Purpose of the Octopus Award: To recognize individuals outside our program (i.e., not serving on the Board or in any kind of formal capacity) who have made significant contributions to the success of the SeaDoc Society and our mission in the Salish Sea. Past recipients include Malcolm Goodfellow (2004), Patti Moran-Hodge (2005), John Klacking (2007), Lynne Greene (2008), Compass Wines (Doug Charles and Will Parks, 2010), Bennie Osburn (2011), and Chris Dunnigan (2015).
Honorees: Martha Kongsgaard and Stephanie Solien
With their combined years of leadership on the Puget Sound Partnership as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, Martha Kongsgaard and Stephanie Solien have made countless contributions to the advancement of critical health initiatives for the Salish Sea. For their years of service dedicated to protecting this vital ecosystem, we are thrilled to announce Martha Kongsgaard and Stephanie Solien as our joint 2023 Octopus Award honorees.
Martha Kongsgaard served for nearly ten years as a founding member of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council. She worked alongside legendary advocates for the Salish Sea, including Billy Frank, Jr. and Bill Ruckelshaus, to move ecosystem resiliency forward in collaboration with tribes, state agencies, and federal partners. Further, Kongsgaard honored and highlighted the work of nonprofit organizations—including the SeaDoc Society—and, in her words, “without whom in large part government would not find the support (or the urging) to do what is right and often difficult.” Kongsgaard has served on the boards of the Bullitt Foundation, Resources Legacy Fund, Washington Conservation Action (formerly Washington Environmental Council), and currently chairs the Marine Resources Advisory Council for Governor Inslee. Kongsgaard’s leadership has helped establish the ongoing and critical role for the work of science organizations like SeaDoc, and affirmed the importance of science translation as a necessary component of the conservation movement for the wildlife and people that depend on the health of the Salish Sea.
For almost 8 years, Stephanie Solien served as a member, then the Vice Chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council and brought to the role incomparable knowledge of the diversity of efforts to protect the Salish Sea. Solien’s extensive experience in government and nonprofits, including her pivotal role in the creation of the 1993 Pacific NW Forest Summit and the Federal NW Forest Plan during her service in the Clinton Administration, exemplifies her dedication to safeguarding the environment for future generations. Her involvement on the boards of Farming and the Environment, Washington Conservation Action, and Climate Solutions—along with her philanthropic support for conservation organizations—make Solien an inspiring advocate for effective and collaborative efforts to protect this place we love. Furthermore, as co-chair for Governor Inslee’s Southern Resident Orca Taskforce from 2018 to 2019, Solien championed the use of science informed policy for recovery of one of the Salish Sea’s most endangered yet most iconic species, southern resident killer whales.
Martha Kongsgaard and Stephanie Solien also both serve on the advisory board for Western Washington University’s Salish Sea Institute, which spearheaded the 2021 State of the Salish Sea Report and organized the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference biannually since 2014. SeaDoc Society has had long-standing collaborations with the Institute, which was established as a transboundary resource for sharing science, policy, and ecosystem learning across the Salish Sea.
SeaDoc Society is proud to honor the many contributions of Martha Kongsgaard and Stephanie Solien in advancing the health of the Salish Sea with its 2023 Octopus Award, which was presented in person at the Wine & Sea Auction on July 22 on Orcas Island.
The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency leading the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. The Puget Sound Partnership brings together hundreds of partners to mobilize partner action around a common agenda, advance Sound investments, and advance priority actions by supporting partners.