Puget Sound Action Team Partners
The Puget Sound Action Team is the state's partnership for Puget Sound. The Action Team Partnership defines, coordinates, and puts into action the state's environmental and sustainability agenda for the Sound. Representatives from the following groups serve on the Action Team:
Local Government City of Burien, representing Puget Sound cities Whatcom County, representing Puget Sound counties
Washington State Government, directors of the following agencies Community, Trade, and Economic Development Conservation Commission Department of Agriculture Department of Ecology Department of Fish & Wildlife Department of Health Department of Natural Resources Department of Transportation Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation Parks and Recreation Commission
February 2004 Tribal Government Tulalip Tribes, representing Puget Sound Tribes
Federal Government (Ex-officio) NOAA Fisheries U.S. Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (360) 725-5444 (800) 54-SOUND Chair: Director of Puget Sound Action Team www.psat.wa.gov Publication #PSAT04-02
Credits: Mary Knackstedt—research, writing Harriet Beale, Mary Getchell and Toni Droscher— editing Jill Williams—layout, design Cover whale photo courtesy of The Center for Whale Research
If you would like copies of this document in an alternative format, please call (800) 54-SOUND or for TDD, call (800) 833-6388. Introduction ...... 1
Watershed Education and Stewardship Envision the Future, Remember the Past: A Journey Through the Maxwelton Watershed...... 4 Exploring the Watershed: Building Community-based Partnerships...... 5 Landowner Education and Involvement ...... 6 Puyallup River Watershed Education Program ...... 7 Stewardship for the San Juans ...... 8
and Stewardship Watershed Neighbors: Reinventing the Welcome Wagon for Water Quality Education ...... 9 Watershed Education
Habitat Protection Boeing Creek Education Initiative and Shoreview Park Master Trail Plan ...... 12 Conservation Tools Education Program ...... 13 Estuarine Education and Outreach ...... 14 The Journey Home: Exploring Salmon Habitats in Whatcom County ...... 15 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail ...... 16 Save Our Stream ...... 17 Ship Harbor Interpretive Preserve (SHIP) Wetland Trail...... 18 Habitat Protection Wetland to Sound Workshops ...... 19
Stormwater Management Reining in the Rain...... 22 SeaTac Stream Stewards Program ...... 23 Stormwater Outreach to Homeowners and Homeowner Associations ...... 24
Stormwater Stormwater Strategies: Soil Protection and Restoration Training ...... 25 Management
Sustainable Choices Commencement Bay Clean Marina and Boating Program...... 28 Cranberry Lake Demonstration Project ...... 29 Fish-friendly Construction Workshops ...... 30 Horses for Clean Water...... 31 King County On-Site Sewage System Workshops ...... 32 Living Green in the Piper’s Creek Watershed ...... 33 Living With the Coast Workshops ...... 34 Salmon-friendly Lawn Signs ...... 35 Septic System Public Service Announcements ...... 36 Sound Boater Program ...... 37 Sustainable Choices Stewards of Puget Sound ...... 38 Streamside Livin’ Guidebook ...... 39 Vashon Living ...... 40 Watershed Education Project ...... 41 Youth Education Monitoring and Restoration aese dcto n etrto rga ...... 69 Watershed EducationandRestoration Program ...... 68 WaterWeb IntertidalStudiesandMonitoringProject ...... 67 Taylor CreekWatershed InternshipProject ...... 66 Swan CreekWatershed Citizen/Youth Partnership Project Student Environmental EnhancementProject...... 65 ...... 64 South SoundGREEN:SalmonComeHome ...... 63 Seabeck AlkiSalmonTeam ...... 62 Knowledge andRestoration ...... 61 Expedition MeeKwa Mooks ...... 60 EnviroChallenger ...... 59 Asian Pacific IslanderYouth’s ShellfishHarvesting OutreachProject Application ofaShellfishScienceClubModel...... 58 Youth Education ...... 56 Whale-Sighting NetworkandEducationProgram ...... 55 Spawning Gravel MonitoringProject ...... 54 Shoreline Preservation Project ...... 53 Salmon HabitatRestoration Citizens’ ActionProject Restoration Radio...... 52 ...... 51 Replanting RiparianAreas ...... 50 Puget Sound2100 ...... 49 Menzies Research Cruises ...... 48 Manzanita Bay Watershed Restoration Project Guidelines forInvolving theDisabledCommunityinUrbanRiparianRestoration...... 47 ...... 46 Froggy BottomsWetland Restoration andPublicEducation ...... 45 Expanding Volunteer Stewardship andCitizen MonitoringinPugetSound ...... 44 Dungeness Bay Watchers Monitoring andRestoration 1
Introduction Introduction
undreds of thousands, if not a million people who Hlive and work in Puget Sound have enjoyed a piece of PIE through the Puget Sound Action Team’s Public Involvement and Education program. They’ve participated in hands-on actions to keep horses and cows out of streams, helped school children plant trees and shrubs to restore salmon habitat, and monitored the movements of orcas in Puget Sound. All these activities were made possible with PIE.
In 1987, the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority launched the Public Involvement and Education program to protect Puget Sound by funding projects that help fulfill the Puget Sound Water Quality Work Plan. Since that time, the Authority, and its successor, the Puget Sound Action Team, have provided almost $6 million for Middle school students learn about Puget Sound more than 300 projects located in every county in Puget marine life aboard a research vessel while Sound. Most of that money has gone directly to participating in the Port Townsend's Marine communities, because at the heart of PIE is the belief Science Center's Menzies project, see page 48. that support for local education is the best investment the State can make for Puget Sound.
While appreciating the value of community-based The purpose of PIE Success Stories is to create a education, PIE also recognizes that Puget Sound and the legacy of PIE success stories. The project descriptions Georgia Strait, with their marine and fresh waterways in include lessons learned from about one-third of PIE’s Washington and British Columbia, comprise a regional history, from six years of projects spanning 1997 ecosystem that transcends local boundaries. Seven through 2003 and encompassing three rounds or million people in two countries and countless species of funding cycles of PIE. marine animals and plants depend upon a clean, healthy ecosystem. It is in everyone’s best interest to care for The source of the information in this publication comes their local piece of this bioregion. Protecting the whole from archived reports in which PIE contractors system requires collaboration across political, social, and documented the successes and challenges encountered philosophical boundaries. Partnerships that work across during the course of their work and reflected on how boundaries are an essential part of PIE. reality measured up to their vision.
The Action Team views the successes of PIE through this The Action Team is always looking for ways to telescoping lens between local and the regional efforts. encourage the continued use of model programs in new Almost all projects start locally, but many grow beyond settings. Serving Puget Sound With PIE is a way to their original borders. The Action Team tries to share the creative work of PIE contractors. Because PIE recognize model projects when they are still local projects are publicly funded and owned, they are fledglings and help them take wing around the Sound. fulfilling their best use when freely shared. The Puget An Action Team goal is to build capacity in organizations Sound Action Team hopes that people will use the so that they have the stamina and flexibility to project ideas, insights, and products offered in these assimilate research, policies, and innovative new pages. Project descriptions include contact information approaches into their communities. with links to products and Web sites.
4 Watershed Education and Stewardship
Envision the Future, Remember the Past: A Journey through the Maxwelton Watershed
Maxwelton Salmon Adventure helped the community plan for the future by exploring the natural and cultural history of the watershed.
