West Seattle, Washington
03 Thursday
(Raw Seattle Channel video of mayor’s announcement on Queen Anne this morning)
“Congestion pricing” – tolls on city roads – is getting all the buzz from the mayor’s announcement today about what she wants to do to fight climate change. But that’s only part of the announcement. Here’s the news release from the mayor’s office:
Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced new bold actions in Seattle to reduce carbon pollution from our transportation and building sectors and make Seattle a national leader in fighting climate change. As part of Seattle’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, this set of short-term and long-term actions provides a roadmap for our City to act in the absence of federal leadership, particularly on leading contributors of greenhouse gases: transportation and buildings.
“Seattle can lead the world by taking bold action to reduce our carbon footprint while protecting our communities from the worst impacts of climate change. We are already seeing these impacts – from wildfires that choke our air to extreme rain events flooding our streets – and they are being disproportionately felt most in communities that are already disadvantaged,” said Mayor Durkan. “Our actions to reduce emissions from transportation and buildings will help create a healthier and more just city, with a stronger economy.”
Two-thirds of Seattle’s climate emissions result from road transportation. While Seattle is leading to reduce single occupancy vehicle trips, this strategy identifies actions that will reduce the climate and air pollution from Seattle’s cars and trucks by using Seattle City Light’s carbon-neutral electricity, including:
Improving mobility through congestion pricing in the upcoming years. At the conclusion of a new SDOT-led study, the City will develop a strategy over the next few years to address congestion and transportation emissions through pricing, coupled with investments in expanded transit and electrification in underserved communities.
Electric vehicle readiness ordinance for new construction. Mayor Durkan will transmit legislation requiring the inclusion of electric vehicle infrastructure in new construction or renovation that includes parking.
Green Fleet Action Plan update. Already a national leader in building a clean energy fleet, the city will update the Green Fleet Action Plan to phase out the use of fossil fuels in all fleet vehicles.
Ride share and taxi fleet electrification. The City will work with stakeholders to develop recommendations for electrifying all rideshare vehicles and taxis in Seattle. …
After transportation, building energy is the second largest source of climate emissions, which is why Mayor Durkan has introduced two bills to unlock more energy efficient buildings:
Creating the City’s Most Sustainable Buildings. Announced by Mayor Durkan in her first State of the City, this pilot will offer additional height and floor space incentives for up to 20 major renovations in urban centers for significant upgrades in energy and water use, stormwater management, and better transportation efficiency based on the standards to create carbon neutral buildings.
Energy Efficiency as a Service (EEaS). Expand City Light’s successful, first in the nation, pay-for-performance energy efficiency pilot program to eliminate barriers that keep building owners from investing in deep energy efficiency upgrades. …
With many buildings and homes still using fossil fuels as a primary energy source for heating and cooling, the new actions that address building energy use include:
Oil to heat-pump conversion. Develop a funding strategy to accelerate the transition of 18,000 homes from heating with oil to an electric heat pump, including financing the switch for low-income residents.
Extending and expanding municipal building energy efficiency program through 2025. Currently on track in meeting the 20 percent by 2020 goal, Mayor Durkan will nearly double the funding through 2025, aiming to cut energy use and carbon emissions nearly 40 percent in our buildings. …
Finally, as part of the City’s ongoing commitment to leading by example, the strategy calls for City departments to assess the GHG emissions and cost impact of City plans, policies, and major investments. The Office of Sustainability & Environment will be responsible for tracking the progress of these climate initiatives and reporting back to City Council.
The ellipses above mark three spots where we omitted non-mayoral quotes for length. The full news release, including those quotes, is here. You can also see even more details in this PDF that is linked in the release (elaboration on congestion pricing, for example, is on page 14):
SIDE NOTE: The congestion-pricing study was mentioned here while the council was going through the budget process last fall, specifically in relation to whether it might help with diversion once the Highway 99 tunnel opens. The only other mention of the phrase in our past coverage was 10 years ago, also during discussion of the post-Alaskan Way Viaduct future.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
On a morning when rain was busily washing the air clean, the Port of Seattle hosted an event in West Seattle to talk about progress in reducing air pollutants related to maritime industry.
