Parting Thoughts - Achieving Clean Water, Healthy Fish and a Strong Economy

by Ted Sturdevant, former Ecology director

In my final "Conversations on Washington's Future" message as Ecology's Director, I describe how the amount of Washington-caught fish that people eat affects Ecology's efforts to protect water quality, why more protective measures are needed, and why the issue has stirred so much debate.

While we have made considerable progress in reducing toxic

Conversations about Washington's future — water for people, farms and fish

By Ted Sturdevant, Ecology Director

Washington's future quality of life depends upon its water future.

What kind of future that is – whether it’s marked by fighting over an increasingly limited resource or whether it spurs creative solutions that meet multiple needs – depends upon how we approach the problem.

My latest Conversations on Washington's Future message offers an insider’s view of

Conversations about Washington's future — helping Washington respond to the growing threat of ocean acidification

By Ted Sturdevant, Ecology Director In the past several years, Washington's shellfish producers have seen significant increases in oyster larvae deaths. Some species aren't able to build their shells. Others species survive long enough to form shells, but they never reach market size.What is going on?A mounting body of evidence suggests that the ocean's chemistry is changing, due to increased

Conversations on Washington's Future: Do we need state environmental regulations?

By Ted Sturdevant, Ecology DirectorThis week, my Conversations on Washington's Future message describes how environmental standards support jobs and economic vitality — and what is at stake should those protections be weakened or eliminated.Sometimes we need to step back and remind ourselves of the basics — how clean water, clean air and clean soil benefit our lives and our state as a whole.The

Conversations on Washington's future quality of life

By Ted Sturdevant, Ecology DirectorToday, I am launching a new Web page, "Conversations on Washington's Future". I am hoping it will help stimulate a statewide conversation about what quality of life means to the people of Washington in the 21st century.Most of us would agree that quality of life includes an economy in which we can all prosper, strong communities and a healthy environment. The