West Seattle, Washington
19 Friday
(WSB photos)
Your next chance for free shredding is happening now. The John L. Scott Real Estate Westwood (WSB sponsor) spring shredding event is happening in the northwest lot at Westwood Village (northwest of the ex-Bed Bath and Beyond, southwest of the post office). Look for the White Center Food Bank van – they’re also collecting donations (non-perishable food and/or cash) for WCFB again this year.
They’ll be there until noon.
(WSB photos)
Big demand for free dropoff recycling of what you can’t put out at the curb! The spring Recycle Roundup is happening in the Fauntleroy Church lot (9140 California SW) until 3 pm, and organizers tell us the drive-up line was more than a block long before it began. This one catches up quickly, and DTG Recycle – new parent company of longtime partner 1 Green Planet – has multiple trucks on site.
Here is the list of what they will and won’t take this time. You have until 3 pm to get there, but organizers remind you, please don’t wait until the last minute, so they can close on time without people still waiting. If you can’t get to today’s event, the church usually does it again in fall; also, Seattle Public Utilities‘ “Where Does It Go?” page can help with recycling/disposal options.
Here’s a reminder about three events this weekend that can help with your spring cleaning in a variety of ways:
FREE RECYCLING SATURDAY: That’s the list from Fauntleroy Church for its twice-yearly Recycle Roundup, happening 9 am-3 pm Saturday (April 27) in the church lot. (You can also see it here in PDF.) Just drive up or ride/walk up and Recycle Roundup partner DTG Recycle/1 Green Planet will take your item(s). The lot is at 9140 California SW.
DRUG TAKE-BACK WITH SHREDDING SATURDAY: Also on Saturday, the twice-yearly Drug Take-Back Day dropoff event is happening outside the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), 10 am-2 pm, and this year SPD is offering free shredding, too (up to three boxes) – bring nonperishable food for the West Seattle Food Bank.
FREE SHREDDING AND FOOD DRIVE SUNDAY: On Sunday (April 28), 9 am-noon, you can shred with John L. Scott Real Estate Westwood (WSB sponsor), which will be accepting food/money donations for the White Center Food Bank. Look for the canopy and truck in the northwest lot at Westwood Village (west of the former Bed Bath and Beyond, north of the future Daiso).
(Photos courtesy South Seattle College)
It’s Earth Week and South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) used the occasion to show off the solar array installed a few months ago atop Cascade Hall on the north end of campus as part of the larger Seattle Colleges systemwide campaign to decarbonize. It’s an 82-kilowatt array, successor to the building’s original 7-kilowatt array, supported with state financing that will be paid back over 15 years by energy savings. SSC’s Steve Abercrombie led a tour of the installation atop the roof:
But first, those gathered heard from not only Abercrombie but also reps from partner McKinstry – which is helping with a variety of energy-efficiency campus upgrades – and from Seattle City Light, which supported the Seattle Colleges installations with $425,000 in renewable-energy credits:
The array is not only generating power, but it and the arrays at the other Seattle Colleges campuses are also integrated into the curriculum, including sustainable building.
Abercrombie says, “Students get tours of the arrays to understand the mechanics of the siting, installation, and considerations for solar. They then engage in projects related to solar feasibility, planning, and renewable energy financing through several of our classes.” They also use the real-time data to learn about performance evaluation and, ultimately, workforce opportunities. He says those “include identifying and practicing 21st century skills like troubleshooting and communication that are the heart of careers like energy analysis and commissioning.”
(Friday photo, sent by Craig)
Back on Friday night, we reported on that Jeep Compass that turned up on a rocky stretch of shore in southwesternmost West Seattle, between the dead-ends of Seola Lane and Arroyo Beach Place [map]. Last night, via an update from tipster Craig, we learned it’s still there. We asked Seattle Police why. Thanks to Officer Brian Pritchard for giving us an update via reports that tell a tangled tale. In short, Seattle Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of Ecology have all been to the site, and private salvagers have been consulted, but no one has been able to figure out how to get the vehicle out, via land or sea, either towing it out, pulling it out, or even floating it out. So far, the only major action taken is that Ecology removed the fuel that was in the SUV’s gas tank.