The occasion: The newest report from the Puget Sound Maritime Air Forum, described in the announcement as “a committee of seven ports, six government agencies, and three industrial partners” (most listed here). They first started tracking maritime-related emissions in 2005, and the report shows some major decreases.
To showcase the newest results of the every-five-years study – the Puget Sound Maritime Air Emissions Inventory – the port invited media to the Terminal 5 administration building to hear from reps of many participating organizations and to see examples of what’s being used to take less of a toll on the local air.
Those examples included semi-trucks powered with alternative fuel (top photo) and jars showing the dark heavy-oil fuel that’s declining in use, next to lighter fuel whose use is on the rise:
Opening the event, Seattle Port Commission president Courtney Gregoire described the report as “good news.”
She says it’s a “voluntary effort” that launched more than a decade ago. It “informs our strategy about future investments” among other things, and she says it is a reminder that “climate change is real.” This is the third inventory since 2005. The international standard for fuel has factored into it.
This is the first one that has tracked “black carbon” though it doesn’t remain in the atmosphere for long. And she says it shows good news though what they’re serving has grown, including the Seattle cruise boom. “It comes with a cost,” of course, she notes.
(WSB file photo from past Recycle Roundup)
Exactly one month from today, Fauntleroy Church hosts the spring Recycle Roundup, a free drive-up/ride-up/walk-up dropoff event for a wide variety of recyclables. But this time around, the company that partners with the church, 1 Green Planet, has made some changes to what it’s accepting, so you’ll want to take a close look at the new list if you’ve been saving up items to drop off. In particular, notes Judy Pickens, “Books are now on the list, for instance, but freezers and refrigerators are not any longer.” The hours are the same – 9 am-3 pm, Sunday, April 22nd, in the lot at 9140 California SW.
Our area’s precious green spaces can’t be taken for granted. In realization of that, the Fauntleroy Watershed Stewardship Fund was announced earlier this month, and we have an update from creek steward Judy Pickens:
The fund to enable ongoing stewardship of Fauntleroy Creek and Fauntleroy Park now has $3,600 toward its initial goal of $30,000.
The Fauntleroy Watershed Council announced the fund on March 1 in the wake of ever-decreasing grant funding for restoring and maintaining Seattle’s natural areas. EarthCorps, an international conservation training program, is accepting tax-deductible donations on behalf of the council and its trainees will do the lion’s share of the work that’s funded.
“This early response is greatly encouraging,” said Peggy Cummings, a member of the council’s executive committee. “Our main concern is being able to maintain restoration already done at public expense so those investments aren’t lost.”
Ensuring that the creek is safe for students is a particular focus for donations. Volunteers will be hosting 19 salmon releases starting April 27, which will bring an estimated 750 students to the watershed.
Find out more about the fund at the council’s table at Tuesday night’s Fauntleroy Food Fest, 6 pm in the Hall at Fauntleroy, or at www.fauntleroywatershed.org.
The FFF is the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s annual membership meeting – community members are invited to enjoy tastings from local restaurants, to find out more about what’s going on in the community – with a multitude of groups (like the Watershed Council) and agencies participating – and to renew FCA membership. (The Hall is at 9131 California SW.)
Two ways to go green this St. Patrick’s Day (next Saturday, March 17th) without leaving the peninsula:
BEACH CLEANUP: The photo is from Puget Soundkeeper, which invites you to help clean up Alki, for the benefit of life offshore as well as onshore:
Marine debris includes human-made trash, litter, discarded equipment, and other solid material that enters our waterways and oceans and ends up floating out to sea or fouling our beaches and shorelines. Ninety percent of marine debris is plastic, which breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, accumulates pollutants, and ends up in wildlife and in the food we eat. Through ingestion, strangulation, entrapment and injury, marine debris kills and injures thousands of animals every year. Due to the long life of these products, litter and debris will continue to harm the environment until someone comes along to clean up the mess.