Description Results Products
he vision of a community The project reached and engaged • A Journey Through the Tattains depth when it is watershed landowners that had Maxwelton Watershed: looked at through the lens of previously not been engaged in www.salmonadventure.org/ time. Maxwelton Salmon the community watershed history.html Adventure educated landowners project. One hundred students • 5th Grade Curriculum, about the rich cultural and participated in the project and Student Mural natural history of the watershed the watershed unit of study will before inviting them to help craft continue as part of the 5th grade Sponsor: a salmon recovery plan for the geology curriculum. The Maxwelton Salmon Adventure watershed. The group "booklet" described in the original Coordinator: interviewed landowners, scope of work expanded into a Nancy Waddell researched, wrote, and published full-scale 100-page book with Partners: a book on the history of the photos and maps. Maxwelton South Whidbey Historical Society, watershed and distributed it to Salmon Adventure distributed it South Whidbey Intermediate every landowner in the to 600 landowners in the School, Island County Public community. They worked with watershed. The coordinator Works Watershed Program teachers at a local elementary wrote in her final report "The Audience: school to develop a history book has wide appeal. It Maxwelton Watershed residents comprehensive watershed bridges divisions in the and landowners, students, curriculum that included watershed. (We'll) use it in teachers activities, speakers, and field future events as an illustration of Community: trips for students. Students decades of concern for Maxwelton Watershed-Whidbey created a mural to illustrate their community and place." Island knowledge and vision for the Award: watershed. Firmly grounded in $37,800 history, neighbors came together Timeline: to plan for a future that includes 2001-2003 the legacy of wild fish in a Website: thriving human community. www.salmonadventure.org 5 Watershed Education and Stewardship
Exploring the Watershed: Building Community-based Partnerships
Seminars enhanced local residents' awareness, appreciation and stewardship of a stream basin originating in Olympic National Park and flowing to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Description Results Products
acific Woodrush Over 300 people • Seminar list with Peducated and attended the seminars topics and speakers mobilized Siebert Creek and 67 attended the • Presentations and residents through a field trips. One goal of handouts series of seminars and the project was to lead field trips led by people beyond the Sponsor: experts who shared awareness fostered by Pacific Woodrush knowledge about the the seminars and Coordinator: ecosystem, encouraged motivate them to Mary Peck sustainable living participate in on-the- Partners: practices and promoted ground projects and Streamkeepers of the protection of become active and Clallam County, Clallam private property knowledgeable Conservation District, through conservation. advocates for North Olympic Land Seminar topics included watershed health. As a Trust stormwater, salmon, result of the seminars, Audience: riparian and stream participants removed Residents of the Siebert habitat, nearshore non-native vegetation, Creek Watershed habitat and land-use built water bars along a Community: decisions. trail, and a group Clallam County formed to advocate for Award: stormwater $26,400 management in the Timeline: community. 2001-2003 6 Watershed Education and Stewardship
Landowner Education and Involvement
Maxwelton Salmon Adventure engaged Whidbey Island landowners in restoring and protecting salmon habitat on their property.
Description Results Products
axwelton provided Maxwelton achieved a • Landowner Man opportunity for better understanding of Consultation Guide landowners to take a landowner's concerns • Maxwelton Landowner proactive approach to and needs as a result of Information Packet salmon habitat the forums. Landowners protection and initiated restoration Sponsor: restoration on their own work on their property Maxwelton Salmon terms. The group held and planted nearly Adventure three forums to listen 1,000 trees to enhance Coordinator: to landowners' concerns salmon habitat. Laura Fox and used the Neighboring Partners: information to make landowners, instructors, Whidbey Island their program more and partner agencies Conservation District, responsive to the needs became acquainted Island County of local landowners. forming a greater spirit Watershed Program, They distributed of community in the Whidbey Camano Land information and watershed. Trust, Island County resources on salmon WSU Cooperative habitat. Landowners Extension received individualized Audience: "kitchen table" Landowners with consultations to help stream habitat them assess the stream Community: habitat on their Maxwelton Watershed property and Award: understand their $30,000 options for Timeline: improvement. They 1999-2001 also held a training Website: workshop to provide www.salmonadventure. hands-on skills on creek org/ restoration techniques. 7 Watershed Education and Stewardship Puyallup River Watershed Education Program
Teachers and citizens received extensive training focused on the Puyallup Watershed to prepare for participation in education, monitoring and restoration projects in the basin.
Description Results Products
his program produced a core Fifteen teachers and 16 volunteers • Notebooks for Volunteer Training Tgroup of volunteers completed the workshop series. and Teacher Workshop knowledgeable about the Puyallup Working with the Puyallup River • Workshop Information: River watershed from Mount Watershed Council, the project speakers, sites to visit, activities Rainier to Commencement Bay coordinator developed a list of to include in future sessions who put their training to use as projects for volunteers to they became active in service complete. The volunteers donated Sponsor: projects. Citizens received 60 hundreds of hours of work to Citizens for a Healthy Bay hours of training in 12 weeks with benefit the watershed. Five of the Coordinator: field trips, local speakers who teachers from the workshop were Karen Dinicola presented scientific, cultural and attempting to tie Puyallup Partners: economic information about the Watershed education to the Puyallup River Watershed Council, watershed, and training in district's science, math, social University of Washington/Tacoma, restoration, monitoring, studies, language arts, and fine Puyallup Tribe, Pierce Conservation community development and arts curriculum at the completion District leadership skills. Each volunteer of the project. Audience: agreed to perform a minimum of Citizens, teachers 60 hours of community service in Community: exchange for the training, and Puyallup Watershed teachers completed a five-lesson Award: interdisciplinary teaching unit on $20,000 the watershed. Timeline: 1997 - 1999 8 Watershed Education and Stewardship Stewardship for the San Juans
This project established a stewardship network across the San Juan archipelago.
Photo courtesy of The Whale Museum, Tim Ransom
Description Results Products
ack of coordination is a The networking resulted in a • San Juan County Stewardship L common pitfall that can cooperative speakers bureau and Resource Directory undermine the effectiveness of joint participation in a shoreline • 1999 San Juan County environmental work. To address monitoring project. Two hundred Stewardship Fair Summary this issue in their community, fifty copies of the stewardship Report Friends of the San Juans convened directory were created and a committee of government distributed. The coordinator noted Sponsor: agencies, organizations, local challenges during the course of Friends of the San Juans businesses and citizens involved in the project "Collaboration is an Coordinator: stewardship work. They created a ideal won only after a lot of Kevin Ranker directory listing nearly 100 groups processing. It requires a Partners: who play key roles in the willingness to work outside the San Juan County Marine stewardship of the San Juan box and let go of territoriality." Resources Committee, San Juan Islands and the Northwest Straits. and "Mixing people who want County Planning Department, San Over 130 educators, elected strong activists or preservationist Juan County School District, The officials, directors and staff from movement with governmental or Whale Museum, San Juan Nature key agencies from each island and educational organizations has Institute, San Juan County from surrounding counties inherent conflicts." They made Land Bank, Islands' Oil Spill attended a stewardship fair held some progress in overcoming Association to encourage networking and these differences by working Audience: collaboration towards a common goal--meeting San Juan Island residents the challenges of population Community: growth by preventing degradation San Juan County of habitat and loss of biodiversity Award: in the San Juans. $39,400 Timeline: 1997 - 1999 Website: www.sanjuans.org/index.html 9
Watershed Education and Stewardship Watershed Neighbors: Reinventing the Welcome Wagon for Water Quality Education
Real estate professionals and watershed stewards educated new residents about watershed issues and stewardship opportunities.
