Nisqually fish and wildlife habitats, including marine shorelines, wetlands and streams, provide many tangible and intangible benefits to residents in the watershed and in the South Puget Sound region. These benefits can be referred to as ecosystem and include:
- purification of the air and water;
- mitigation of floods and droughts;
- detoxification and decomposition of wastes;
- generation and renewal of soil and soil fertility;
- pollination of crops and natural vegetation;
- control of the vast majority of potential agricultural pests;
- dispersal of seeds and translocation of nutrients;
- maintenance of biodiversity;
- protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays;
- partial stabilization of climate;
- moderation of temperature extremes and the force of wind and waves;
- support of diverse human cultures; and
- providing aesthetic beauty.
Our Nisqually Ecosystem Services project is working with Olympia and other local communities that depend on Nisqually water to pioneer innovative financing tools for permanently protecting the forested lands that in turn protect the water.