Soundkeeper holds cleanups around the Puget Sound region to get trash off our shorelines and out of our waterways, and works to support policies that can move us towards more responsible consumption habits and waste management infrastructure. Cleanups are open to everyone and only require a willingness to get dirty! Soundkeeper will provide trash bags, grabbers, and gloves and will help properly dispose of trash when finished.
Time: 10 am – 12 pm. Location: Alki Beach (1702 Alki Ave SW) The 37 bus runs adjacent to the beach. Free street parking is available along Alki Ave SW. Volunteers will meet up at the Statue of Liberty Plaza near the beach.
What to bring: Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Wear athletic clothing that can get wet and/or muddy, and bring an extra set of clothes if you wish to change afterwards. Old tennis shoes are a good option if you don’t have water shoes. If it is sunny, consider wearing a hat and sunscreen and bring plenty of water. All cleanup equipment is provided.
Waivers: Everyone will need to sign a Puget Soundkeeper waiver. Participants under 18 will need a guardian to sign the waiver on their behalf. To RSVP: Call 206-297-7002 or email Hillary (hillary@pugetsoundkeeper.org)
GO GREEN WITH SWS @ C & P: Then on Saturday night, as announced by Stu Hennessey of Sustainable West Seattle:
Sustainable West Seattle is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and the saving of a West Seattle green space and public gathering area, C & P Coffee.
Celebrate the GREEN and the victory of C & P Coffee keeping their very public, open Green Space and valuable community small business. This is a victory for all of us! There will be music and the usual menu from C&P available for purchase. We will be glad to talk to you about being GREEN in West Seattle.
Saturday, March 17th, from 6:30 to 9 pm at C & P Coffee, 5612 California SW.
(Photo courtesy Seattle Audubon)
Lots of nature fans in WSB-land. If you’re among them, this volunteer opportunity from Seattle Audubon just might be something you would enjoy:
Help Sanislo and Lafayette students have FUN!
Finding Urban Nature (FUN) is Seattle Audubon’s free environmental education program in Seattle Public Elementary Schools. The program needs volunteers at Sanislo and Lafayette Elementary Schools for lessons in April and May.
FUN introduces 3rd and 4th grade students to the nature in their own schoolyard habitat, and examines how each organism depends on others to survive. Volunteers lead small groups of four to six students through a series of outdoor investigations, which teach kids to use their senses and scientific practices to discover the importance of urban biodiversity firsthand.
Volunteers devote about two hours a week for four weeks to lead 4-6 students through each lesson, with the support of the school’s FUN Team Leader and classroom teachers. No previous teaching or science background is necessary. Training is provided and a background check is required.
FUN trainings are held at the end of March and in early April. Contact Wendy at FUNvolunteer@seattleaudubon.org or call 206-523-8243 ext. 110 if interested.
(Photos courtesy Fauntleroy Watershed Council)
By Dennis Hinton
Special to West Seattle Blog
If you value natural areas in West Seattle and want to keep them healthy and safe, you may now make a tax-deductible donation toward ongoing stewardship of two of them: Fauntleroy Creek and Fauntleroy Park.
Initial goal for the new Fauntleroy Watershed Stewardship Fund is $30,000.
The Fauntleroy Watershed Council has arranged for EarthCorps, a 501(c)3 international environmental training program headquartered in Seattle, to receive one-time and monthly donations to the fund. Gifts will help pay for work along the creek and in the park that otherwise would not be funded.
“We’ve made a lot of progress since 1989 in restoring natural features of the neighborhood, primarily
with $2 million in public and foundation funding,” said Judy Pickens, a member of the council’s executive committee. “In recent years, grants have become so scarce that we’re in danger of losing these gains.”
