Commencement Bay

Tacoma’s highly polluted Commencement Bay has been transformed from one of the most polluted spots in the country to one of the brightest spots of hope for environmental restoration. Now it is a national model for recovery; where restored habitats support critical populations of birds and fish alongside once heavily-polluted industrial areas.

The Commencement Bay Trustees which include NOAA, USFWS, Ecology, the Puyallup Tribe, and the Muckleshoot Tribe have worked diligently since 1998 to restore over 300 acres of habitat throughout the Puyallup River Watershed. Much of the habitat in the lower portion of the watershed has been injured by more than 100 years of pollution.

The Trustees developed the Commencement Bay Stewardship Collaborative (CBSC) to ensure that the habitat they created and the salmon and birds that depend on these habitats can grow and thrive.

The Trustees have entrusted the stewardship of these habitat restoration efforts to EarthCorps. Because of the CBSC, the Trustees and EarthCorps will be here to ensure these restoration sites continue to provide a healthy home for salmon and birds for future generations.

INTERACTIVE SITE MAP

EarthCorps has created a web map displaying the locations of all 17 NRDA Restoration Sites that the Commencement Bay Trustees have entrusted stewardship to
EarthCorps. The map also displays the dominant Functional Habitat Types present at each of the sites. These restored and protected habitats are now home to many species of salmon, birds and other wildlife.

Click the map image to the right (or here) to launch the interactive map application.

TRUSTEES

• NOAA Assessment and Restoration Program
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• The Puyallup Tribe of Indians
• The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
• The Washington Department of Ecology
• The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
• The Washington Department of Natural Resources

Click here to access NRDA Trustees resource documents