Puget Sound Shoreline Strategy Report and Map

Puget Sound Shoreline Strategy Report

The Puget Sound Shoreline Strategy report assesses the amount of public shoreline in Puget Sound and provides an overview of significant trends impacting the public enjoyment of this resource. The report sets out TPL's conservation vision for the 12-county Puget Sound region and presents general conclusions about shoreline access around the region.

Download the Puget Sound Shoreline Strategy Report (11M PDF)

If you are unable to download the report, please contact TPL's Seattle office, (206) 587-2447, to request a copy on CD.

Shoreline Mapping Tool

In partnership with CommEn Space, TPL developed a mapping engine that allows the public to view the shoreline data used in the GIS analysis. Access the mapping tool.

Photo: Kent Whitehead

Those who live, work, and play in the Puget Sound region are privileged to experience its natural beauty and relax on its shores. With snow-capped peaks and rock-strewn beaches as a backdrop, Puget Sound is both critical to the area's regional identity and a vital recreational, ecological, and economic resource.

But population growth and land-use development patterns threaten this precious resource. With a population projected to increase by 30 percent over the next 20 years, action must be taken to protect and enhance the health of the marine environment and ensure residents and visitors have the opportunity to explore and enjoy the beaches and waters of Puget Sound.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is working to protect the beauty and natural environment of Puget Sound and enhance public shoreline use. Over the past decade, TPL has led the way in protecting shorelines throughout the sound. Working with a variety of local, state, and federal agencies, TPL has secured more than $50 million to protect public enjoyment of 22 shoreline properties-totaling 1,200 acres-that offer beach parks, bluff trails, and incredibly scenic vistas.

Photo: Kelly Balcomb-Bartok

To preserve and increase shoreline access throughout Puget Sound, TPL is collaborating with Native American tribes, local communities, public agencies, and other conservation groups to develop a regional conservation vision. Over the next 10 to 15 years, TPL will work with a variety of partners to identify priority areas for protection and secure new funding for communities to achieve local shoreline goals.

With a focused vision and ongoing dedication to connecting people with their surroundings, people in the sound will be able to fish off a pier, walk along the beach, launch a boat, or explore marine life within their communities.

Photo: Ernest Braun

Our Vision for Puget Sound

The Trust for Public Land is working to maintain and enhance the quality of life of our growing communities by providing more opportunities to connect to and experience the natural beauty of Puget Sound through beach parks, nature reserves, bluff trails, community piers, boat launches, and scenic viewpoints.

Our Goals

Over the next 15 to 20 years, TPL will work to accomplish the following:

Identify for acquisition priority shorelines via informed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses and community outreach efforts;
Double public shoreline access through new land acquisition, improved access to existing sites, and by connecting public tidelands;
Ensure public shoreline access every half-mile in major population centers and every five miles in more rural regions; and
Work with key partners to protect the best-remaining habitat in the region.

You may also download the addendum to the report, "Coastal and Shoreline Acquisition Funding Memo" below.

Posted 9/2005

FILE ATTACHMENTS:

Coastal and Shoreline Acquisition Funding Memo

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