The puget sound climate resilient riparian systems lead cooperative agreement will work with local programs and landowners to voluntarily protect and restore puget sound riparian habitat in priority…

The puget sound climate resilient riparian systems lead cooperative agreement will work with local programs and landowners to voluntarily protect and restore puget sound riparian habitat in priority watersheds, supporting salmon recovery and resilience to climate change. This agreement will provide funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act for the washington department of ecology to implement the puget sound action agenda's riparian conservation and climate resiliency objectives, as described in the 2022 puget sound action agenda (particularly strategy 4 - riparian areas, and strategy 20 - climate adaptation and resilience), as well as tribal treaty rights and salmon recovery goals. The puget sound action agenda serves as the EPA-approved comprehensive conservation and management plan (ccmp) under section 320 of the clean water act.activities:the recipient will solicit and manage subawards that advance riparian management objectives, foster innovation, and ultimately increase our climate resilient riparian acreage in puget sound. Recipient will establish a program that identifies, pilots, and funds innovative approaches to working with landowners to protect, restore, and steward riparian areas. Regional, federal, state, and tribal implementation partners will be engaged to achieve broad, sustainable support for improved riparian management and expanded investments. Subrecipient:the lead will solicit and manage subawards that advance riparian management objectives, foster innovation, and ultimately increase climate resilient riparian acreage in puget sound. This includes setting up the agreements for subawardee coalition partners (state conservation commission, bonneville environmental foundation, and the puget sound institute), as well as a pass through subaward program for riparian conservation. Outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include convening advisory groups that provide key input to investments and approaches, and subawards funded to advance riparian area management and climate resilience. The short term outcome is to produce a geographic prioritization for riparian conservation, incorporating subject matter experts in riparian management and salmon recovery priorities. Long term outcomes include implementing innovative new approaches to incentivize riparian conservation, and making progress towards vital signs targets that support climate resilient riparian areas (e.g., acres protected, restored, treated for invasive species). Intended beneficiaries are western WA tribes with treaty rights to fish salmon, landowners engaging in voluntary conservation efforts, and the salmon recovery and puget sound restoration communities.