WE ARE PUGET SOUND
Discovering and Recovering the Salish Sea
WE ARE PUGET SOUND
Discovering and Recovering the Salish Sea
By David Workman, Leonard Forsman, Mindy Roberts and Brian Cantwell
Photographs by Brian Walsh and 20+ regional photographers
Foreword by Martha Kongsgaard
Other purchasing
A place where freshwater streams and rivers mix with the sea, Puget Sound is a magnificent and intricate estuary. This astonishingly beautiful waterway surrounded by mountains and forests supports an abundance of resident and migrating life, notably two iconic, interdependent endangered species: Southern Resident orcas and chinook salmon.
Created in partnership with Washington Environmental Council and brought to life by a coalition of Northwest partners, We Are Puget Sound provides inspiration as well as actions individuals and businesses can take to reverse these trends. Experience the region on this stunning visual journey through the complex web of marine and terrestrial wildlife, regional economies of fishing and agriculture, and through the lives of the people who call this place home. Essays by writer David Workman, Suquamish Tribe chairman Leonard Forsman, and WEC Puget Sound program leader Mindy Roberts, alongside striking images from Brian Walsh and more than a dozen other professional photographers bring this place to life.
““It’s up to each of us, the people of the Salish Sea, to take action so that future generations can experience clean water, abundant salmon, resident orcas, and thriving communities.”
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““Let’s ask ourselves as we absorb this history and stories, what we would attempt, what we would safeguard and with what vigor, how we would live if we thought we couldn’t fail . . .”
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About the contributors
This book and multimedia campaign is being launched in collaboration with Washington Environmental Council, a seasoned and respected nonprofit engaged with public policy at the highest levels in government and community.
DAVID WORKMAN (Writer)
David is a Washington State writer and editor. David was a journalist at several newspapers before entering public service as communications and education director for several state agencies in Washington and serving as executive editor of state-published books and websites on natural resources, environment, social and health services, and technology.
BRIAN WALSH (Lead Photographer)
BRIAN WALSH is an environmental planner and nature photographer who has spent thirty years exploring the coastal lowlands and mountains of the Pacific Northwest with his camera.
MINDY ROBERTS
Mindy leads the People For Puget Sound program at the Washington Environmental Council, advocating for clean water, healthy habitat, and renewed leadership to recover and protect Puget Sound.
MARTHA KONGSGAARD
Kongsgaard, a lawyer, married Peter Goldman in 1988 and collaborated with him to found the Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation, which has invested in not-for-profit environmental, social justice, and arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
LEONARD FORSMAN
Leonard has served as tribal chairman of the Suquamish Tribe since 2005 and is president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. His interests include cultural preservation, sustainable economic development, and habitat protection.
BRIAN J. CANTWELL
Seattle native BRIAN J. CANTWELL retired in 2018 as Seattle Times travel and outdoors editor. After living on a sailboat on the Columbia River and Puget Sound for more than twenty-five years, he and his wife, Barbara, share a cabin with their two cats in the San Juan Islands.
successes
2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Award— West-Pacific, Best Regional Nonfiction category
2019 Nautilus Book Awards Silver Award— Ecology & Environment category
2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist— Regional category
If you would like to donate to support the events and programming for this campaign use this form OR by sending a check to Braided River with the subject line “Puget Sound” to:
Braided River, 1001 SW Klickitat Way Ste 201, Seattle, WA 98134.
If you would like to make a donation through a donor advised fund, or have any other questions please contact Melissa Burrell at mburrell@braidedriver.org.
Thank you to the individuals, businesses and conservation groups who are making this book and campaign possible.
orca champion
Keta Legacy Foundation
salmon streamkeepers
Salmon Defense, Woodland Park Zoo, Sea Grant Washington, Maggie Walker, Martha Kongsgaard and Peter Goldman, Sally and Warren Jewell
Salish stewards
Argosy Cruises, Brianne L. Vanderlinden, Eric and Dana Hooper, Forterra, Helen and Arnie Cherullo, Jens Molbak, John E Spring Family, Karen and Rick Dinicola, Kate Janeway, Katie Geraghty and Tom Ostrom, Marek Karbarz, Maya Cailean Mullaney, Mindy Roberts, Pam Sheets and Frank Bosl, Richard B. Levenson, Roger Mellem, Ron and Eva Sher, Scott and Joyce Reynolds, Seattle Aquarium, Sheri and Jeff Tonn, Sophia Roche, Tom Vogl, In loving memory of my sister Elizabeth, Zoe, the sweetest dog ever
geoduck groundswell
Alan Budwill, Alex Sidles, Alison Crabb, Amber Carrigan, Anonymous, Aoife Frost, Audrey, Nathan and Dell Royston, B Glosten, Barbara J. Sprecher, Brock Evans, Brynne Koscianski, Cascadia Climate Action, Cathy Silvey and Dick Wood, Chapman J. Root II, Charlotte Watts, Chris Townsend and Daniel Desmarais, Christopher Peñuelas, Chuck Neudorf, Dan Carmichael and Cynthia Whitaker, Dave Griswold, David Brown and Christina Rockrise, David Claar, Ed Chamberlain, Elizabeth M. Watson, Pam and Eric Linxweiler, Evy Dudey and Mark Glidden, Gianna Cannataro and Gabe Aeschliman, Gretchen Glaub, In memory of Helen Engle, Hendrickson Temkin Grandchildren, Isabel Davis, John Scurlock, J Team, James Bernard, James Syck, Jim Burke and April Gerlock, In memory of Jim Leavitt, John Ohlson, John Sharp, Jonathan Heller, Julie Myer, Kara, Jeff, Kaelyn and Bryer Stone, Kate Rogers and Tom W. Clark, Ken Lans, Kevin and Marty Schafer, Leslie Boies, Liz Banse, In memory of Mark S. Cable, Malieka Robinson, Martina and Michael Kozar, Melissa Brumer and Ben Kossick, Melissa Mager and Rick Butler, Melody Allen, Monica Fisk, Naki Stevens, The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, In honor of Owen Humbert, Paula K. Berman, Ramesh Chitra Aishwarya and Karishma Mandyam, RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, Rights of the Salish Sea, crsji.org, In honor of Roald Bradley Severtson and Liz Gallagher, Salmon Bay Paddle, Stewardship Partners, in honor of Patti Southard, Sue Labrie, In honor of Susan Kennedy and Eric Hall, The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, The Peterson family, Tonia and Jay Goyal, Tyler Dunning, Virginia Felton and Jeff Hancock, Wade McNaul Family, In honor of Wavey Shreffler, Waypoint Outdoor
Media PArtner
Special thanks to our media partner YES! Media. YES! Media inspires people to build a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world.