QA Environment
Basics
- Puget Sound Indicator Name
- Riparian habitat acquisition
- Progress Indicator
- Acre (acres)
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- Topics
- Floodplains (non-tidal) Management
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Laura Vary
- Contributing Partners
- Last Updated
- 12/17/2024 01:13:53
Map
Description
Acres of riparian areas acquired for conservation or future restoration activities
Progress Indicator Chart
Acres of riparian habitat acquisition implemented or in progress, including all projects that began in state fiscal year 2011 through state fiscal year 2024.
Riparian areas are critical habitats in Puget Sound. These areas border marine and freshwater systems and keep waters clean and cool, control erosion, moderate flooding events, and offer key habitat for numerous terrestrial, freshwater, and migratory species like salmon. Riparian habitats support a great diversity of wildlife and are frequently used by many different species[i]
Riparian areas have been degraded across Puget Sound over decades of population growth and development[ii]. Washington’s population is expected to exceed 9 million by 2050, which will put additional demands on our limited supply of lands[iii]. Given these pressures, 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 riparian areas. The indicator can help us evaluate our success accelerating the pace of habitat protection.
[i] Quinn, T., G. Wilhere, and K. Krueger (2020). Riparian Ecosystems, Volume 1: Science Synthesis and Management Implications, July 2020 update. Habitat Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
[ii] Puget Sound Partnership (2022). 2022-2026 Action Agenda for Puget Sound. Puget Sound Partnership.
[iii] 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 acres of riparian areas acquired has increased, though the number of acres acquired varied markedly by year.
- The number of acres acquired peaked in 2016 at 1,772 acres, though significant protections were also implemented in 2020 (1,418 acres).
- On average, the region acquired 843 acres per year over the baseline period.
- Since the peak in 2020, the region has not acquired as many acres. In 2024, however, the region has acquired or is in the process of acquiring 1,403 acres.
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 acquisition 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 riparian habitat acquisition Progress Indicator tracks the acres of habitat acquired for conservation or future restoration in estuarine/nearshore areas across Puget Sound. Habitat acquisition 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 acquisition in estuarine/nearshore areas over time.
Project sponsors document habitat acquisition projects in PRISM by attaching specific metrics to their projects. This indicator tracks projects tagged with PRISM metric #1726, acres of habitat acquired. The metric is further broken down into habitat types; this indicator tracks projects where “riparian” acres were acquired[i].
Habitat acquisition 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 “Acquisition” are included – this dataset may therefore include Planning & Acquisition projects, Acquisition & Restoration projects, etc. Projects must also acquire land primarily for habitat conservation or future habitat restoration efforts to be included in the habitat acquisition dataset. Projects may incur additional benefits beyond habitat restoration or habitat conservation (e.g., public access, open space preservation, farmland preservation).
The data are then explored and filtered to include only acquisition projects that acquired acreages in “tidelands” areas1. 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.
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 (number of properties acquired, landowner engagement, etc.). However, the Partnership reviewed a dataset of 328 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 acquired 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 acquisition in the Puget Sound. However, PRISM is the most comprehensive database of acquisition projects available currently. The Puget Sound Partnership is invested in exploring additional data streams and including them in the dataset for this and other habitat acquisition Progress Indicators (e.g., floodplains acquisition, estuary/nearshore acquisition).
PRISM use may vary across the region.
PRISM relies on project sponsors to personally submit data on acquisition 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
Riparian: freshwater areas above the ordinary high-water mark of the stream and within the floodplain of the stream/waterbody (PCSRF Data Dictionary 2013).
Interpretation of Results
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 acquiring properties. Changes to the number of acres acquired could be attributed to a variety of challenges, outlined further in the “Causes for Change” section.
Land acquisitions require significant resources including available funds, time, staff capacity, strategic planning, and robust community partnerships[1]. Acquisition projects are getting more challenging to implement, especially as the costs of land rise[2]. Acquisition is also often opportunistic, requiring local organizations to be at the ready with liquid funds when land arises to capitalize on newly available lands[3].
The baseline period reflects the opportunistic and varied nature of land acquisitions. Lead Entities also focus on many elements of salmon recovery, including protecting other habitat types and implementing complex projects to restore or improve acquired property. It is important to view acquisition data in the context of challenges associated with land acquisition and restoration.
[1] Wright, C.W. (2023). Selected NEP Watershed Lead Organization Grants Administered by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Ecology Part 2. Puget Sound Institute, University of Washington, Tacoma. https://www.eopugetsound.org/sites/default/files/features/resources/WatershedLOSynthesisPart2_Final_7.14.23.pdf
[2] Snohomish County (2019). Snohomish River Basin: Salmon Conservation Plan Status and Trends. Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery Forum, Snohomish, Washington. https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/71060/SnohomishBasin10YearReport_2019-12-30_reduced
[3]Guthrie, Caitlin (2018). “Creating Community Wealth: Debt as a Tool for Conservation”, Washington Association of Land Trusts Blog. Seattle, Washington. https://walandtrusts.org/news/creating-community-wealth-debt-tool-conservation/
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Habitat protection 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 protection also requires staff knowledge and capacity to move forward with complex projects. Progress in this indicator is thus affected by:
- Landowner willingness and property availability,
- Access to flexible and predictable funding sources and capacity to use allocated funds for project implementation,
- Capacity of assessor offices that evaluate land,
- Permitting processes, which can delay the implementation of projects,
- Staff capacity to manage contracts, collaborate with communities to identify opportunities, and develop project proposals,
- Political and leadership support to acquire land.
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.
- Riparian Acquisition Data
- Uploaded On
- 12/17/2024
- File Type
- Excel (XLSX)
- Description
- Riparian Acquisition Data, accessed via PRISM. Data used to assess the riparian habitat acquisition Progress Indicator. Last updated in December 2024.
Reporting Guidance
- Reporting Instructions
Subcategories
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Riparian Acquisition |
New Acres, Cumulative Acres
|