WSAS Annual Report 2022

It is my pleasure to report on the work and progress of the Washington State Academy of Sciences in FY 2022 (July 2021 – June 2022). We achieved success in several key areas:

• We completed two important projects that will inform policymakers on policy issues related to the use of natural resources – on Net Ecological Gain, and the Skagit Water Supply.
• We organized two workshops – one for stakeholders and one for scientists – on research that can inform the management of pinnipeds, given concerns about their predation on salmonids.
• We worked with community members in the TriCities, the northwestern part of the state and in Spokane to develop three community dialogues to discuss critical issues that have emerged due to COVID-19.
• We held an annual symposium on COVID-19: Science and Society, which focused on the health and scientific, community, and economic impacts of the pandemic as of the early fall of 2021.
• We welcomed 25 new elected members into the Academy.
• Our Board of Directors set ambitious new strategic priorities to guide our work for the next several years. Each priority strengthens the Academy and increases our capacity provide more members to engage in the Academy’s work, and thus provide utility to the state.

Finally, in FY 2022 the Governor and Legislature increased in our core funding. We are grateful for this momentous affirmation of the service we provide to Washington State, and look forward to engaging in many more important issues in the years to come.

John Roll
WSAS President
September 2022 – September 2024