Of particular concern is maintaining the safety of areas used as both classroom and lab by the nearly
11,000 students who have visited the creek and park since 1995 to learn about clean water, a healthy
environment, and salmon-friendly habitat.
Pickens noted that governmental priorities have shifted just when the effects of climate change are becoming evident. Peak flows in the creek are now seven times what they were in 2007, putting pressure on weirs designed decades ago for milder conditions. Also, summer droughts have become the norm, threatening vegetation that holds soil and cools the water for salmon and other aquatic life.
The $30,000 would fund permits, design, supplies, and EarthCorps labor to upgrade weirs and vegetation in the lower creek to withstand heavy flows and improve bank stability, spawner access, and student safety over the long term.
“The work that’s now needed is often too hazardous for volunteers or it requires the expertise and equipment of contractors,” explained Peggy Cummings, one of two volunteer forest stewards for the watershed. “This fund gives residents a tangible way to continue to be involved.”
You can donate:
-Online. Go to the donation page at earthcorps.org, select “This gift is in honor or memory of someone,” and write “Fauntleroy Watershed Stewardship”
-By postal mail. Write “Fauntleroy Watershed Stewardship” on the memo line of your check and mail to Development Office, EarthCorps, 6310 NE 74th St., #201E, Seattle, WA 98115.
-In person. Give your check to any member of the council’s executive committee: Judy Pickens
(judy_pickens@msn.com; 206-938-4203), Peggy Cummings (peggyc@seanet.com; 206-369-4830), or Dennis Hinton (denhinton@msn.com; 206-937-1410).
For a full prospectus, stop by the council’s table at the March 20 Fauntleroy Food Fest or visit www.fauntleroywatershed.org/donate.html, where you’ll also find the 2017 watershed annual report.
(Added: King County photo)
Another ceremonial groundbreaking today – this one, just outside West Seattle, at the sprawling site that used to hold several business buildings, including a Taco Time and service station, just east of the north end of the 1st Avenue South Bridge [map]. The announcement from King County:
King County Executive Dow Constantine today led the groundbreaking ceremony for a major infrastructure project that will protect the water quality of the Duwamish River and the surrounding community.
(Rendering of now-under-construction Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station)
The Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station will treat up to 70 million gallons of polluted stormwater runoff that currently flows into the Duwamish River during severe rainstorms. It is the first of eight capstone projects that will complete King County’s four-decade work to control the combined sewer overflow that still occurs in parts of Seattle where sewer lines were installed in the early to mid-20th century.
“Today, we start work on a major King County infrastructure project that will protect the Duwamish River from stormwater pollution for the next century,” said Executive Constantine. “This is a key part of our broader effort to protect Puget Sound, restore salmon habitat, and honor treaty rights.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency selected it as one of a dozen projects nationwide that qualifies for low-interest loans through its highly competitive Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program. King County’s project in Georgetown is eligible for $134.5 million in loan funding, which would cover nearly half of the cost and potentially save sewer ratepayers up to $34 million.
“EPA’s new infrastructure finance and loan program aims to accelerate local investments in regionally significant and innovative water infrastructure projects,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Chris Hladick. “King County’s wet weather treatment station will build on EPA’s renewed efforts to update our nation’s water infrastructure. Completing this project will help restore and protect the Duwamish River and Puget Sound, which are among EPA’s top priorities in the Pacific Northwest.”
King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division conducted extensive community outreach throughout design phase to ensure the $262 million project reflects the local character. The sustainable design includes a green roof and cisterns to filter and collect stormwater. King County will also plant trees to improve air quality in the Georgetown neighborhood, which has one of the highest asthma rates in Seattle.
The treatment station will also provide a space for school programs and environmental education.
The five-year construction project will also generate family-wage jobs in the community. It is one of three King County construction projects that are part of a pilot program, Priority Hire, which requires contractors to train and hire construction workers living in local ZIP codes with high levels of poverty and unemployment.