Description Results Products
ashington State University Of the 500 households that • Post card promotion for open WCooperative Extension of received information on local house Jefferson County helped water quality issues, about 60 • Web site of project photos coordinate a network of realtors, actually attended the open • Evaluation report, survey forms, mortgage bankers, and volunteer houses, 20 attended field trips, press releases, focus group watershed stewards to provide and 27 reported that they signed notes guidance materials to people who up for volunteer activities or bought or planned to build or joined a local environmental Sponsor: modify property in the watershed. organization. Six real estate Washington State University New residents received "Welcome offices, two banks, and one of the Cooperative Extension-Jefferson to the Watershed" materials and two title companies in the County attended open houses designed to community offered to be Coordinator: increase their understanding and distribution sites for the “Welcome Katherine Baril appreciation of the watershed. to the Watershed” materials. Partners: Three real estate offices Jefferson County Board of designated agents to serve on the Realtors, Olympic Peninsula Water advisory committee for the Watchers project. Audience: New residents Community: Jefferson County "Support from the real estate community was so high that the Award: $20,700 membership voted to move their monthly association meeting to WSU Timeline: on condition that we offer them regular educational updates to share 2001-2003 with their clients." Website: Katherine Baril http://jefferson.wsu.edu/ Final Report
12 Habitat Protection
Boeing Creek Education Initiative and Shoreview Park Master Trail Plan
This project created a base of educators and volunteers skilled in providing restoration work and educational programs for an urban creek in the Shoreline community.
Description Results Products
n the city of Shoreline, roads, Twenty-five volunteers completed • Geographical Information Iparking lots, roofs, and other the Watershed Keeper training Systems database impervious surface areas cover and donated more than 240 • Master trail plan 45 percent of the 1,600-acre hours to the project. Twenty-one • Testing the Water Quality of watershed, which drains to presentations reached Our Watersheds, curriculum for Boeing Creek. These surfaces approximately 270 people with third through sixth grade create stormwater runoff that information about water quality, • Nature trail map brochure can pollute water and harm salmon, native plants, habitat, • Boeing Creek Park kiosk signs stream habitat. Shoreline and its and watershed planning. partners launched an education Sponsor: initiative to enhance appreciation City of Shoreline of Boeing Creek and to educate Coordinator: people about what they can do to Kristen Stouffer reduce damage to the creek Partners: caused by stormwater. The group Shoreline Community College, trained docents to educate the Ecosystems Database community and developed a Development and Research water quality curriculum for Organization, University of students. They created a trail Washington, Washington Trails plan and built a kiosk with signs Association flanking the trail in Shoreview Audience: Park. They also removed invasive Residents, Shoreline Park plants and replaced them with visitors, students native species. Students from Community: Shoreline Community College Shoreline helped create the data sets for a Award: Geographical Information $21,700 Systems (GIS) library with Timeline: environmental information about 1997 – 1999 the trail site. 13
Habitat Protection
Conservation Tools Education Program
WSU Cooperative Extension of King County protected habitat from development by educating landowners about conservation options.
Description Results Products:
ecognizing the role of A number of landowners enrolled • Summary of Land Conservation Rconservation for protecting riparian and forested land parcels Options for Landowners in the valuable habitat in the Puget in conservation programs as a Puget Sound Area Sound basin, WSU Cooperative result of attending the workshop, • Workshop agenda Extension of King County visiting sites, and reading a identified prime fish and wildlife brochure that outlined Sponsor: habitat in King and Pierce conservation options that was WSU Cooperative Extension King counties and invited property sent to each property owner in County owners who owned the parcels to the targeted area. Nearly 60 Coordinator: workshops to learn about the watershed stewards received Paul Racette various conservation options conservation tools training and Partners: available. Extension staff and 14 became knowledgeable WSU Cooperative Extension volunteers worked closely with advocates for land conservation Pierce County, Audubon WetNet, landowners during follow-up site in their communities. At the Tahoma Audubon, Cascade Land visits to help them understand conclusion of the project, Conservancy, King County conservation easements, land landowners had protected or Audience: donations and the Public Benefit were undergoing application to Landowners Rating System, a program in protect 116.6 acres. The Community: some counties which assesses Washington Department of King and Pierce counties parcels to determine if they Ecology subsequently provided Award: qualify for tax reduction. funding to the organizers to $42,100 replicate the project in other Timeline: communities in the Puget Sound 2001-2003 basin. 14 Habitat Protection
Estuarine Education and Outreach
The Nature Center worked with interns and volunteers to enhance environmental education and research opportunities in southern Puget Sound.
Description Results Product
he Nisqually Reach Nature Twenty groups of students Bibliography of Research and T Center located on the least- participated in environmental Management Projects: Nisqually developed river delta in Puget education programs and 66 Reach, Nisqually Delta, and Sound, offers education, campers attended the summer Nisqually River Basin research, and recreational camp, exposing a total of more opportunities focused on than 1,000 people to Puget Sponsor: estuarine ecology. On a shoe- Sound ecology and yielding much Nisqually Reach Nature Center string budget, center staff appreciated revenue for Nature Coordinator: mentored interns and docents Center programs. The Nature Douglas Canning who, in turn, provided Center updated a bibliography of Partners: environmental education research conducted within the Nisqually Tribe Natural Resource presentations for school and Nisqually basin, and established Department, University of Puget youth groups, ran an new research partnerships with Sound, Olympia Community environmental summer camp, the Nisqually Tribe, institutes of School and encouraged the use of the higher education, and local Audience: site for research projects and schools. Adults and students internship opportunities. Community: Southern Puget Sound Award: $3,000 Timeline: 2001 - 2002 15 Habitat Protection
The Journey Home: Exploring Salmon Habitats in Whatcom County
RE Sources educated the community about challenges to protecting salmon habitat in Whatcom County.
Description Results Product
hen the National Marine Thirty-four people attended the The Journey Home W Fisheries Service (now salmon habitat tours. Several http://www.re-sources.org/pdf/ known as NOAA Fisheries) listed tour participants were engaged in journey_home_screen.pdf spring Chinook salmon as watershed, shoreline, and marine threatened in western planning. RE Sources distributed Sponsor: Washington, RE Sources stepped 750 copies of The Journey Home RE Sources for Sustainable forward to educate decision- booklet to community members. Communities makers and citizens about Coordinator: methods to protect salmon Robin du Pré habitat through land Partners: development, agriculture, and Whatcom Conservation District, forestry. They arranged tours Whatcom County, City of from the foothills to the delta to Bellingham, River Farm help people identify obstacles to Community Land Trust/Evergreen salmon migration and spawning Ecoforestry areas. RE Sources produced a Target Audience: video of the tour for the city of Members of watershed planning Bellingham’s public access groups, marine resource television station. They trained committees, general public, local teachers about habitat and teachers water quality issues and modeled Community: hands-on activities for students. Whatcom County An illustrated booklet presented Award: readers with general and local $16,100 information about salmon. Timeline: 1999 - 2001 Web site: www.re-sources.org 16 Habitat Protection
Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail
A local fish restoration group worked to preserve a thriving salmon stream and make the most of its educational value in the community.
Description Results Product
ennedy Creek and its The high point of this project was Interpretive signs Kwetlands are home to one of the successful negotiation of a the healthiest and most abundant 20-year conservation agreement Sponsor: runs of native chum salmon in with a creek front property South Puget Sound Salmon the state. The South Puget Sound owner. More than 35 volunteers Enhancement Group Salmon Enhancement Group is helped repair and revegetate Coordinator: determined to protect this jewel riparian areas adjacent to the Brian Abbott and use it as an outdoor creek. Students designed Partners: classroom for the community. interpretive signs for a trail with Taylor Shellfish, Squaxin Tribe, The group formed a management viewing platforms to enhance Mason Conservation District, committee to oversee protection public appreciation of the Trout Unlimited, The Evergreen of fish habitat, pursued a ecosystem. State College, Shelton School conservation agreement, and District, South Sound GREEN coordinated restoration and Audience: education efforts on the site. Kindergarten through college students Community: Mason and Thurston counties Award: $8,000 Timeline: 1997 – 1999 17 Habitat Protection
Save Our Stream
Vashon-Maury Land Trust led an education campaign to protect property, which included salmon habitat.
