Pierce County is teaming up with hundreds of organizations across Puget Sound to challenge residents to commit to at least one Sound-healthy action during May’s Puget Sound Starts Here Month.
“In Pierce County, we have many scenic vistas of mountains and Puget Sound reflected in our public waters,” said Pat McCarthy, county executive. “We can all work together to protect these amazing resources for future generations by together taking small actions that make a big impact.”
Some simple Sound-healthy actions:
- Fix auto leaks right away and take any used fluids to a recycling center.
- Pick up pet waste and place it in the trash.
- Use natural yard products like compost and mulch. If you use chemical pesticides and fertilizers, follow the directions and use them sparingly.
- Never dump anything – liquid or solid – into a storm drain or drainage ditch.
- Volunteer to help with local habitat restoration projects.
Local Puget Sound Starts Here Month activities include:
- 6:10 pm, Saturday, May 16 - Puget Sound Starts Here Night at the Mariners, get discount tickets at www.mariners.com/pugetsound
- 10 am – 2 pm, Saturday, May 30 – Puget Sound Starts Here Family Fun Day at Foss Waterway Seaport, Tacoma
Look for opportunities on the Puget Sound Starts Here events calendar at www.pugetsoundstartshere.org/events-list
Puget Sound matters
Puget Sound features 2,500 miles of shoreline. It is home to countless species, including orcas, sea lions, salmon and shellfish, as well as 4.5 million people who live, work and play across the 12 counties of Puget Sound. Puget Sound is the second-largest estuary in the nation, stretching from mountain snowcaps to Puget Sound’s whitecaps. Puget Sound includes farmland and cities, woodlands and industry, and all the places we love in between. Puget Sound creates economic opportunities for the area, including tourism, shipping, seafood and the region’s exceptional quality of life is a key reason many local companies stay and expand here.
The pressures that Puget Sound faces
Every year, millions of pounds of toxic pollutants enter Puget Sound. Much of that pollution comes from runoff. When it rains, the water flows over hard surfaces like houses, parking lots, driveways and streets, picking up pollution along the way. This polluted runoff flows through ditches or storm drains and into local waterways. Most runoff is not treated.
About Puget Sound Starts Here
Puget Sound Starts Here is supported by a consortium of more than 750 organizations across Puget Sound’s 12 counties, including state agencies, local governments, tribes, and non-governmental organizations working to clean up and protect Puget Sound and our region’s local waterways.
The goal of Puget Sound Starts Here Month is to raise awareness that Puget Sound is in trouble due to a variety of pollution sources and empower residents to make a difference through simple actions and local volunteer opportunities. Learn more about the bounty of Puget Sound and how you can help protect it at www.PugetSoundStartsHere.org.
Media Contact:
Tiffany O’Dell, Pierce County Public Works outreach coordinator
(253) 798-2468
[email protected]