(Monday photo, sent by Craig)
So what about the person who owns it? Apparently that’s not the person who showed up on a nearby resident’s doorstep asking for a ride early Friday. Police say they’ve spoken to the resident and they weren’t aware the vehicle was on the beach at the time. The vehicle wasn’t reported stolen, Officer Pritchard just told us, until a short time ago, when its owner contacted police to tell them her vehicle had been taken while she was visiting friends last Thursday in North Seattle. So it might be her responsibility – or her insurer – to figure out how to get it off the beach. We’ll continue following up.
Breaking news kept us from publishing our daily event list today – you can always preview what’s up for the hours/days/weeks ahead by checking the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, to which we add new listings every day. But we do want to take a moment to mention the lone one-time-only event on the calendar tonight – an Earth Day screening of the film previewed above, the documentary “Common Ground.” All are welcome to the screening at 7 pm in Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s Pastoral Center (northeast corner of 35th/Myrtle). Organizers say, “Common Ground was a winner at multiple film festivals, including the Tribeca Festival, and provides hope for future generations, with concrete ways to fix a broken planetary system.”
(WSB photos/video)
Some paddled out on the sparkling water of the Duwamish River to remove trash and debris …
… and others dug into the forest floor for tasks to help it heal. They were among the 400 volunteers who volunteered today at 12 sites during the spring edition of the twice-yearly Duwamish Alive! mega-work party. Those who welcomed them during an opening gathering at həʔapus Village Park across from the Duwamish Tribe’s longhouse included tribe chair Cecile Hansen.
Duwamish Alive! Coalition leader Sharon Leishman also introduced indigenous Wisdom Keeper Jacob Johns, and 34th District State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon:
After the gathering, groups of volunteers got their orders – at this park, some were off to the kayak cleanup, others to install “goose fencing,” some to remove ivy, and more.
If you missed this event, watch for word of the fall Duwamish Alive! in October, and many other opportunities throughout the spring and summer, such as those via the Green Seattle Partnership.
One week until Fauntleroy Church‘s twice-yearly Recycle Roundup! Here’s another look at the list of what you can drop off, for free (and what NOT to bring):
It’s happening 9 am-3 pm next Saturday, April 27, in the church lot. at 9140 California SW. Drive up or ride/walk up with your item(s) and the church’s Recycle Roundup partner 1 Green Planet will handle it. Generally traffic flows fairly well across the six hours, but they axk that you NOT wait until the last minute. (You can also see the list here in PDF.)
The state Department of Ecology confirms it’s investigated a fuel spill first reported online Wednesday by local wildlife biologist/advocate Kersti Muul. She received photos including the ones she gave us permission to republish here – showing the sheen on the water off Harbor Island and the West Seattle Bridge.
Here’s how Ecology spokesperson Ty Keltner responded to our inquiry:
There was a spill a couple days ago in the Duwamish. Ecology got multiple reports of sheen near the southeast end of Harbor Island. The source of the spill is believed to be the tug Westrac II. The tug reported a spill of 40-50 gallons of hydraulic oil to due to an engine drive unit issue. Ecology Spill Responders went out to determine if anything could be recovered and to ensure the vessel is no longer spilling. We sent out a responder again yesterday to see some of the leftover sheen, but it’s very weathered and there isn’t much we can do for recovering what is left.
Kersti notes, “We should continue to keep eyes out for wildlife and pockets of concentrated oil.” The state hotline for reporting a spill is 800-OILS-911.
One week from Saturday – 10 am-2 pm April 27 – the Southwest Precinct will be one of three locations in the city for the twice-yearly Drug Take-Back Day. This year, SPD is adding shredding to each location – which means that weekend has two shredding opportunities in West Seattle.
First: At the precinct, Iron Mountain Shredding will have a truck on site, with the limits/requirements shown above. It’s free, but they’re welcoming non-perishable food donations for the West Seattle Food Bank. The precinct is at 2300 SW Webster.
Second: A reminder about the already-announced shredding event/food drive in the northwest lot at Westwood Village, 9 am-noon Sunday, April 28 – this one is presented by John L. Scott Real Estate – Westwood (WSB sponsor), also free, with food or cash donations welcome for the White Center Food Bank.
Whether or not you’re volunteering for Duwamish Alive! this Saturday, you’re invited to the opening ceremonies and a post-event talk – we have new details from Sharon Leishman of the Duwamish Alive! Coalition:
This Saturday will find community volunteers working throughout our Duwamish River Watershed in South Seattle and Tukwila, removing debris from the river in kayaks, restoring salmon habitat, and even restoring a 10,000-year-old bog at Roxhill Park. Several of the 11 event locations which Duwamish Alive Coalition partners are hosting are sacred places of the Duwamish Tribe.
