Seeing the orcas swimming off San Juan Island ... Watching a sunset in Elliot Bay ... Kayaking in Bellingham Bay ... Puget Sound is truly one of Washington’s treasures.

We want to ensure a healthy future for the Sound, but wildlife populations such as orca, salmon and sea birds are in serious decline. Unless we take action to stop the biggest threats to the Sound’s health—mostly from pollution running off from industry and new development—we may be the generation that sees the last orcas playing in the Sound.

We have our best chance right now to write a new future for the Sound. The governor-appointed Puget Sound Partnership is planning its cleanup plan, and we need to let them know we want strong action to restore and protect the Puget Sound.

Decline in wildlife signals trouble in the Sound

Scientists studying Puget Sound have found an alarming trend: Marine life is disappearing, and fast. Dead zones are forming in the Sound. Salmon are at 10 percent of their historic population. Orcas in the Sound have recently been listed as an endangered species.

What’s the cause?

Waterfront industries are polluting the Sound, in many cases with permits in hand. Developers are building in a way that increases the chemicals and toxins flowing into the Sound and the streams that feed it and they are taking away critical habitat. And, in many cases, harmful chemicals from common household products are making their way into the Sound.

As a result, the Sound can no longer support the populations of fish that feed orcas and seals—and its even unsafe for swimming. The Sound is losing its ability to support life at every level of the food chain.

It’s time to preserve and restore the Sound

In order to rewrite the future of the Sound we need to act today. Last year, the governor and Legislature formed the Puget Sound Partnership to come up with a plan to clean up the Sound. We need to convince them to make that plan a strong one.

Action with an impact

The Puget Sound Partnership is now in the midst of creating a plan to clean up the Sound by 2020. We are calling for a plan that stops the pollution that is killing sea life and restores critical habitat.

The officials who make up the Partnership are hearing from the developers and industries responsible for polluting the Sound. Now they need to hear from us, the people who enjoy its beauty and appreciate the importance of the Sound as a habitat for orcas, salmon, seals and other wildlife.