuarine/nearshore areas each year over the baseline period.
- In recent years (2020 through 2024), the region restored an average of 123 acres of estuarine/nearshore areas.
This indicator currently only displays baseline information. Therefore, we cannot evaluate a trend and apply the “No Trend” designation. As we collect more information on this indicator, we will update this report to characterize its trend.
Methods
- Monitoring Program
Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office owns and manages the PRISM database. Lead Entities are local community groups, established by Washington state law, which establish and implement watershed and salmon recovery plans. These plans identify key restoration projects through unique approaches that balance what salmon need to recover and what is feasible to implement with available resources.
- Data Source
PRISM Online grant management database.
The estuarine/nearshore habitat restoration Progress Indicator tracks the acres of habitat restored through projects in estuarine/nearshore areas across Puget Sound. Habitat restoration data is tracked through Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO)’s grant management database, PRISM. This indicator relies on PRISM data to track habitat restoration in estuarine/nearshore areas over time.
Project sponsors document habitat restoration projects in PRISM by attaching specific metrics to their projects. This indicator tracks projects tagged with PRISM metric #136, total acres of estuary/nearshore area treated. Metric #136 includes specific activities in estuarine/nearshore restoration: channel modification, dike or berm modification/removal, tidegate alteration/removal, estuarine culvert modification/removal, removal of existing fill material, fill placement, regrading of slope, estuarine plant removal/control, shoreline armor removal or modification, beach nourishment, contaminant removal/remediation, debris removal, overwater structure removal/modification, exclusion devices, and estuarine planting. Project sponsors self-report the total acres treated by these varied activities based on their understanding of the project and site. This indicator uses this self-reported overall metric (#136) to avoid double-counting acres restored through multiple specific activities.
Habitat restoration data for active, active completed, and closed completed projects implemented between state fiscal year 2011 through state fiscal year 2024 are extracted from the PRISM database. Any project with a project type that includes “Restoration” are included – this dataset may therefore include Planning & Restoration projects, Restoration & Development projects, etc. The data are then filtered to include only projects tagged with RCO metric #136. The “Proposed” acreage value is displayed in the dataset for projects in the active stage. The “Final” acreage value is displayed in the dataset for projects in active completed or closed completed stages.
Data were manually reviewed and cross-referenced with Project Snapshots to confirm the value of acreages. Data were then organized by the state fiscal year in which they began, and data visualizations were created in either Microsoft Excel or Puget Sound Partnership’s reporting platform, PS Info.
Baseline period: fiscal year 2011 through fiscal year 2024
Limitations
The number of acres restored may change between the project’s proposal and its completion.
Data for this indicator include active projects, whose final acreages may be different from proposed acreages depending on a range of factors (land acquisition, equipment availability, site specifics, etc.). However, the Partnership reviewed a dataset of 251 completed projects with proposed and final acreage values and found that 84% of proposed values were within +/- 10 acres of the final value. There is thus a small degree of expected error as projects are completed and the final acres restored are documented. This indicator will be updated annually to include finalized acre totals as possible.
PRISM is not entirely comprehensive.
This indicator relies on PRISM, which is known to be an incomplete record of restoration in the Puget Sound. However, PRISM is the most comprehensive database of restoration projects available at this point. The Puget Sound Partnership is invested in exploring additional data streams and including them in the dataset for this and other habitat restoration Progress Indicators (e.g., floodplains restoration, riparian restoration).
PRISM use may vary across the region.
PRISM relies on project sponsors to self-report data on restoration projects. Project sponsors may differ in how they apply metrics to projects. However, Lead Entity Coordinators dedicate resources to training and supporting project sponsors as they submit their project data. The Puget Sound Partnership is also committed to supporting Lead Entities in the consistent use of PRISM.
- Critical Definitions
Estuary/nearshore:
- Estuary: tidally influenced areas where fresh and marine waters mix, including protected embayments (modified from PCSRF Data Dictionary 2013 and Encyclopedia of Puget Sound).
