People For Puget Sound has chosen to reduce staff during the incredibly difficult fundraising year that all non-profits are facing. The 20 year old organization, which recently saw the retirement of one of the founders, Kathy Fletcher, now faces the loss of Mike Sato, a co-founder and communications director. Also Policy people Dave Peeler and Bruce Wishart’s positions have been eliminated, with no announcement of how those key positions will be filled, or how the efforts to do lobbying and policy on behalf of the Sound will continue. Additional staff cuts in web design and other functions have been announced.
People For Puget Sound has been the largest non-profit environmental organization working solely on protecting the entire Sound. They manage a number of educational and restoration projects around the Sound, and these positions, according to new Executive Director Tom Bancroft, will continue. The staff is now at 19.
People For Puget Sound were at the core of many environmental efforts over the last ten years. They run Environmental Lobbying Day in Olympia each January, a consortium of many other groups. They also pushed for 10 years for the Neah Bay rescue tug, which was passed last year. Many of their staff and members were involved in the Critical Areas Ordinances and Shoreline Master Programs in many counties. Additionally, they wrote the proposals for creating Aquatic Reserves around Smith & Minor and Protection Islands, which resulted in nearly 64000 acres of seabed being protected from commercial exploitation. How these activities will continue was not specified in email sent out by Mr. Bancroft.
Bancroft did state that:
Many decisions are yet to be made, but high-impact investments this year will include restoring clean water in Puget Sound by reducing toxic pollutants and nutrients, helping with implementation of the new Oil Preparedness Bill; and continuing our successful habitat restoration programs at more than a dozen sites across Puget Sound.
People For Puget Sound must be able to get its message out, respond quickly to changing policies in Olympia and get the most benefit out of every restoration project.
It was not specified how he intended to do that, especially with the elimination of the communications and policy positions.
Bancroft, recently on the Pacific Northwest scene from a career with Audubon on the east coast, was on vacation this week and unavailable for comment. All of us who have been deeply involved in many projects with People For Puget Sound await some comment by Tom about how he intends to maintain the position of this premiere independent non profit given what seems like the end of core functions and people with deep experience in Olympia.
Of course, the best thing any of us can do for People For Puget Sound to help restore these cuts is to donate something to their cause. As funding gets back to better levels, it is hoped that Mr. Bancroft will restore their Olympia positions.
You can donate by going to their web site, www.pugetsound.org.
Filed under: Around the Sound |
Perhaps a job for one of the people laid off at People For Puget Sound? Shift over the the Puget Sound Partnership?
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/washington/default.cfm?action=viewJob&jobID=350154
A bright note: PSP is looking for a new and inspiring director of communications, says their FaceBook post today.