In 2017 and 2018, King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division is leading more than $400 million in major capital programs that will build and upgrade existing infrastructure. The projects will create more than 900 family-wage construction jobs.
The WTD has had stormwater-related projects in West Seattle in recent years – most notably the Murray Wet Weather Facility across the street from Lowman Beach, completed last year.
(WSB photo: ‘Diver Laura’ James, left, demonstrates virtual-reality viewers at Sustainable West Seattle meetup)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Over its decade-plus history, Sustainable West Seattle has launched and/or nurtured a multitude of community-enhancing projects.
Among the biggest: The West Seattle Tool Library and the annual GreenLife expo at West Seattle Summer Fest.
SWS also supports West Seattle Meaningful Movies, the West Seattle Timebank, Hate-Free Delridge, and more, as listed by president Stu Hennessey toward the start of last night’s SWS meetup at the Senior Center/Sisson Building in The Junction.
But even more than projects and programs … the biggest change can be made in cumulative small actions by people who care, and that was the theme.
(Orcas seen with West Seattle in background, 2009 photo by Terry Wittman)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“Our theme for this year is matching our learning with action,” says The Whale Trail‘s executive director Donna Sandstrom.
She made that declaration toward the start of her West Seattle-based, but far-ranging, organization’s latest event, an educational/social/inspirational gathering at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) a month and a half ago. The featured topic was the salmon on which Southern Resident Killer Whales – our region’s endangered resident orcas – depend. How to help ensure their survival, and that of the SRKWs, was the focus of guest Jeanette Dorner, executive director of the Mid-Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group, speaking to TWT for the third time. Dorner said she has been working for 20 years to restore salmon in Puget Sound, starting with a salmon stream along her parents’ property in Pierce County.
The orcas eat salmon that come from all over the region, so “what we can do … there’s a seed of hope in that,” Sandstrom said. “It may take decades to take down a dam,” but there’s other action that can be done right now. She shared views of whales and salmon – which have “been in the news a lot lately.” Mainstream media coverage can leave people a bit confused and without context about the biggest issues facing salmon here, she warned. “Many people are not aware that we have a federal recovery plan for Puget Sound salmon,” Dorner noted. “We have a road map in the salmon recovery plan … there’s a chapter for every watershed.” She said the plan wasn’t written by “a bunch of NOAA scientists in a back room,” it was written with assistance of communities. The Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan has a 10-year update, in fact.
Her main focus: Habitat. That’s what affects salmon the most, she said.
Ever wonder what you can do to make a difference, even just a bit? Set aside a little time for a Monday meetup that can answer the question in some memorable ways. Here’s the announcement from Sustainable West Seattle‘s Stu Hennessey:
Sustainable West Seattle would like to hear from our neighbors on a variety of subjects that we can have a lasting effect on. If you would like to be part of the solution, we would like to work with you. We will be hosting a public meetup on Monday, February 26th, at the West Seattle Senior Center, 4217 SW Oregon St, Nucor Room. The meeting will start at 7 pm.
Come to this meetup and take a Virtual Puget Sound underwater tour with diver Laura James, West Seattle’s famous underwater videographer. Find out which “Pesticide-Free” playgrounds in West Seattle are using increasing amounts of glyphosate toxic Roundup where your kids are playing. Learn how you can be a part of the 11th year of Sustainable West Seattle and the GreenLife Festival contribution to the West Seattle Summer Fest street fair.
You’ll also find out about helping our region’s endangered orcas.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo, February 2017)
The state has announced a fine for a diesel spill that followed a tugboat incident in our area one year ago. Here’s the Ecology Department news release:
The Washington Department of Ecology has fined Island Tug and Barge $8,000 for a spill of diesel fuel into the Duwamish River on Feb. 28, 2017. The penalty cites the company for the spill itself and for not making immediate notifications, as required by state law.
The company’s tug Island Wind struck a barge in the West Waterway of the Duwamish on that date, , breaching its hull and a fuel tank, spilling approximately 1,340 gallons of diesel. The company and its contractor, Global Diving and Salvage, mounted a prompt response and recovered 1,273 gallons of the spill. Small, unrecoverable sheens escaped into Elliott Bay.
