States / Washington
Washington
Coastal Management
The focus is on managing coastal areas to increase resilience, with an emphasis on balancing environmental, economic, and human wellbeing. Mandated by the Coastal Zone Management Act, the two federal programs designed for this task are the National Coastal Zone Management Program and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Programs are administered, on the federal side, by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, in partnership with the coastal states.
State Programs
Coastal Zone Management
Washington Coastal Zone Management Program. Established in 1976, Washington was the first federally approved coastal zone management program. The mission is to protect, restore, and ensure the responsible development of the state's marine shorelines in Puget Sound and along the Pacific Ocean coast. The program covers 15 coastal counties and extends three nautical miles into the Pacific Ocean, excluding federal and tribal lands.
National Estuarine Research Reserves
Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Designated in 1980 and protecting 11,966 acres, the reserve conserves one of the largest beds of eelgrass in the contiguous United States—nearly 8,000 acres. Located in the northern reaches of greater Puget Sound, at the saltwater edge of the delta of the Skagit River in the Salish Sea, the reserve is eight miles long and three miles across. Habitats here support herring, smelt, salmon, flatfish, Dungeness crab, ducks, eagles, shorebirds, and peregrine falcons. Tourists, artists, and wildlife enthusiasts flock here for the pristine beauty, as well as for harbor seal and sea otter spotting. (See handout)
Impact Stories
Stories that showcase the recent work of this state's coastal management efforts.
- Issaquah Creek Instream Restoration at Lake Sammamish State Park, Washington
- Makah Ocean Data and Management Capacity, Data Sovereignty, and Student Engagement
- Improving our Coasts with High-Resolution Land Cover Data
- Restoring Padilla Bay’s Vital Tidal Marsh
- Quinault Indian Nation Participation and Engagement with the West Coast Ocean Alliance, a Regional Ocean Partnership
- Enhancing the Makah Tribe’s Engagement in Regional Ocean Planning and Management
- Quileute Indian Tribe Real-Time Hypoxia Monitoring Moorings
- Graveyard Spit Restoration and Resilience Project
- NOAA Strengthens Resilience Before, During, and After Disasters
- Largest-Ever West Coast Oyster Data Map
- Blue Carbon Enterprises Lessen Climate Change Damage
- NOAA’s “Green” Expertise Meets New Infrastructure Era
- Native Americans Play Critical Roles in Many NOAA Projects
- NOAA Boosts Coastal Hardiness
- NOAA Provides Assistance to Coastal Communities
- Washington Coastal Resilience Project Ups Hazard Readiness
- Community Leadership Paves the Way to Promising Erosion Treatment
*Fast Fact Sources:
People: American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates
Beaches and Estuaries: Shoreline Mileage of the United States
Employment and Economy:
Marine Economy for the Coastal U.S. States
Marine Economy for the U.S. Territories