StoryMap Advances Legislation to Address Salmon Recovery and Fish-Blocking Culverts

The Association of Washington Cities is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington’s cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and with regulatory agencies. In response to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, AWC needed to persuade the Washington state legislature to advance a watershed-based strategic plan to address local fish-blocking culverts. AWC’s goal was to make sure the state’s supplemental budget included funding for city-owned fish barrier corrections. Using spatial analytics and our expertise in designing interactive web-based tools, we illuminated the issue with an ArcGIS StoryMap.

To make the case that the state should fund city-owned fish barrier corrections, AWC asked FLO to help identify city-owned fish-blocking culverts located on the same streams as state-owned barriers. Using data from AWC, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, FLO performed a spatial analysis to locate city-owned barriers in proximity to and on the same streams as the state-owned barriers scheduled for repair in the next two years.

FLO used the results of the spatial analysis to develop a stunning data story. By incorporating narratives, images, maps, and charts, we transformed the nuts and bolts of a technical policy proposal into a persuasive visual journey that could be easily shared among legislators and the public. The Washington State Legislature adopted all three state supplemental budgets with elements that support the state’s more expansive vision to address fish passage, including strategic investment support for cities. This will inform the larger funding conversation in the state.