The notification to the state occurred more than 90 minutes after the incident. Oil spills to water must be immediately reported to the Washington Emergency Management Division and the National Response Center. See Ecology’s website for details.
In addition to the penalty, Ecology is billing Island Tug and Barge $3,000 to recover the state’s costs to oversee the response.
The company also faces, under state law, a Resource Damage Assessment for harm caused to public resources. Compensation could include a restoration and enhancement project or study, or the spiller may be assessed a monetary amount, to be paid into a state fund that issues grants to local governments for environmental restoration projects.
Two rounds of upcoming citywide awards will celebrate sustainability – and both have West Seattle ties.
HEART OF SEATTLE AWARDS: Adam Werner of Clean Air Lawn Care in West Seattle sent word of these – not just because his business is nominated, but also because, as he points out, other West Seattle businesses are too. You can vote here; note the locally linked businesses in the dining, grocery, and sustainable-services categories.
SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP AWARDS: You can’t vote on these – the finalists already have been chosen – but the event at which they’ll be announced is happening here in West Seattle, and you’re invited. Sustainable Seattle will present the awards the night of March 2nd at a party at Brockey Center on the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus. Finalists are listed here, and they include West Seattle restaurant Mashiko in the Business category as well as Plant for the Planet (which has a WS group) in the Resilience category. Tickets include a cocktail reception, dinner, and auction, and you can get yours here.
(City-provided photo accompanying announcement)
3:34 PM: Almost 10 months after the city announced its first settlement in the infamous West Seattle illegal tree-cutting case, another has just been announced. From the city news release:
The City has settled the second of two civil suits against West Seattle homeowners who the City alleged hired people to cut down a swath of a greenbelt in late 2015 or early 2016 to improve the homeowners’ views.
The unpermitted tree cutting near the 3200 block of 35th Ave. SW occurred in environmentally critical areas on a steep slope near the defendants’ homes. In its two lawsuits, the City alleged that two separate groups of people were responsible for cutting two distinct areas of City trees. Between the two cuttings, 153 trees of varying sizes, including many big-leaf maples and Scouler’s willows, were felled and left crisscrossing the area. The first suit settled in 2017 for $440,000. In the second suit the City sought damages from Kostas Kyrimis, Linda Kyrimis, Nancy Despain, Wendy Sweigart, Leroy Bernard, Joyce Bernard, Charles King, Shirley King and Bruce Gross. The defendants have agreed to pay the City a total of $360,000 to resolve the matter.
Parks remediation of the area is already under way, and Parks plans to use the settlement funds to continue its work restoring the site and other greenbelt areas in the City.
Read the full news release here; our area’s City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is quoted as saying, “I expect these clear consequences will make someone think twice before considering arboricide in the future.” You can also read the settlement document here; we’re reading it now and will add any details of note that the city announcement didn’t include.
4:05 PM: A few other notes:
-Before the settlement, the case had been scheduled to go to trial this May.
-City-led restoration work continues at the sites where the trees were cut; volunteers helped out on Green Seattle Day last November.
-If you are new, or need a refresher on where this happened, our March 2016 story included a map.
A new addition to the RainWise-enhanced grounds of Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood – a new permanent sign explaining the stormwater-diverting program and the congregation’s commitment to it. In the photo sent by Pastor Erik Kindem is congregation president Michael Truog, who is also chair of the church’s Green Team. So next time you walk or ride by 39th SW/SW Thistle, take a look! You can also take a look at this PDF showing what’s on the sign. (The church celebrated its RainWise improvements at an event we covered last year.)
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
What you see on the barge in our photo above are hundreds of creosote-treated pilings removed from the north end of the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 in West Seattle. We reported back in October that the removal was about to begin, as explained in this document. This morning, the port invited news media to T-5 for an update.
