Salmon-Safe certifies sites and accredits practices that protect water quality and native salmon habitat, providing public-facing endorsement of environmental performance. Salmon-Safe’s thorough, science-based standards make Salmon-Safe the most relevant land-use certification for the Pacific Northwest. As an independent third-party assessment program, Salmon-Safe works to ensure transparency with peer-reviewed standards informed by regional scientists and land use experts. Salmon-Safe certification rewards those who take real action and allows us all to support those actions in the marketplace. Building, farming, shopping, and living Salmon-Safe is a great way to be a Stewardship Partner.
Salmon-Safe Puget Sound supports Washington landowners from farmers to urban developers whose practices meet rigorous standards to protect and improve water quality for the sake of the health of our communities, Puget Sound and the waterways of Washington. As an indicator species, salmon tell us about the health of our Puget Sound watershed. The decline of salmon runs in the face of water quality degradation and habitat loss is one of the most pressing environmental concerns facing Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest today.
Stewardship Partners recognizes the crucial role farmers play in the protection of our watersheds and salmon populations, leading us to become an alliance partner of Salmon-Safe to implement the farm program in Washington starting back in 2004. As an eco-label, the Salmon-Safe brand recognizes and rewards farmers who adopt conservation practices that help promote healthy watersheds and protect native salmon habitat. Salmon-Safe farms produce products that include fruits, vegetables, cheese, milk, meats, grains, wine, beer, cider and flowers while sustaining healthy watersheds. To date, we have helped transition more than 100 different Washington farms and vineyards to the program — ensuring the restoration and maintenance of watershed health across tens of thousands of agricultural acres.
In recent years, the Salmon-Safe program has expanded beyond agricultural practices to include the built environment and urban sites as well. Urban development and campuses qualifying for certification under Salmon-Safe’s urban program must meet beyond-code standards for stormwater management, water quality protection; water conservation, and long-term strategies that provide benefits to restoring native habitat and urban ecological function. In addition to being a stand-alone program, Salmon-Safe certification contributes to the point system of other high-performance building certifications such as LEED and Built Green.
To date, we’ve awarded the Salmon-Safe eco-label to a multitude of high-profile development projects and campuses around Puget Sound including the University of Washington main campus, new Facebook and Google campuses at Seattle’s South Lake Union, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Sea-Tac Airport.
You can find out more about Salmon-Safe on their website at www.salmonsafe.org.
For more information about Salmon-Safe farms and golf courses, please contact Emma Vowels.
For more information about Salmon-Safe urban certification, work with local governments, and professional accreditation, please contact Dan Kent.
Explore Salmon-Safe certified farms throughout Washington and find out more about these local businesses and the different products and services they have to offer!
We hope you find this new map both insightful and useful. We invite you to learn more about these farms and find ways you can connect with them! And continue to check back as we add more farms to the map and update it with more information about farm crops.
For more information about Salmon-Safe farms, farm certification, or to provide feedback on this map, reach out to our Salmon-Safe Rural Program Manager, Emma Vowels.