This project will engage a series of diverse stakeholders and communities to integrate existing biodiversity information into three multi-jurisdictional shoreline planning processes on Vashon and Maury Islands in the Puget Sound.
Islands make up a significant portion of the shoreline in Puget Sound. While they are significant habitats for biodiversity in the region, they often fall under multiple jurisdictions with no centralized decision-making body due to their geographic isolation and small human populations.
There are three main coastal resilience and ocean biodiversity planning efforts getting underway now: updating the Maury Island Aquatic Reserve Management Plan; implementing a recently released coastal hazards report; and revising a Shoreline Master Program. The Vashon Nature Center will convene state agencies, Tribal partners, local organizations (e.g., local naturalist groups), and more for three coastal connections meetings to:
- integrate biodiversity information into climate change and coastal resilience planning;
- host decision-makers leading all planning efforts and Tribal partners at local shoreline areas to ground information in real Island areas; and
- create summary briefs that capture agreed upon plans to integrate information into planning processes.
This project was funded in August 2026 as part of the 2026 Ocean Biodiversity Program Regional Engagement Grants.
