WASHINGTON, D.C.
Washington: In Puget Sound, Federal, state, and county partners are implementing an innovative approach to accelerate conservation and resilience of natural resources and communities in coastal watersheds. The collaborative effort will help better align financial resources and authorities of Federal and agencies behind large-scale projects that deliver multiple benefits to the ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. Specific efforts include using flooding hazard scenarios and predictions to inform project selection and planning efforts for agriculture and other land uses. And in the Snohomish River watershed, Federal agencies are working with state, tribal, and NGO partners to restore tidal wetland habitats, increase flood storage capacity and restore floodplains, and identify the climate data resources floodplain managers need to make informed decisions.
The Great Lakes: In the Great Lakes region, efforts will focus on restoring coastal wetlands. Higher quality wetlands are essential to improving climate resilience, including through flood mitigation and storm water storage as well as serving as carbon sinks that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative is leading the effort, which spans Lakes Huron and Erie Coastal wetlands in Saginaw Bay to the Maumee River. Through the project, partners will develop a coastal wetland prioritization tool that will use wetland health and quality monitoring data collected over the past 5 years throughout the entire Great Lakes basin. When completed, this tool is expected to inform the selection of locations where restoration, enhancement, and protection of wetlands should occur.
View additional information on the four resilient landscapes, including maps and partners.
Source: Department of Interior