Description Results Products
hinglemill Creek and its Of the 60 landowners who • Monitoring plan Sestuary at Fern Cove on attended a presentation on land • Monitoring report Vashon Island comprise some of conservation, 18 signed up to the best remaining salmon receive follow-up information and Sponsor: habitat in King County. The assistance from the land trust Vashon-Maury Land Trust Vashon Park District purchased and four landowners Coordinator: Fern Cove for preservation and subsequently enrolled in a class David Warren education, but the ecosystem to develop forest management Partners: remained vulnerable to upstream plans to apply for King County’s King County Land and Water development. To protect the current use taxation program. Resources, Friends of Fern Cove, resource, the Vashon-Maury Land Thirteen landowners signed Vashon Park District, King County Trust developed a volunteer letters of intent to donate Department of Development and monitoring program, educated conservation easements to the Environmental Services the community about lifestyle Land Trust and two other Audience: choices, identified undeveloped landowners enrolled in other Residents parcels with good habitat, conservation programs. With the Community: informed land owners about help of grant funds, the Land Shinglemill watershed conservation options, and worked Trust raised $460,000 and Award: with watershed residents to raise received the property with the $18,400 funds to purchase key properties. headwaters of Shinglemill Creek Timeline: as a donation. 1997 – 1999 18 Habitat Protection Ship Harbor Interpretive Preserve (SHIP) Wetland Trail
A core group of organizations and volunteers in Anacortes designed a wetland trail to provide public access, protect wildlife habitat, and educate visitors and local citizens.
Description Results Products
any of the two million The final trail plan included • Trail design Mpeople who annually funnel broad-based input from the • Brochure through the Anacortes Ferry community. The graphic arts • Educators’ plan Terminal on their way to the San instructor and students from the Juan Islands or beyond must wait local high school helped create Sponsor: before they catch a ferry. Taking materials for the project. Anacortes Park Foundation advantage of this captive Volunteers helped conduct the Coordinator: audience, citizens from Anacortes baseline inventory of the plants, Jim Falk formed a working group to animals and habitat of the site Partners: design a trail through the and agreed to monitor the site Shannon Point Marine Center, wetland located near the terminal for a year to document seasonal Samish Tribe, Anacortes School that would serve the local changes. Throughout the project, District, Evergreen Islands, Port community as well as the tourists the group struggled with juggling of Anacortes, Anacortes passing through town. The group the competing obligations of Community Forest Lands, obtained public input and planning a wildlife preserve that Anacortes Parks Department mapped and inventoried the 30- also accommodated public access Audience: acre site to prepare a trail plan to one of the most important Volunteers, K-12 students, ferry designed to maximize the value public beach resources in Skagit passengers of the site while minimizing the County. Community: impacts. They worked with local Anacortes schools to design an education Award: plan, produced a brochure to $22,500 solicit participation in the project, Timeline: and completed design 1997 - 1999 alternatives for the trail. Web site: www.ac.wwu.edu/~ship/ 19 Habitat Protection
Wetland to Sound Workshops
Workshops raised community awareness of the natural assets in an urban park in southeast Seattle and encouraged people to adopt lifestyle changes to protect the environment.
Description Product Results ritchard Beach Park on Lake Pritchard Packs—Hands-on The contractor held eight Washington was an Education and Exploration at the P introductory workshops that unrecognized treasure in the Reserve at Pritchard Beach reached 208 people and four heart of Seattle’s diverse Rainier monitoring workshops for 225 Beach community. A volunteer Sponsor: people. At the conclusion of the group trained leaders who Friends of Pritchard Beach Park project, the group continued to organized workshops and created Coordinator: meet and had scheduled several educational materials to Ruth Bell more workshops for schools. introduce neighbors and students Partners: Years later, it continues to be a to this special ecosystem and Seattle Parks, Starflower valuable environmental resource invite them to help take care of Foundation, Seattle Schools, for the community. the site. They coordinated with Robert S. Merki Contractor the Seattle Aquarium Mobile Audience: Learning Lab to conduct water Students and adults quality tests with students and Community: organized planting parties at the Southeast Seattle Pritchard wetland. Award: $10,000 Timeline: 1997 – 1999 Web site: www.scn.org/neighbors/pritchard park/
22 Managing Stormwater Runoff Reining in the Rain
The city of Bellingham educated staff, development professionals, and citizens about stormwater runoff, low impact development, and green building.
Description Results Products
o meet the challenges of In a written survey, 89 percent of • Workshop agenda and Tgrowth, the city of Bellingham the workshop participants presentations educated its staff and the indicated that they would be • Rain garden book development community about “definitely” or “very likely” to • Video low impact development (LID). implement LID techniques. As a The city hosted a workshop and result of the workshop, the Sponsor: created a video to showcase LID planning department received City of Bellingham and green building practices. They inquiries from developers and Coordinator: retrofitted two parking lots with builders interested in incorporating Renee La Croix rain gardens designed to treat and LID into their projects. Planning Partners: infiltrate stormwater and installed department employees know more Exxel Pacific, Port of Bellingham, educational signs. The parking lots about LID and encourage the use Whatcom Transportation Choice then became demonstration sites of LID in projects as they review Audience: to promote LID technology. They building permits. Staff discuss LID City staff, development created the content for a booklet techniques with almost all new community, citizens on how to construct a parking lot applicants, and the city estimates Community: rain garden. that about 50 percent of new Bellingham projects (excluding single family Award: development) incorporate LID $42,000 techniques. Because of the city’s Timeline: leadership in the field, American 2001-2003 Public Works Association asked the city to host an LID workshop at the its annual meeting. 23 Managing Stormwater Runoff SeaTac Stream Stewards Program
The city of SeaTac provided guidance for teachers, students, and residents in their monitoring of a highly urbanized creek that drains to Puget Sound and worked with businesses to reduce toxic pollutants in stormwater runoff.
Description Results Product
oads, parking lots and Twenty businesses attended Recommended stormwater best Rbuildings cover nearly 40 workshops and worked with the management practices template percent of the Des Moines Creek city to reduce stormwater pollution for businesses Watershed near SeaTac Airport. As during the course of the project. a result, large amounts of Replacing filters in the catch Sponsor: stormwater runoff with toxic basins and tracking water quality City of SeaTac pollutants have harmed the data in streams provided students Coordinator: environmental health of the creek with the opportunity to witness Desmond Machuca and Puget Sound. The city of first hand the amount of trash and Partners: SeaTac worked with carwashes, pollution entering their Cascadia Consulting, King County Park & Fly parking lots, auto neighborhood waterways. Drought Water and Land Resources, Tyee repair shops and businesses with conditions curtailed monitoring. High School large impervious surfaces to install Audience: pollution filters in catch basins and Businesses, students, residents to distribute spill control kits. They Community: encouraged businesses to adopt SeaTac simple pollution prevention Award: methods such as sweeping instead $34,100 of hosing or pressure washing Timeline: pavement. Students from nearby 1998 – 2000 schools and local residents helped install and replace filters in catch basins to reduce pollutants. To track pollution in the watershed, students monitored water quality “The partnerships that are being developed by bringing together students, in streams. volunteers, businesses, and city government to protect our environment are key in educating the public, cleaning up our watersheds, and keeping pollution out of Des Moines Creek.“ Desmond Machuca City of SeaTac Water Quality Program 24 Managing Stormwater Runoff Stormwater Outreach to Homeowners and Homeowner Associations
The city of Lacey trained homeowners to maintain their neighborhood stormwater ponds.
