“We only have two choices – do something or do nothing.” – Tony Kirwan

This quote appeared in my media feed in the spring of 2019.  It arrived as a caption for a photo of a faraway beach that was covered ankle-deep in plastic.  I was already aware of the many ways in which we mistreat our ocean – pollution, overfishing, carbon emissions, noise, urban development, etc. – but this quote got my attention.  With Into the Salish Sea, I am choosing to do something.

I live in the Salish Sea watershed, a few miles from the Puget Sound in Washington State.  If you live here too, take a walk around our local shorelines and stream banks.  What do you see?  On the surface, they don’t look like the garbage-choked beaches and waterways we see in media feeds.  Or do they?  Just because something is hard to see, doesn’t mean it’s not there.  More often than not, our waste is there, on the ground, and in our runoff, and it is flowing into the Salish Sea and our food web.

I wish waste was our only problem.  Add to it the noise from our ships, the increasing acidity from the carbon we pump into the air, the stream habitat we destroy, and the mismanagement of fish stocks, and what we have is a food web under attack.  If it collapses, it won’t only be the marine animals that suffer.  We will too.

I spent a decade of my professional life helping government and business leaders around the world use data and software to operate cities more sustainably.  Now I’m taking what I learned about making a difference in cities and am turning my attention to our corner of the ocean, the Salish Sea.  I’m taking classes, talking to smart people, reading, and visiting places to understand what we need to do differently.  While I have earned certification as a Marine Naturalist, I don’t pretend to know everything.  Not even close.  Nor have I taken every remedial action I can take.  This is the beginning of a journey – one that I will share with you.

Through this website and blog, I will share what I am learning about this exquisite ecosystem, shine a light on what experts are doing, and help you go deeper for more information.  Paraphrasing Jane Goodall… I hope that more understanding will lead to more caring and then to more action.

As residents of the Salish Sea ecosystem, we are responsible for its health.  We have a lot to do to fulfill that responsibility.  If we do it together, we can make a difference.  Thank you for coming this far.  I hope I can inspire you to choose to come further with me Into the Salish Sea.