Special opening ceremonies will be held at həʔapus Village Park in Seattle with special guest speakers House Majority Leader and 34th District Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon and Wisdom Keeper Jacob Johns of the Akimel O’Otham and Hopi Tribes, who will be sharing the indigenous perspective on climate change. The public is welcome to attend the opening ceremonies at 10:00 and visit the informational tables. Volunteers will get started with their restoration activities at 10:30.
There are still a few volunteer spots open – for more information go to DuwamishAlive.org This is a family-friendly, free event to improve the health of our watershed and our communities.
Wisdom Keepers Jacob Johns and Jeff Ferguson (of the Spokane Tribe) will be giving a talk at the Duwamish Longhouse at 1:00 on Saturday, April 20th. This is an opportunity for adults and youth to learn more about an indigenous perspective on climate change and the urgency – combined with optimism – that guides indigenous efforts worldwide. The general public is welcome. This is a free event; register at bit.ly/WisdomKeepers4-20-24
(WSB photos)
That’s just some of what volunteer divers, coordinated by Seattle Dive Tours, brought up from the seafloor around Seacrest this morning. With the Water Taxi taking a break this weekend, it was the perfect chance to remove some discarded junk from Elliott Bay, as SDT and volunteers have done before. This electric scooter was one of the more unusual items:
Also retrieved: A handgun, which had been turned over to police by the time we visited the pier in late morning. Fairly rusty, we’re told, so it’s apparently been in the water a while. (Checking on last year’s cleanup coverage – divers found a scooter and gun then, too.)
P.S. Want to volunteer on land – in a way that benefits local waters and wildlife? Duwamish Alive! is next Saturday.
Just out of the inbox tonight – news of an electric-vehicle show in West Seattle next Sunday. The Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation‘s Environmental Justice Group is presenting the show from noon-2 pm Sunday, April 14 (right after WSUU’s 10:30 am Earth Month service, “Answering Creation’s Cry“). Their invitation to you: “Talk to your neighbors about their electric cars. Leaf, Mustang, Mini-Coop, Tesla, etc.” WSUU is at 7141 California SW. Questions? Email jfawcettlong@gmail.com.
TUESDAY P.S. We asked if they have room for more participants. The reply: “We have room for two more; we try to avoid duplicates, there are a lot of Leaf owners already.”
The city has given a homebuilder the green light to cut down that evergreen tree in Upper Fauntleroy.
Advocates who hoped to save the tree, nicknaming it “Henry,” consider the approval ironic – new city rules passed last year require so much of a buffer zone to protect the tree, its lot would be unbuildable, so the tree comes down. They hope its removal will be an example of why the city’s new tree rules should be revised.
We’ve reported before on the site where “Henry” stands – at least until Tuesday, the first day it can be legally taken down. It’s at 8822 38th Avenue SW, where six new residences are planned – two single-family houses, each with two accessory dwelling units, one detached and one attached – plus 10 offstreet parking spaces. Five months ago, before the house on the site was demolished, it was used for Seattle Fire Department training. One month after that, the house was torn down. The site’s been idle through the winter while permit reviews continues. And now the Department of Construction and Inspections has granted the permit for taking down the tree, which is described in project documents as a red cedar, though Sandy Shettler of Tree Action Seattle contends it’s a Lawson cypress.
Shettler asked SDCI about the reason for the removal approval; a reviewing arborist replied via email that “it met Code requirements, particularly SMC 25.11.070.A.1.a.” You can see the code here. Here’s what Shettler says is the problem: “The new code mandates a very large, inviolable tree protection area which uses this formula: 1-ft diameter tree protection area per each 1″ of trunk. So for a 41″ diameter tree, a circle 82 feet in all directions needs to be set aside. Obviously that makes the lot unbuildable, (and even makes the neighboring lots unbuildable!) Since this absurdly rigid tree protection area cannot be excavated into by even one inch, the tree gets removed.”
She’s not calling for a protest, but advocating for future change: “Seattle needs to revise its tree ordinance to plan for trees — not just the ones we have, but to have space for new ones since we are cutting 4,000 per year. The new projects are all hardscape and heat.” The new tree rules require replacement plantings after removal, but not necessarily on the same site, according to this explanatory city post: “When a tree must be removed, a property owner can choose to either replant onsite or pay the equivalent value into the One Seattle Tree Fund. This added flexibility allows for trees to be planted more equitably and spread throughout neighborhoods or public spaces with historically less tree canopy.” The current tree rules were passed before a majority of city councilmembers left office; Shettler says she’s hoping to work with newly elected members to save more “Henry”-size trees.