Description Results Products
ecause many privately owned One hundred twenty-five • Workshop agenda Bstormwater ponds are not homeowners participated in the • List of handouts maintained, they often don’t program. Work parties removed adequately filter pollutants or tons of trash and yard debris and Sponsor: prevent excess stormwater from improved flows into and out of City of Lacey reaching streams and other bodies eight ponds. Board members of Coordinator: of water. Most homeowners don’t homeowner associations were the Lisa Dennis-Perez realize their responsibility for most interested and motivated Partners: maintaining stormwater facilities participants and many became Thurston County in their neighborhoods. To address aware of the need to set aside Target Audience: these problems, the city of Lacey homeowner association funds for Homeowners educated, trained and motivated long-term maintenance. Community: homeowners to maintain their Homeowners said they were very Lacey and North Thurston County ponds and organized work parties motivated to stop dumping yard residents to clean, plant and spruce up waste in ponds. Award: ponds in the community. $12,000 Timeline: 1998 – 2000 25 Managing Stormwater Runoff Stormwater Strategies: Soil Protection and Restoration Training
Sound-wide workshops demonstrated the role of healthy soil in managing stormwater runoff.
Description Results Product
ealthy soil increases Surveys from the workshops CD with workshop materials may Hinfiltration, reduces toxic showed that 77 percent of be obtained from WORC matter from stormwater runoff, attendees planned to incorporate and encourages vigorous plant what they learned into their Sponsor: growth. The Washington Organic projects. Some municipal Washington Organic Recycling Recycling Council (WORC) employees intended to submit Council conducted seven workshops reports that recommended the soil Coordinator: around the Puget Sound basin to best management practices and Michael Broili educate local government staffs planned to propose the use of Partners: and the development community techniques such as compost Snohomish, King, Thurston, about the value of preserving berms, socks, and blankets to Kitsap, Island, and Pierce native soils or restoring degraded manage runoff from construction counties, Cities of Seattle and soils with compost amendments to sites. Landscapers indicated that Monroe manage stormwater runoff and they would recommend the soil Audience: protect surface and ground water. practices to clients. WORC Government staff and construction The workshops provided discovered they needed to address and development professionals information, specifications, and barriers that included lack of tax Communities: techniques for soil guidelines in incentives for developers and the Sound-wide the Washington Department of absence of models that show cost Award: Ecology’s stormwater manual. and benefit analysis of the $44,400 practices. Despite good promotion, Timeline: fewer developers than expected 2001-2003 attended the workshops. Web site: www.compostwashington.org
28 Sustainable Choices Commencement Bay Clean Marina and Boating Program
Citizens for a Healthy Bay educated the boating community about clean boating practices.
Description Results Products
ecognizing that Puget Sound In a phone survey, 98 percent of • Clean boater pamphlet Rhas 280 marinas and over the people who attended • Clean boater kit material list 200,000 power boats, sailboats, workshops and received boating canoes and kayaks, Citizens for a kits voiced a commitment to Sponsor: Health Bay focused on working reduce pollution. The Foss Citizens for a Healthy Bay with boaters and marinas in an Waterway Marina received the Coordinator: effort to reduce pollution from highest category of EnviroStar Lisa Lawrence boating activities. The group rating. Partners: brought EnviroStar, a program Foss Public Development that rates and recognizes Authority, Puget Soundkeeper businesses for exemplary Alliance environmental practices, to Audience: Commencement Bay marinas. Boaters and marina They conducted workshops for owners/operators/staff marina owners and managers and Community: held training sessions on pollution Tacoma detection for citizens. During big Award: boating events and on high $35,000 volume boating days they talked Web site: to boaters about clean boating www.angelfire.com/wa3/ practices and handed out free kits baykeeper/cleanboat.html with materials designed to educate boaters and reduce fuel spills. 29 Sustainable Choices Cranberry Lake Demonstration Project
Homeowners learned how to maintain and monitor their on-site sewage systems in accordance with Mason County’s operation and maintenance program and state law.
Description Results Products
ailing on-site The contractor • On-site maintenance Fsewage systems developed a training and monitoring have contributed to the curriculum that focused manuals for five closure of thousands of on best management types of on-site acres of commercial practices for sewage systems: and recreational maintenance and http://www.wsg.washin shellfish beds in Puget monitoring of on-site gton.edu/outreach/mas/ Sound. A long-term sewage systems. They water_quality/septicsens maintenance and also created five e/relatedinfo.html monitoring program is manuals for various • Curriculum for key to eliminating and types of systems, training sessions preventing the high including pressure percentage of failures. distribution, sand filter, Sponsor: In this project, the mound, gravity and Frank Family Foundation Washington Sea Grant propriety device Coordinator: Program and the Frank systems. Twenty-nine Teri King Family Foundation training sessions using Partners: developed training the curriculum and Washington SeaGrant materials and offered manuals educated 85 Program, R.G. Forestry, workshops to train homeowners. Southwest Puget Sound homeowners on how to Watershed Council, care for their on-site Mason County Health sewage systems. Services Department, Mason County On-site Advisory Committee Audience: Homeowners with on- site sewage systems Community: Mason County Award: $30,000 Timeline: 1997 - 1999 Web site: www.wsg.washington. edu/ 30 Sustainable Choices Fish-friendly Construction Workshops
Puget Sound-area Master Builders associations sponsored workshops to educate building professionals about sustainable building techniques to prevent damage to salmon habitat and to protect water quality.
Description Results Products
he goal of this industry- The one hundred thirty-five • Workshop agenda Tinitiated project was to protect people that attended the • PowerPoint workshop and revive wild salmon workshops have significant presentations: populations, while supporting a potential impact on construction • Running a Fish Friendly Job Site vital building industry that in the Puget Sound region. In • Tri-County 4(d) Rule Update provides affordable and quality King and Snohomish counties, • Proposed Regulations to Help construction. The Master Builders workshop participants from the Begin Rebuilding Pacific Salmon Association set out to equip building industry had constructed industry professionals with tools to 981 single-family residences and Sponsor: use sustainable building practices. 522 rental units in 1999. The Master Builders Associations of They used case studies and figure for single-family residences King and Snohomish counties hands-on exercises presented by represents almost 11 percent of Coordinators: credible experts and opinion the permits released in King and Doug Lengel and Kathleen O’Brien leaders to convince builders that Snohomish counties in 1999. Partners: the techniques are practical and to Home Builders Association of demonstrate the value of taking a Kitsap, Snohomish County Public proactive role in the sustainable Works, King County Department of building movement. In addition to Development and Environmental providing an overview on how the Services, Washington Organic Endangered Species Act listing of Recycling Council, Pacific salmon affects contractors, the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild workshops gave information on Audience: reducing demand for forest products Building professionals and conserving water through use Community: of energy-efficient appliances. They King, Snohomish, and Kitsap presented alternative methods for counties managing stormwater runoff on Award: construction sites and provided $45,000 other guidance for managing a fish- Timeline: friendly job site. 1999 – 2001 Web site: www.mbaks.com/public/tmg_t1.cf m?SectionID=1 31 Sustainable Choices Horses for Clean Water
Horse owners learned environmentally sensitive horse keeping to reduce pollution from running off of their farms.
