Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council to discuss 2026-2030 Action Agenda development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: Ian McCabe, 564.669.4628, [email protected] 

The Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council will meet on Wednesday, December 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Dumas Bay Centre (Osprey Room), 3200 SW Dash Point Rd, Federal Way, WA, 98023.

An all-virtual livestream of this meeting is available through TVW. We highly encourage partners and other members of the public to use this virtual option, if possible, to reduce carbon emissions.

TVW web link: https://tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2025121105

Public Comment: The Leadership Council welcomes both spoken and written public comment. You may provide spoken public comment in-person during the general public comment period as noted on the meeting agenda. Instructions are provided at the meeting. You may submit written public comment in advance of the meeting by emailing Wendy Loosle, boards policy advisor, [email protected], by 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 16. Written comment submitted prior to the meeting will be included in the meeting materials.

The agenda and meeting materials are available through our board meetings page: https://psp.wa.gov/board_meetings.php.

Meeting highlights include:

• A presentation and discussion about the Deschutes Estuary Restoration. Presentation by Tom Buroker, northwest region director at the Department of Ecology, Lynn Turner, environmental planner at the Department of Ecology, and Tessa Gardner-Brown, senior environmental consultant at Floyd|Snider.
  
  
• A presentation and decision about 2026 legislative priorities. Presentation by Don Gourlie, legislative policy director at the Puget Sound Partnership. Read more. 
  
  
• A presentation and discussion about Pay for Performance contracting. Presentation by Larry Epstein, deputy director at the Puget Sound Partnership, and Ahren Stroming, special assistant for federal affairs at the Puget Sound Partnership. Read more. 
  
  
• A presentation and discussion about federal updates. Presentation by Ahren Stroming, special assistant for federal affairs at the Puget Sound Partnership. Read more.
  
  
• A presentation and discussion about the development of the 2026-2030 Action Agenda. Presentation by Robb Kriehbel, planning manager at the Puget Sound Partnership. Read more.
  
  
• A presentation and discussion about the Puget Sound Implementation Plan. Presentation by Melissa Speeg, salmon recovery manager at the Puget Sound Partnership, and Ashley Bagley, salmon policy advisor at the Puget Sound Partnership. Read more.
  
  
• A presentation and decision about the 2027-29 Request for Proposals for the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) Large Capital Projects grant program. Presentation by Melissa Speeg, salmon recovery manager at the Puget Sound Partnership. Read more.
  
  
• A presentation and decision on the 2026 Boards Shared Priorities, followed by a discussion about cross-boards collaboration. Presentation by Tristan Contesse, boards program manager at the Puget Sound Partnership. Read more.

The full Leadership Council agenda and meeting materials are available through our board meetings page at: https://psp.wa.gov/board_meetings.php.

If you need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please notify Boards Program Coordinator Amber Raney at 564.999.0527, [email protected].

About the Leadership Council

The Leadership Council is the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Its seven members are leading citizens chosen from around the Sound and appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms. Dennis McLerran currently chairs the Leadership Council.

About the Puget Sound Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of government agencies, Tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits, the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda, advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.

For more information, go to www.psp.wa.gov.