So far, the port says, 2,300 pilings have been removed; back in 2000, the port had an estimated 18,000 of them, and with this and other removal operations, they are down to 8,000. As the port news release explains:
Creosote-treated pilings and timbers were used for more than 100 years throughout Puget Sound, as fundamental structural elements in marine cargo and transportation infrastructure. Present-day marine facility piers and docks have replaced creosote construction with inert steel and concrete pilings, and in many cases fender systems requiring no piling have been installed.
The show-and-tell today also included an underwater camera nicknamed Ringo, used in the removal operation:
This part of the cleanup operation also involves restoration of more than four acres of habitat. The importance of the continuing restoration and cleanup was underscored by James Rasmussen of the nonprofit Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition:
Port commissioner Fred Felleman, who has a decades-long background in marine conservation, spoke as well:
And state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz was there.
The $6.8 million pilings-removal project has a state angle, as noted in our October report – this part of the cleanup was related to the termination of a state lease more than a decade ago.
Our October report also included details on exactly how the pilings were to be removed. They are to be barged up the Duwamish River to the Waste Management facility, from which they will be sent to the Columbia Ridge landfill in Oregon for permanent disposal.
This could be the tastiest fundraiser in West Seattle – and it’s days away.
One week from Friday, 5:30-8 pm on January 19th, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group is hosting its third annual Chocolate Fest at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse (4705 W. Marginal Way SW). DRCC/TAG invites you “to drink beer, eat chocolates and cupcakes, and celebrate the cleanup and stewardship of Seattle’s only river, the mighty Duwamish.”
You can get tickets now by going here.
Christmas tree still up, and drying out? Curbside pickup or transfer-station dropoff options not quite working for you? Tomorrow brings another option – the West Seattle Rainbow Girls’ annual dropoff event in The Junction. They’ll be at the Masonic Center parking lot (4736 40th SW) between 9 am and 1 pm Saturday (January 6th) to accept your tree. It’s a fundraiser, so the fee is whatever you want to donate for the service.
Again this year, Seattle Public Utilities is giving you more than a month to get your Christmas tree turned into compost – either via curbside pickup, or Transfer Station dropoff. Today’s announcement:
From Dec. 26, 2017, to Jan. 31, 2018, Seattle residents can compost holiday greens, including wreaths and trees, for free curbside or at a Seattle Public Utilities transfer station.
At the Curb
Place your holiday greens on the curb next to your food and yard waste cart on your collection day. Please keep in mind the following:
Remove all decorations and lights, tinsel, metal clips, ornaments and bows.
Trees must be cut into lengths to 4-feet or shorter.
Bundle each section with sisal string or twine (not plastic).
Flocked and plastic trees or wreaths will be charged as extra garbage.At apartments, one tree may be placed next to each food and yard waste cart at no extra charge each collection day.
At the Transfer Station
Bring Christmas trees and other holiday greens to a city transfer station. Starting Feb. 1, 2018 regular fees will apply.
Trees should not exceed 8-feet in length and must be free of decoration.
Trunks should not exceed 4-inches in diameter.
The stations will accept up to 3 trees per vehicle.
The South Transfer Station is just east of West Seattle, 130 S. Kenyon (here’s how to get there).
P.S. And remember that for the next two weeks, curbside pickup day for everything is one day later than your usual day, because of the Monday holidays.
A local greenspace is a little greener tonight thanks to the hard work of dozens of student volunteers – and a man with a vision.
The site is Seola Pond, near 30th SW/SW 106th. The students who worked there this afternoon, getting native plants into the ground, were from nearby Explorer West Middle School and Westside School (both WSB sponsors). The man with a vision – Scott Dolfay.
On our partner site White Center Now, we’ve covered his updates at recent meetings of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council – the site is along the city-county line and Dolfay’s been talking with NHUAC about his work to restore the site, and working for many months to secure help, not just volunteers, but also donated materials.