Description Results Products
typical horse produces a ton More than 345 horse owners • Horses for Clean Water manual Aof manure a year and, if attended workshops or farm tours • Evaluation form poorly managed, the waste can be that promoted farm management washed by rain into Puget Sound practices such as installation of Sponsor: and other waterways. The Horses gutters and downspouts, a Horses for Clean Water for Clean Water project conducted manure management program, Contact: farm tours and workshops to and manure composting. A survey Alayne Blickle teach pasture, manure, and mud of participants showed that 94 Partners: management practices designed to percent of respondents made at King County, Whatcom, reduce pollution from farms. The least one of these changes; 85 Snohomish and Skagit workshops were popular with percent made at least two Conservation districts, Horse horse owners because in addition changes and 74 percent made at Central, Northwest Horse Source, to protecting water quality, better least three changes to their Skagit WSU Cooperative Extension farm management also reduces property as a result of the Target Audience: unsightly muck and provides a training. Since the project’s origin Horse owners healthier environment for horses. with PIE, this successful program Communities: Organizers provided each has been replicated in King, Skagit, Snohomish, workshop participant with a communities around the Sound. Whatcom counties manual that reinforced the Awards: information in the workshop and $30,000 round 11, included an extensive list of $45,000 round 12 resources. The project coordinator Timeline: published several articles in 1997 – 2001 regional horse magazines on good Web site: horse keeping practices. www.horsesforcleanwater.com 32 Sustainable Choices King County On-Site Sewage System Workshops
The King County Health Department educated homeowners and real estate professionals about proper care of on site sewage systems to protect water quality.
Description Results Products
n-site sewage systems serve A survey conducted months after • Twelve on-site question-and- Omore than 100,000 the workshop showed that 98 answer interactive video clips for households in King County, and percent of the 88 people who the Web site each system has the potential to attended the workshop and • Two television programs pollute water with human waste if returned the survey changed at produced for King County’s cable it is not properly maintained. The least one behavior that would channel King County Health Department enhance the treatment their • Agenda for workshop—Septic conducted several workshops system provides and improve the Systems: A Homeowner’s Guide throughout the County to educate effluent discharged to local ground homeowners about the various and surface waters. Thirty-seven Sponsor: types of on-site sewage systems, percent of the people surveyed Seattle/King County Department present information on how the said that they had their system of Public Health systems work, how to care for inspected, monitored or pumped. Coordinator: them, and to recommend lifestyle Several program participants Gordon Clemens choices to keep them working recognized that their system had Partners: efficiently. They produced two live failed and initiated repairs or Washington State University call-in TV shows that aired on replacement. Many real estate Cooperative Extension, advisory local government cable stations professionals attended the committee of on-site professionals and developed a Web site that workshop for clock-hour credit for Audience: provided interactive video clips to their professional license. They Owners of on-site sewage systems answer the questions most helped spread the information to Community: frequently asked by homeowners. their clients and associates. King County Award: $12,000 Timeline: 1999-2001 Web site: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/ wastewater/oss.htm 33 Sustainable Choices Living Green in the Piper’s Creek Watershed
Workshops educated citizens about sustainable building, remodeling, and landscaping techniques in the Seattle watershed.
Description Results Products
eattle Parks and Recreation More than 300 people attended • Compact disk of the workshop Screated a comprehensive series the class and tour. Of the 325 PowerPoint presentations of courses that educated attendees, 52 percent pledged to • Living Green Sustainable homeowners on soil improvement, volunteer for stewardship activities Landscape Resource List planting with watershed-wise and in the watershed, 75 percent • Living Green and Green Building native plants, installing rain increased their knowledge of Tool Kit gardens and rain barrels, installing stormwater runoff and low impact porous pavement, remodeling development, 71.5 percent Sponsor: existing space instead of creating planned to adopt a landscaping Seattle Parks and Recreation an addition, installing green roofs, practice, and 33 percent planned Coordinator: improving insulation, and putting to adopt a green building practice Caitlin Evans in energy efficient materials. They as a result of the course. The city Partners: augmented the coursework with designed the Carkeek Park Seattle Public Utilities, Phinney tours and hands-on demonstration Environmental Learning Center to Neighborhood Association projects. be a long-term model of low Target Audience: impact development and Homeowners sustainable building and Community: landscaping for the community. Piper’s Creek Watershed Award: $42,900 Timeline: 2001-2003 Web site: www.cityofseattle.net/parks/enviro nment/livinggreen 34 Sustainable Choices Living With the Coast Workshops
Workshops educated shoreline landowners about how to protect their homes while preserving healthy coastal ecosystem processes.
Description Results Products
he unusually wet winter of The contractor provided eight • Washington Coastal Systems T1997 resulted in homes workshops consisting of a two- Overview damaged by sliding, unstable hour presentation and a two-hour • Coastal Geology Reading List for hillsides. The timing was good for field trip in Whatcom, Skagit, San Whatcom County educating people living on the Juan, Island, Kitsap, Pierce, • Coastal Geology Reading List for bluffs of Puget Sound about how Thurston, and Mason counties. San Juan County to reduce erosion and manage Shoreline property owners made their property in ways that work in up 90 percent of the 378 people harmony with the coastal who attended the workshops. Sponsor: processes that contribute to a The project coordinator noted, “A Coastal Geologic Services, Inc. healthy nearshore habitat. The number of participants that Coordinator: workshops included presentations attended were actively looking to Jim Johannessen and field trips that covered buy waterfront property, perhaps Partners: geology, coastal processes, the most important audience to Greenbelt Consulting, Lummi drainage and septic systems, reach since they were about to Nation Planning Department, slope stability, water quality, and make decisions with major Washington Department of vegetation management. The impacts to nearshore resources.” Fisheries and Wildlife, Island coordinator discussed soft shore County Beach Watchers, The protection, an erosion control Whale Museum, San Juan technique that is being used as an Preservation Trust, Padilla Bay alternative to bulkheads, which Estuarine Reserve can destroy habitat for forage fish Target Audience: and other key marine species. Present and aspiring shoreline landowners, professionals working on coastal properties Award: $20,400 Timeline: 1997 - 1999 35 Sustainable Choices Salmon-friendly Lawn Signs
Lawn signs showed citizens’ commitment to protect salmon through responsible lawn and garden care.
Description Results Products
ocial marketing research shows In a two-year period, Project • Signs, background information, Sthat people tend to honor the SeaWolf distributed approximately outreach materials (available on commitments they make. Project 27,500 signs in the Puget Sound CD from Puget Sound Action SeaWolf Coastal Protection helped basin. Project staff received Team) Puget Sound residents make a inquiries from many cities and • Survey visual commitment to protect groups interested in becoming salmon. They printed, promoted, distribution partners. Sponsor: and distributed signs for people to Project SeaWolf Coastal Protection display in their front yard stating Coordinator: that their landscaping practices Michael Kundu did not harm salmon by degrading Partners: water quality. Along with the Audubon, Snohomish County signs, they provided information Audience: on how to reduce or eliminate the Residents use of toxic yard chemicals, make Community: and use compost, and conserve Puget Sound basin water. They conducted a survey to Award: determine if the signs motivated $2,800 people to change their gardening Timeline: practices and to see if the signs 2002 sparked conversation in neighborhoods. 36 Sustainable Choices Septic System Public Service Announcement
Public service announcements to encourage on-site sewage system maintenance were played on cable television stations in Skagit County.
Description Results Product
he Skagit County health The 30-second PSAs aired on 15 Public Service Announcements Tdepartment has an aggressive networks between five and 11 on-site sewage system education times each day for about eight Sponsor: program that includes written months. A total of 1,350 PSAs Skagit County Health Department materials, workshops, and media aired in Skagit County to about Coordinator: relations’ activities. They and 23,800 subscribers. Have the PSAs Steve Olson several other partners pooled made a difference? Though the Partners: resources to work with AT&T to county couldn’t show a direct link, Skagit Conservation District, design and air public service after the PSAs aired, 596 people Taylor Shellfish United, Acme announcements (PSAs) to signed up for the health Seafood Company, AT&T Media motivate people to protect water department’s “Septics 101 Clinic.” Services quality, public health, and their Staff said they felt the PSAs Audience: property’s value by properly helped fill the workshops. Owners of on-site septic systems maintaining their on-site septic Community: systems. The PSAs directed Non-sewered parts of Skagit viewers to call the health County department for more information. Award: $3,000 Timeline: 2000 – 2002 37 Sustainable Choices Sound Boater Program
Kitsap County’s Sound Boater Program trained and mobilized boaters to teach other boaters about waste disposal and boat maintenance practices to help protect Puget Sound from pollution.