SIDE NOTE: As with so many other types of data, the city has a map for tree-removal/tree-work permits, past and present.
TUESDAY NOTE: “Henry” was cut down this morning, as commenters’ photo and video show; we just went by to check, and only a stump remains.
Three weeks to go until your next opportunities for free drive-up/ride-up recycling and shredding – this time in two separate events, Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28.
FREE RECYCLING: That’s the list of what Fauntleroy Church‘s next Recycle Roundup will and won’t take, 9 am-3 pm April 27 in the church lot. (You can also see it here in PDF.) Just drive up or ride/walk up and Recycle Roundup partner 1 Green Planet will take your item(s). The lot is at 9140 California SW.
FREE SHREDDING: The next day, 9 am-noon April 28, John L. Scott Real Estate Westwood (WSB sponsor) offers free shredding, while accepting food/money donations for the White Center Food Bank. Look for the canopy and truck that morning in the northwest lot at Westwood Village (west of the former Bed Bath and Beyond, north of the future Daiso).
The river and the salmon need you. Find your spot right now for the one-day, multiple-location Duwamish Alive! restoration event – here’s the info:
Celebrate Earth Day with Duwamish Alive! Help Restore Our River.
Saturday, April 20th, 10 – 2 at multiple watershed locations
Join us for Duwamish Alive! in restoring habitat along the Green-Duwamish River for juvenile salmon that are coming down the river this spring. Our river is home to all 5 salmon species, including Chinook, which are important to our local resident orca. We will be restoring habitat at multiple locations throughout the watershed along the river, its upland forests and creeks – we are all connected. Həʔapus Village Park will have our Duwamish tribal welcome, presentations, and tabling — all are invited, volunteers and visitors. Instruction, tools, and snacks are provided for restoration activities. This is a family friendly event, all ages welcome.
Afterward, attend a special event at the Duwamish Longhouse with two indigenous Wisdom Keepers from the Hopi and Spokane Tribes sharing indigenous perspectives about climate change and their experience attending the Dubai Climate Summit: Duwamish Longhouse 4705 W Marginal Wy SW – 1:00 – 3:00
For more information and volunteer registration go to DuwamishAlive.org
Questions? info@duwamishalive.org
(Port of Seattle photo, Norwegian Bliss in 2018)
As commenter CarDriver pointed out below the morning traffic/transportation roundup, Seattle’s cruise season is about to start – you’ll see the first of those giant passenger ships on Elliott Bay by Saturday (April 6), when NCL’s Norwegian Bliss is expected to sail from Pier 66 on the downtown waterfront. The port already offers shore power at its other cruise terminal, in Magnolia, and has been working on it for Pier 66 (see info on the $44 million project here), but it won’t be available at the start of the season. Port of Seattle spokesperson Peter McGraw tells WSB that the shore-power capability at Pier 66 is expected to launch around midseason (which would be midsummer, as cruise season continues until early October). See this year’s ship schedule here.
(Image from 2020 video of Lincoln Park’s kelp forest by “Diver Laura” James)
By Sean Golonka
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
There is more than one large forest at Lincoln Park. But for people visiting the West Seattle treasure, the
“other” forest cannot be seen on a typical hike.
Take a walk along the park’s north shore and you may see signs of the other forest — brown bulbs and blades intermingling with the surface of the water — but to really explore it, you’ll likely need diving gear.
Beneath the water off Lincoln Park sits a large kelp bed, one that is thriving relative to other similar kelp and eelgrass beds around Puget Sound. Much like how the forest on the land at Lincoln Park is filled with various creatures, the kelp bed is a marine habitat that’s home to myriad species of aquatic animals.
Lincoln Park’s kelp forest is part of the thousands of acres of kelp and eelgrass beds that have long served as vital aquatic ecosystems across the waters in and around Puget Sound and Washington’s other coasts. But, like the state’s forests above ground, these underwater forests have been shrinking for decades.
Even as Lincoln Park’s kelp bed has stood out as a success story, with the small forest that runs along the park’s north shore remaining present in recent years, similar beds in other parts of central Puget Sound, including those outside Bainbridge Island and Vashon Island, have significantly dwindled or disappeared entirely.