He explained that the site, where he bought property in 2010, “acts as a de facto neighborhood park” and was historically a peat bog that would dry up in the summer, and held runoff because of all the construction around it. He has had help from EarthCorps and Nature Consortium, too. If you’re interested in future work at the site, you can reach him at satomiscott (at) q (dot) com.
In the wake of last August’s Atlantic salmon farm collapse in north Puget Sound, King County Executive Dow Constantine wants to ensure no new pens are built in waters over which the county has jurisdiction. The announcement:
Citing the threat to native salmon populations, King County Executive Dow Constantine today called for a six-month moratorium on allowing any new Atlantic fish farming facilities along marine shoreline in unincorporated King County.
“The hundreds of thousands of farmed, invasive Atlantic salmon that spilled into the Salish Sea in August threaten our native fish populations and our way of life,” said Executive Constantine. “Atlantic salmon don’t belong here. Beyond a six month moratorium, we need to ensure these operations can never again pose a threat to indigenous salmon already struggling to survive.”
Legislation enacting the moratorium will be transmitted to the King County Council (today). Indian tribes including the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Suquamish Tribe reviewed and approved the proposed moratorium to ensure it did not interfere with their local fisheries and treaty rights.
In the State of Washington, commercial net pens are required to obtain federal and state permits. Local governments like King County can also require permits as part of implementing shoreline master plans.
While the state has issued a moratorium on permits they administer for net pens, an applicant could still apply for and receive a county shorelines permit.
The moratorium announced by Executive Constantine will enable King County to review and strengthen its shoreline regulations to eliminate the risk of harm from non-native salmon farming to native salmon runs and sensitive shorelines.
King County rivers are home to seven native salmon species, including chinook, steelhead, and bull trout populations that are protected by the Endangered Species Act. Puget Sound is where these and other salmon species spend much of their lives, feeding for a year or more, before returning to their home streams to spawn.
King County and a host of partners, including treaty Indian tribes, cities, counties, and state and federal agencies have invested heavily in salmon-habitat preservation and restoration efforts.
Executive Constantine’s proposed moratorium coincides with a state-mandated review and update of King County’s Shoreline Master Program. The program includes policies, regulations and plans that manage the shorelines within King County’s jurisdiction, and is incorporated into the County’s comprehensive plan.
The Shoreline Master Program must be reviewed, updated and delivered to the Washington Department of Ecology by June 30, 2019.
The nearest Atlantic-salmon-farming facilities right now, according to what we’ve found out via research so far, are off Bainbridge Island, which is part of Kitsap County.
Me-Kwa-Mooks is one of the West Seattle spots that’s greened up after a chilly morning of hard work by Green Seattle Day volunteers today. (Thanks to C. Parrs for the photos above and below!)
During the Green Seattle Day work parties, our photographer stopped by two other spots where volunteers were planting trees and shrubs – in Highland Park, volunteers worked east of the off-leash area at Westcrest Park, where some Friday snow was still on the ground:
(WSB photos from here down)
And in east Admiral, the Duwamish Head Greenbelt drew dozens of volunteers to work at 34th and City View, one of the sites where the city is restoring damage done by illegal tree-cutting:
Steve Richmond from Garden Cycles was leading the work today, and told us they were planting larger evergreens as well as understory plants such as ferns.
The city is committed to work at the east Admiral restoration sites for five years, Jon Jainga from Parks noted.
The 21 Green Seattle Day sites with work parties today included two others in West Seattle – Camp Long and Lincoln Park.
Before we get too much further into fall, it’s still prime time for planting, and that’s what Green Seattle Day is all about next Saturday (November 4th). If you can help out 9 am-noon, three West Seattle spots would appreciate your tree-planting TLC, including:
Westcrest Park in Highland Park – get details and RSVP here
Duwamish Head Greenbelt in East Admiral – get details and RSVP here
Me-Kwa-Mooks along Beach Drive – get details and RSVP here
All ages welcome – tools (and more) provided.
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