Description Results Products
itsap County’s 190 miles of Thirty-four people attended the • Kitsap County boating guide Kshoreline and 18 lakes make it first Sound Boater Stewardship • Pumpout signs a popular boating destination in Training. Ten volunteers donated a Puget Sound. The Sound Boater total of 42 hours to education Sponsor: Program trained volunteers to activities. The county installed 87 Bremerton – Kitsap County Health become stewards in the boater signs at marinas and boat ramps. District community. Boaters learned about Coordinator: environmental and water quality Jim Zimny issues, geology, and tides. They Partners: also learned the best way to keep Washington Sea Grant boat paint products, bilge waste, Target Audience: sand grit and marine sewage out Boaters of Puget Sound. Graduates from Community: the first course served as mentors Kitsap County to the second session and also Award: helped teach, set up displays, and $32,500 led beach clean-ups. Volunteers Timeline: distributed more than 200 1999 - 2001 resource packets, which included bilge pads and a waterproof boaters’ guide with pumpout locations. Project coordinators posted signs with pumpout instructions and locations at marinas and boat ramps. 38 Sustainable Choices
Stewards of Puget Sound
A Lakewood community organization educated members of the Korean population about ways to protect Puget Sound.
Description Results Products
y Service Mind is The group held five • Ten Simple Things Ma community- workshops that You Can Do! (Korean based organization in reached 140 people. translation) Lakewood that provides They found that some • Survey services to people did not like to disadvantaged, low- fill out documents with Sponsor: income, and minority personal information, My Service Mind people. A team of two making it challenging Coordinator: staff and 10 volunteers to evaluate the Mandy H. Ma researched materials program. To remedy Partners: available from a variety the problem, the Full Gospel Tacoma of sources and project coordinator First Church, Tacoma presented workshops in conducted verbal Joong Ang Presbyterian churches, in English evaluations. Of the 97 Church, Young Korean classes and at the people evaluated, all Academy Young Korean said they would use the Audience: Academy. They created information they Korean residents a pamphlet with a learned. Older citizens Community: stewardship pledge to suggested that My Pierce County encourage changes in Service Mind staff do Award: lifestyle to reduce more outreach in $3,000 water pollution. My Korean to people with Timeline: Service Mind translated limited English. 2001 – 2003 into Korean the Puget Sound Action Team’s list of 10 things citizens can do to protect Puget Sound and provided it with the pledge. 39 Sustainable Choices Streamside Livin’ Guidebook
Thurston County mailed a reader-friendly booklet to streamside property owners.
Description Results Products
ost of the 16 streams in More than 900 owners of property • Streamside Livin’ pamphlet MNorth Thurston County are on north county streams received • Web site on private land, and it is not the manual through the mail, and http://www.co.thurston. uncommon to see lawns planted it appeared on the county’s Web wa.us/wwm/stream/ down to the edge of the stream, site for other local governments streamsidefirstpage.htm bare eroding banks and cleared to use. Of the 90 property owners channels, pet waste, and lawn who returned a mail-in survey Sponsor: clippings. Thurston County Water from the booklet, all but two Thurston County Storm and and Waste Department provided stated that they learned Surface Water Programs tips for streamside living and used something new. More than 75 Coordinator: a focus group to develop just the percent said they intended to Susie Vanderburg right tone—not too technical and adopt one or more behaviors to Partners: not too simple—for a property protect the stream. Sound Native Plants, Stream owners’ manual that would Team, North Thurston High present the dos and don’ts of School, South Sound GREEN, WSU living near salmon-bearing Cooperative Extension streams. It also organized a Audience: workshop to educate people about Streamside property owners salmon and shellfish issues and Community: provided guidance on how to live North Thurston County in harmony with wildlife. Award: $12,800 Timeline: 1997 – 1999 Web site: www.co.thurston.wa.us/wwm/ stream/streamsidefirstpage.htm 40 Sustainable Choices Vashon Living
Workshops gave homeowners and businesses the tools to assess and maintain their on-site sewage systems.
Description Results Product
ine months after the A total of 167 people attended Workshop outline Ncompletion of her new home, seven workshops, and an a Vashon Island citizen’s on-site additional 200 people received Sponsor: sewage system failed. Instead of training materials. Ninety-six Tech Assist Plus paying for repairs and forgetting percent of the workshop Coordinators: the unpleasant episode, the citizen participants changed one behavior Richard Burleigh, Sharon Nelson who jump-started the project as a result of the workshop, and Partners: investigated the cause of the 24 percent had their system Seattle/King County Health problem and then worked with inspected or pumped. The PIE Department, Washington State state and local representatives to contractor formed a partnership University Cooperative Extension, improve certification standards for with another PIE recipient, the King County Water and Land on-sites sewage system Seattle/King County Health Resources, John L. Scott Real professionals. Sharon Nelson and Department, and worked together Estate, Vashon Sewer District a Washington State University to develop an on-site manual. Audience: Cooperative Extension educator According to coordinators, the Homeowners, businesses used PIE funds to educate people workshops “Provided a non-hostile Community: about how on-site sewage platform for fostering the image of Vashon and Maury Islands systems work and demonstrated a pro-active health department Award: ways that homeowners and willing to work with the citizens.” $2,400 businesses affect the efficiency Timeline: and longevity of their systems. A 1997 - 1999 workshop for owners and staff of day care facilities, churches, bed and breakfasts, and restaurants gave guidance for managing the risks associated with food service and commercial strength wastewater. “My philosophy is ‘effluent happens’ and, if it happens to be in your front yard where mine erupted, you need to implement change.”
~Sharon K. Nelson Letter to editor of local paper 41 Sustainable Choices Watershed Education Project
Students, school staff, and the community became involved with sustainable building practices used during the construction of a new school on Bainbridge Island.
Description Results Products
hen the Bainbridge Island The Distict completed the school • Water quality lesson plans for WSchool District set out to in January 2000. Students helped sixth graders build a new school on property design signs for the site, wrote • Water quality lesson plans for that had a wetland and salmon articles, and conducted tours to fifth graders stream, they were determined to educate the community about • Integrated Pest Management minimize harm to the environment their special school. The school lesson plans for fifth graders by reducing sediments through has continued to protect the • What’s So Special About Our careful site development and by environment in its operating School articles (written by using sustainable building practices. The district uses students) materials. They designed a integrated pest management to healthy indoor environment paying reduce toxic exposure to children Sponsor: attention to lighting and using and to nearby salmon habitat. Bainbridge Island School District safe building materials. They also Coordinator: chose to maximize the educational Richard Best opportunities presented during Stream stewards artwork: Partners: construction and used PIE funds to Sakai Intermediate School Bainbridge Island Planning & make sure that staff, students and treasures the stream pictured and Community Development, O’Brien the community played an active created a 200-foot-wide buffer to and Associates, Suquamish Tribe role in the project. Teachers protect it. Crews removed a Fisheries Department, Center for included lessons on water quality culvert that blocked spawning Urban Horticulture, Northwest monitoring, stream health, salmon and steelhead. The pond Coalition for Alternatives to sustainable site development, to the left holds back stormwater Pesticides integrated pest management, and for slow release. And a network of Audience: resource efficient building buried pipes preserves the natural Students, parents, faculty, school techniques in the curriculum. The flow of groundwater to the board, administrators, citizens school honored the cultural history stream. Students follow through Community: of the community by naming the by monitoring for pollutants. Bainbridge Island school Sonoji Sakai after a long- Award: term resident, one of the many $5,600 Japanese Americans citizens from Timeline: Bainbridge Island sent to 1997 – 1999 internment camps during World Web site about school: War II. www.pprc.org/pprc/pubs/topics/ schools/doit.html Web site for school: www.bainbridge.wednet.edu/sakai/
44 Monitoring and Restoration Dungeness Bay Watchers
Volunteers collected data about water quality data to reveal the sources and levels of contamination threatening shellfish beds in Dungeness Bay.