Spurred by these plants’ steep losses — historical studies indicate that floating kelp has disappeared from approximately 80% of shorelines in central and south Puget Sound over the past 100-plus years — local groups and state leaders are taking action to reverse course.
(WSB photo, April 2023)
If you weren’t able to get shredding done at last weekend’s free event in West Seattle – today we have word of another one coming up. John L. Scott Real Estate Westwood (WSB sponsor) has announded the date and time for its annual free shredding event – 9 am-12 pm Sunday, April 28. They’ll be set up again in the northwest parking lot at Westwood Village, and accepting donations for the White Center Food Bank – food and/or cash. Last year, community donations totaled 1,250 pounds of food and $2,000, while more than two and a half tons of paper got shredded. So if you need to shred, set your calendar now for April 28!
As winter’s end draws near, summer planning speeds up. The regional nonprofit Birds Connect Seattle is offering its nature camps again this year, with locations including Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor), and registration is open now – here’s the announcement we received:
Birds Connect Seattle started Nature Camp in 1982, and for more than 40 years we’ve built a reputation for quality environmental learning, emphasizing experiential outdoor activities that instill an appreciation for nature. Small group instruction with experienced naturalists inspires children to become explorers and stewards of nature.
This summer, we will have camp sessions for 1st-5th grades at Seahurst Park [Burien] from June 24 – August 2, and Explorer West Middle School from August 5-23. Campers will spend the week learning about local urban nature, around various themes: oceans, birds, bugs, art, and more!
Registrations are open now. Learn more here.
Under the canopy on the northwest corner of 45th and Wildwood is where you’ll find a Seattle Public Utilities team until 1 pm, there to answer questions and receive comments about the revived plan for a nearby underground stretch of Fauntleroy Creek.
The project will replace an old, failing culvert beneath 45th SW with a new, “dramatically wider” one – 14 feet wide. Project team member Tracey Belding said the goal is to try to replicate the creek conditions for the fish (since Fauntleroy Creek is a salmon stream), rather than just expecting them to swim into a pipe. The project includes some above-ground features for humans, too – converting a dingy paved parking pocket into an overlook:
Belding said the design for the culvert replacement is at the 60 percent stage, but design completion is still more than a year away, so this is a good time for feedback. If you can’t get to today’s pop-up, you can answer an online survey by going here. There’s a second culvert-replacement project looming in the future too, beneath public and private property near Fauntleroy Church, but Belding says there’s no timetable right now for when that will start.
10:01 SM: Big early turnout at the north lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) for this year’s recycle/reuse/shredding event, scheduled to continue until noon. Waiting cars have been lined up past the college’s south entrance, but once you get into the lot, it’s fast-moving with multiple stations depending on what you brought. Check our calendar listing to see what they are and aren’t accepting.
11:57 AM: As noted in comments, and in email we just received, the event is over – capacity maxed out.
Partners included the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, West Seattle Junction Association, Seattle Public Utilities, Waste Management, and individual companies/organizations that actually collect and handle the materials.
The next free dropoff recycling event in West Seattle is the twice-annual Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church, 9 am-3 pm Saturday, April 27. Here’s the list of what they’ll be accepting. If you’re wondering about other ways to recycle/dispose of items – try the “Where Does It Go?” lookup.
(WSB file photo from past recycling/shredding event)
Tomorrow (Saturday, March 9) is the big day – free drop-off recycling/shredding for a variety of items, in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), 9 am-noon. As noted earlier this week, the list of what they’ll take has been expanded:
ACCEPTED ITEMS
Foam blocks
Household batteries (no damaged batteries)
Florescent tubes and bulbs (no broken bulbs, limit: 4 ft.)
Small, empty propane camping canisters
Small electronics (TVs, computers, etc.)
Small appliances (non-freon)
Paper for shredding (limit: 4 boxes of paper)
Household textiles – clothing & curtains
NEW: Reusable building materials (doors, windows, cabinets, plumbing, electrical, flooring, lighting, HVAC, hardware)
NEW: Solid wood or plywood furnitureITEMS NOT ACCEPTED:
Commercial loads
Garbage
Yard waste
Household recycling (items that go in your cart/dumpster)
Hazardous waste
Automotive waste
Construction waste
Non-recyclable or reusable items
Car seats
Mattresses
Drive up, ride up, walk up to drop off. Participating organizations may have limited capacity, so don’t wait until late in the morning,
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