Salmon funding in governor’s budget: SURFboard request exceeds recommendation; council urged to submit comments on Action Agenda

Melissa, the Salmon Recovery Manager for the Puget Sound Partnership, briefed the council on state and federal funding developments that will affect salmon recovery work in 2026 and beyond.

She said the governor’s proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year includes reductions tied to a statewide budget shortfall but retains core services for partner agencies. "The governor's budget currently proposes funding at 11,000,000 [for SURFboard]," Melissa said, noting that SURFboard’s request was $20,000,000. She warned that if only the governor’s recommended amount is adopted, some high-priority projects would not be funded.

Melissa also reported that the Leadership Council approved the PSAR large-cap RFP without changes in December and that the Puget Sound Geographic Program received a $2 million increase in a recent federal appropriations bill—an unusual bipartisan win for the region.

She urged participants to review the draft 2026–2030 Action Agenda and submit comments (the public comment period was open through Feb. 3 when reported). Melissa added that the partnership will use its competitive PSAR large-cap grant round to pick two projects that could be nominated for SURFboard targeted investment funding (two regional projects, up to $7 million each).

Council members raised practical questions about earlier AOP grant rounds and about coordination on federal AOP awards; Melissa offered to connect a council member with the partnership’s strategic funding manager for details.

The council discussed the importance of coordinated advocacy and storytelling to make the case for supplemental capital funding and to protect programs that support project pipelines, monitoring, and the workforce that carries out restoration work.