PUGET SOUND VITAL SIGNS

Measures of ecosystem health and progress toward Puget Sound recovery goals
About the Vital Signs

The Puget Sound Partnership uses a system of Indicators to understand the region’s progress towards recovery goals. Indicators are one or more metrics that we track consistently over time with repeatable methods. Indicators typically have a desirable or undesirable state and tell us about a key dynamic of interest. Together, our indicators tell the story of short-, medium-, and long-term changes in human activities and ecosystem conditions in the Puget Sound. 

Vital Sign Indicators track the status and trends of ecosystem conditions. Vital Signs represent the components of the ecosystem important to the Puget Sound recovery community like streams, birds, and cultural wellbeing. Each component, in turn, is measured with one or more indicators. While the indicators measure ecosystem conditions and how conditions are changing, targets help to articulate the desired future condition, particularly in 30 to 50 years from now.

Progress Indicators track human activities that impact ecosystem health. 

What are the Puget Sound recovery goals?

The Washington State statute that created the Puget Sound Partnership defines recovery goals paraphrased as: healthy human population, vibrant quality of life, thriving species and food web, functioning habitat (which includes aspects of water quantity), and healthy water quality. The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency leading the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound in order to meet these goals.

What actions are being taken to improve Puget Sound health?

Actions happening throughout Puget Sound are designed to improve Vital Signs in the short-term and down the road. The Action Agenda charts the course to recovery and contains the region’s overarching strategies. Implementation Strategies are plans for achieving specific recovery targets. Find out more about the strategies and which ones connect to Vital Signs in the Puget Sound Info platform as well as the home pages of each Vital Signs (see section "Related Strategies").

How to cite the Vital Sign website?

Vital Sign pages: Puget Sound Partnership. Year. Vital Sign name Vital Sign. Vital Sign Reporter name, affiliation. Last updated month day, yyyy. Web address.  Example: Puget Sound Partnership. 2021. Beaches and Marine Vegetation Vital Sign. Vital Sign Reporter PSEMP Nearshore Work Group. Last updated May 30, 2023. Vital Signs | Beaches and Marine Vegetation (wa.gov)

Indicator pages: Puget Sound Partnership. Year. Indicator name Vital Sign Indicator. Lead Reporter name, affiliation. Last updated month day, yyyy. Web address.  Example: Puget Sound Partnership. 2020. Eelgrass area Vital Sign Indicator. Lead Reporter Bart Christiaen, DNR. Last updated November 28, 2022. Vital Signs | Eelgrass Area (wa.gov)

Who maintains the Vital Sign website?

The Vital Sign website is part of the Puget Sound Info platform. The website is a shared communication product. It is shared because many organizations contribute to and share the work of providing and curating content throughout the website. It is shared because the indicators are “shared measures” in collective impact speak. While Puget Sound Partnership staff manage the development and maintenance of the website (with financial support from the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Washington) various organizations contribute content and ensure data quality.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VITAL SIGNS

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS

PUGET SOUND RECOVERY 

  OTHER RESOURCES

FIRST GENERATION OF VITAL SIGNS