- Nearshore: marine riparian, beaches, and shallow water environments of Puget Sound estuarine and marine shoreline areas representing the aquatic boundary between freshwater, air, land, and the open marine waters of Puget Sound (Nearshore Science Team 2003).
Interpretation of Results
This indicator contributes to the 2030 Habitat Restoration Target for Puget Sound Salmon: by 2030, fund and implement 7,200 new acres of floodplain, estuarine/nearshore, and riparian restoration activities Puget Sound-wide. This target directs the region to fund and implement roughly 2,300 acres of estuarine/nearshore habitat restoration activities by 2030.
This indicator currently only displays baseline information. We are thus not yet able to evaluate change over time and apply the "No Trend" designation. As we collect more information on this indicator, we will update this report to characterize its trend. Updates will also allow us to evaluate progress towards the 2030 Habitat Restoration Target. At the time of this report, the region has not yet implemented the roughly 2,300 acres of estuarine/nearshore habitat restoration activities by 2030.
To understand changes in this indicator over time, it is important to listen to the experiences of Lead Entities and project sponsors that directly face barriers to proposing and implementing restoration efforts. The decline in restored acres in this habitat could be attributed to a variety of challenges, outlined further in the “Causes for Change” section.
Nearshore environments can be challenging areas to implement restoration. Shorelines are often privately owned, and erosion is a significant concern to many nearshore property owners[1]. More environmentally friendly alternatives to armor are also perceived as ineffective and expensive[1]. Estuary restoration also often requires expensive construction steps[2].
Additionally, Lead Entities work towards salmon recovery overall and thus do not exclusively focus on restoring estuarine/nearshore areas. A given Lead Entity may have focused their resources on floodplains, riparian, or forest restoration projects rather than estuarine/nearshore restoration in recent years.
[1] Francis. T. and A. Kinney (2018). Shoreline Armoring Vital Sign State of Knowledge. Puget Sound Institute. https://www.pugetsoundinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Final_SoK_Shoreline-Armoring__05.2018.pdf
[2] Habitat Strategic Initiative (2021). Floodplains and Estuaries Implementation Strategy: Restoring Puget Sound Floodplains and Estuaries; 2021 Narrative Update. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington Department of Natural Resources. https://pspwa.app.box.com/file/836288644995?s=c4vjba1kffsbfb87b157c00btkfvz8tz
-
Habitat restoration is possible through coordinated, integrated efforts of Lead Entities and their partners. Lead Entities must also be supported with diverse and flexible funding sources to tackle a variety of projects. Habitat restoration also requires staff knowledge and capacity to move forward with complex projects. Progress in this indicator is thus affected by:
- Access to flexible and predictable funding sources and capacity to use allocated funds for project implementation,
- Technical knowledge to propose and implement complex restoration projects,
- Staff capacity to manage contracts, collaborate with communities to identify restoration opportunities, and develop project proposals,
- Permitting processes, which can delay the implementation of projects,
- Landowner engagement and land availability, and
- Leadership support to implement restoration projects.
Datasets
The Puget Sound Partnership believes in the transparency and accessibility of the data used to address puget sound indicators. These data are provided by contributing partners to the Partnership and are made publicly available through the Puget Sound Info site. These data are available on an "as is" basis and the Partnership is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. Please acknowledge the monitoring program and data source when using these data and obtain permission from the Progress Indicator Reporter to use these data in a publication.
- Estuary/Nearshore Restoration Data
- Uploaded On
- 01/10/2025
- File Type
- Excel (XLSX)
- Description
- Data used to calculate estuarine/nearshore habitat restoration Progress Indicator. Last updated in December 2024. Source: PRISM, Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.
Reporting Guidance
- Reporting Instructions
Subcategories
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Estuarine/Nearshore Restoration |
New acres, Cumulative acres
|