CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION ratifying the 2017 update to the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed, or Water Resource Inventory Area 8, Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan.
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WHEREAS, the 2017 update to the Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 8 Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan (“WRIA 8 Plan”) is an addendum to the 2005 WRIA 8 Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan, and includes Chinook salmon population goals to achieve sustainable and harvestable populations, habitat restoration goals, recovery strategies, a list of priority projects and programmatic actions, and a monitoring and adaptive management plan, all of which are based on a scientific framework; and
WHEREAS, 28 local governments in WRIA 8 partner through an interlocal agreement (ILA) to jointly fund implementation of the WRIA 8 Plan through 2025 to advance their shared interest in, and responsibility for, addressing long-term watershed planning and conservation of aquatic ecosystems and floodplains for purposes of implementing the WRIA 8 Plan and improving watershed health; and
WHEREAS, the WRIA 8 partners recognize participating in the ILA and implementing priorities in the WRIA 8 Plan demonstrate their commitment to proactively working to address the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing of Chinook salmon; and
WHEREAS, the WRIA 8 partners took formal action in 2005 and 2006 to ratify the WRIA 8 Plan; and
WHEREAS, in March 1999, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries listed the Puget Sound Chinook salmon evolutionarily significant unit (“Chinook”), including the Cedar and Sammamish populations in WRIA 8, as a threatened species under the ESA; and
WHEREAS, an essential ingredient for the development and implementation of an effective recovery program is coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local agencies; tribes; businesses; researchers; non-governmental organizations; landowners; citizens; and other stakeholders as required; and
WHEREAS, local jurisdictions have authority over some habitat-based aspects of Chinook survival through land use and other policies and programs, and the state and tribes, who are the legal co-managers of the fishery resource, are responsible for addressing harvest and hatchery management in WRIA 8; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle values ecosystem health; water quality improvement; flood hazard reduction; open space protection; and maintaining a legacy for future generations, including commercial, tribal, and sport fishing, quality of life, and cultural heritage; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle supports cooperation at the WRIA level to set common priorities for actions among partners, efficient use of resources and investments, and distribution of responsibility for actions and expenditures; and
WHEREAS, the WRIA 8 Plan is one of 15 watershed-based chapters of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Puget Sound Partnership serves as the Puget Sound regional organization and lead for planning and implementing the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan, approved by NOAA Fisheries; and
WHEREAS, in WRIA 8, habitat protection and restoration actions to significantly increase Chinook productivity trends are necessary, in conjunction with other recovery efforts, to avoid extinction in the near term and restore WRIA 8 Chinook to viability in the long term; and
WHEREAS, the WRIA 8 Plan recognizes that salmon recovery is a long-term effort, and focuses on a ten-year implementation time horizon to allow for evaluation of progress and updating Plan goals and priorities; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle has implemented habitat restoration and protection projects, and uses the WRIA 8 Plan and salmon habitat recovery strategies and goals as guidance in its land use and public outreach policies and programs; and
WHEREAS, it is important to provide jurisdictions, the private sector, and the public with certainty and predictability regarding the course of salmon recovery actions that the region will be taking in WRIA 8, including the Puget Sound nearshore; and
WHEREAS, if insufficient action is taken at the local and regional level, it is unlikely Chinook salmon populations in WRIA 8 will improve and it is possible the federal government could list Puget Sound Chinook salmon as an endangered species, thereby decreasing local flexibility; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:
Section 1. The City of Seattle hereby ratifies the 2017 update to the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan, approved by the Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 8 Salmon Recovery Council in September 2017 (“WRIA 8 Plan”), included as Attachment A to this resolution. Ratification is intended to convey The City of Seattle’s approval and support for the following:
A. Conserving and recovering Chinook salmon and other anadromous fish, focusing on preserving, protecting, and restoring habitat with the intent to recover listed species, including sustainable, genetically diverse, harvestable populations of naturally spawning Chinook salmon.
B. Providing multiple benefits to people and fish through Plan implementation, including flood hazard reduction; water quality improvement; open space protection; and maintaining a legacy for future generations, including commercial, tribal, and sport fishing, quality of life, and cultural heritage.
C. Continuing to work collaboratively with other jurisdictions and stakeholders in WRIA 8 to implement the WRIA 8 Plan as updated in 2017.
D. Using the habitat goals and associated recovery strategies in the 2017 WRIA 8 Plan update as a basis for local actions recommended in the Plan and as one source of best available science for future projects, ordinances, programmatic actions, and other appropriate local government activities.
E. Supporting implementation of the WRIA 8 Plan’s Monitoring and Assessment Plan on a watershed basis, including an adaptive management approach to implementation and funding to address uncertainties and ensure cost-effectiveness by tracking actions, assessing action effectiveness, learning from results of actions, reviewing assumptions and strategies, making corrections where needed, and communicating progress.
F. Using the 2017 Plan project list; recommended land use, education, and outreach actions; and other actions consistent with the Plan as the suite of WRIA 8 actions to guide priorities for implementation and funding, including through grants, local capital improvement projects, ordinances, and other activities. Jurisdictions, agencies, and stakeholders can choose to implement these actions at any time.
G. Using an adaptive approach to funding the Plan both through local sources and by working together (within WRIA 8 and Puget Sound) to seek federal, state, grant, and other funding opportunities, and recognizing that funding assumptions, strategies, and options will be revisited periodically.
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2018, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2018.
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President ____________ of the City Council
The Mayor concurred the ________ day of _________________________, 2018.
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Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2018.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment A - Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8) Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan 10-year Update