Title
A MOTION expressing support for the Water Resource Inventory Area 9 Chinook salmon habitat plan covering the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound watershed.
Body
WHEREAS, both people and salmon depend on a healthy watershed, and
WHEREAS, Puget Sound Chinook salmon are an icon of the Pacific Northwest and were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act ("ESA") in 1999 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA"), and
WHEREAS, Puget Sound bull trout were listed as a threatened species under ESA in 1999 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Services ("USFWS"), and
WHEREAS, NOAA and USFWS can provide certain regulatory assurances to jurisdictions that have committed to a recovery plan, and
WHEREAS, NOAA and USFWS are required to develop and implement plans that address efforts to recover species listed under ESA, and
WHEREAS, the Water Resource Inventory Area ("WRIA") 9 Forum of Local Governments, represented by sixteen jurisdictions, has devoted seven years to the funding and development of a Chinook Salmon Habitat Plan for the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed, and
WHEREAS, the WRIA 9 salmon habitat plan has been developed by a steering committee of multiple interests to guide actions over ten years to put Chinook salmon and bull trout on the road to recovery, and
WHEREAS, extensive public involvement process and public review of the WRIA 9 salmon habitat plan were undertaken, and
WHEREAS, the WRIA 9 salmon habitat plan is a science- and economic-based plan that balances economic development with salmon habitat restoration needs, and
WHEREAS, the success of salmon recovery depends upon the cooperation of federal, state, local agencies, tribes, nongovernmental organizations, private citizens and other partners in allocating resources and implementing the WRIA 9 salmon habitat plan, and
WHEREAS, King County supports regional cooperation at the WRIA level to set common priorities ...

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