That's a great question, Jimmy. Let me explain. For many many years, I lived in harmony with the shorelines of Puget Sound. I led a happy life—cavorting about in the mud, enjoying the company of salmon, and occasionally munching on a bit of eelgrass. But during the past century, something terrible has happened to my beloved shorelines. Pollution, overdevelopment, and invasive species have caused my native habitat to deteriorate significantly. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve taken to the streets—I’ve been calling out for help for years now, trying to get someone to listen to my tragic tale. All I want is for Puget Sound to be clean and healthy again. I miss the good old days, and I want to go home.

Fortunately, help has come at last. A wonderful group of environmental organizations—The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, and People For Puget Sound have come together in an historic alliance to clean up Puget Sound’s shorelines once and for all. These groups are doing it right. They’ve got a massive 10-year multi-billion dollar effort planned, starting with an $80 million dollar campaign in the first three-year phase. And they’ve planned a public engagement campaign to reach out to all three million people who live in the Puget Sound region.

But this is no ordinary campaign. It’s called MudUp, and it’s all about the spirit of fun and excitement and getting outside and getting muddy for a good cause. And the best thing about the campaign is that I get to be its mascot. Which means that I have a renewed purpose and optimism in my life. Puget Sound is finally getting some help. It’s no surprise that I’m smiling all the time these days. The times, they are a changin', and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to restore my beloved Sound back to health!