The PMEP-funded project, Zangle Cove Bulkhead Removal, was named a National Fish Habitat Partnership 2024 Waters to Watch Project. Managed by the Thurston Conservation Districti, this project removed 200 linear foot of bulkhead along the marine shoreline of South Puget Sound. The project restored spawning habitat for beach spawning fish (e.g., surf smelt and sand lance), restored shoreline sediment transport processes, and restored shoreline riparian vegetation providing multi-species benefits. The project was implemented on private residential waterfront property near Olympia, Washington. It is an important example of regional work underway to reduce harm from hard armoring on private waterfront property throughout Puget Sound. Numerous organizations are operating under the umbrella of the Shore Friendly program, supported by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program and other partners. The Shore Friendly program is a multi-organizational effort that aims to motivate residents living on marine shorelines to remove bulkheads and preserve natural shorelines, in order to support recovery of Puget Sound’s salmon and orca populations (among other species). Shore Friendly promotes a shoreline stewardship ethic that embraces natural coastal processes that support nearshore ecology.
Projects
PMEP provides funding for high-priority projects along the West Coast that improve habitat for juvenile fish or advance understanding of their habitat needs.
Funding
Every year, PMEP provides funds to local projects that advance the mission of PMEP. Learn more about our annual call for proposals.
Data
PMEP is working to advance regional and local knowledge of marine and estuarine fish habitats. PMEP compiles habitat and fish data through West Coast-wide assessments and is creating a spatial data framework that will help inform restoration practitioners.