Description Results Product
ecal bacteria from animal The samples collected by the Brochure: Protecting Water Quality Fwaste is a particularly serious volunteers helped to fill important in Dungeness Bay pollutant in water because it data gaps for state and local indicates the presence of agencies. A booklet that described Sponsor: organisms that can make people what people could do to protect Clallam County Department of sick. When areas in Dungeness water quality and reduce fecal Community Development Bay near commercial and pollution. The county mailed the Coordinator: recreational shellfish beds showed booklet to more than 900 people Nancy Zapotocki high fecal counts, the Clallam living near the bay. Partners: County Department of Community Washington Department of Natural Development jumped to action. Resources, Clallam Conservation They trained a cadre of volunteers District, WSU Cooperative to collect water samples to help Extension, Jamestown S’Klallam locate the sources of Tribe, Department of Health, contaminants entering the bay Battelle Marine Science Lab, and raised community awareness Washington Department of about the problem by mailing Ecology, Washington Department information to households close to of Fish and Wildlife the bay. The county modeled the Audience: program after another PIE Volunteers, commercial shellfish contract—The Sequim Bay growers, landowners Watchers—but revised it with a Community: shellfish focus for Dungeness Bay. Dungeness Bay Award: $24,600 Timeline: 1997 - 1999 45 Monitoring and Restoration Expanding Volunteer Stewardship and Citizen Monitoring in Puget Sound
People for Puget Sound developed protocols for citizen monitoring of Puget Sound shorelines, adjacent land use, and key habitat.
Description Results Products
ne of the principal problems Monitoring of restoration sites in • Protocols for the Rapid Shoreline Ofacing Puget Sound is the loss the Duwamish River resulted in Inventory and Volunteer Salmon of nearshore habitat through the successful establishment of Habitat Restoration and shoreline development, but data key reaches of marsh vegetation, Monitoring Program. to establish baseline conditions or providing important refuge for fish • Data maps for the San Juan and track the consequences of and wildlife. The inventory of Orcas Island Rapid Shoreline development are scarce. People marine shorelines provided Inventories for Puget Sound trained volunteers important data for resource to quickly inventory large, managers. Sponsor: continuous sections of shoreline, People for Puget Sound monitor restoration sites for Coordinator: salmon habitat, and survey habitat Jacques White for forage fish. People for Puget Partners: Sound incorporated the data from Friends of the San Juans, Seattle these surveys into a Citizen Audubon, University of Shoreline Atlas of Puget Sound Washington, King County Water that included interactive and Land Resources Division, Geographical Information System Citizens for a Healthy Bay (GIS) maps of key features. Audience: Citizens and Resource Managers Community: San Juan Island, Orcas Island, Duwamish River Award: $39,500 Timeline: 1999 - 2001 Web site: www.pugetsound.org/habitat/ default.html 46 Monitoring and Restoration Froggy Bottoms Wetland Restoration and Public Education
The city of Port Townsend educated residents, visitors, and real estate professionals about the historical, cultural, and ecological values of a local wetland system.
Description Results Products
roggy Bottoms is one of Volunteers donated more than 500 • Volunteer workshop agenda Fseveral wetlands that connect hours to Froggy Bottoms and most • Planting plan for wetland Port Townsend Bay with the Strait said they wished to continue their • Interpretive signs of Juan de Fuca and once served work beyond the duration of the • Trail design as a portage route in earlier times. PIE contract. Volunteer time in The city of Port Townsend planting and maintenance Sponsor: excavated the site for stormwater translated to a value of $7,000. City of Port Townsend, Engineering retention and needed some help The overall survival rate of the Division to restore the area’s habitat plantings was high for most Coordinator: potential. Project coordinators species. Many of the volunteers Sam Gibboney trained volunteers to complete the brought the message to their Partners: restoration of the wetland. The home turf by landscaping with Jefferson County Historical volunteers planted native plants, native plants in their own yards Society, Gray Wolf Ranch, Polaris installed woody debris, and hung and sharing what they learned Engineering and Surveying, bat boxes to create more diverse with friends and family. Washington Native Plant Society habitat for wildlife. They Olympic Peninsula Chapter monitored the progress of the Audience: revegetation efforts in the Residents, visitors, realtors restored wetland. Realtors learned Community: about the value of wetlands Port Townsend through a two-day continuing Award: education course. Residents of a $24,600 local youth rehabilitation program Timeline: installed interpretive signs. The 1997 – 1999 group completed a trail design for the site. 47 Monitoring and Restoration Guidelines for Involving the Disabled Community in Urban Riparian Restoration
People with disabilities learned about and restored salmon habitat along an urban stream in Tacoma.
Description Results Product
his project was the brainchild Sixty-seven people with mental, Guidelines for Involving the Tof a graduate student majoring physiological, and sensory Disabled Community in Urban in environmental studies in impairments were involved with Riparian Restoration collaboration with the Tacoma the project, through watching a Neighborhood Network Center, an presentation on urban stream Sponsor: organization that serves the needs restoration, participating in a tour Tacoma Neighborhood Network of people with disabilities. of the restoration site, or Center Recognizing the untapped replanting sections of the creek. Coordinator: potential of people with physical They restored 450 linear feet and Scott Hansen and mental disabilities, the an overall total of 3,750 square Partners: Network Center enlisted people feet of riparian stream habitat Puget Creek Restoration Society with a variety of disabilities to along Puget Creek. Audience: participate in hands-on restoration People with sight, hearing, activities on Puget Creek, a small physiological, mobility, and mental urban stream in Tacoma. In impairments addition to improving habitat for Award: salmon, the center documented $5,100 the lessons they learned and Timeline: developed a manual with practical 2001-2003 guidelines for involving people with disabilities in environmental restoration work. 48 Monitoring and Restoration Manzanita Bay Watershed Restoration Project
Landowners and volunteers removed barriers to fish passage and restored buffers on a Bainbridge Island salmon stream.
Description Results Product
he Manzanita watershed has This project restored 2.8 acres of Stream signs Tone of the largest fish runs on habitat and renewed fish access to Bainbridge Island and the Puget 1.5 miles of stream habitat and Sponsor: Sound Restoration Fund was sure .33 acres of pond habitat. Almost Puget Sound Restoration Fund that with some work, this 150 people from 21 groups, Coordinator: promising ecosystem could organizations, and businesses Betsy Peabody support even more. The group donated time or resources. Three Partners: mobilized financial and volunteer private landowners learned how to Daley Design, Dain Bosworth resources to restore salmon maintain salmon habitat on their Investment, Trout Unlimited, habitat in the watershed. They property, and two landowners Bainbridge Historical Society, City installed fish ladders and cleared developed farm plans to reduce of Bainbridge Island, Kitsap debris, built fences to keep polluted runoff. Stream Team Conservation District, U.S. Fish livestock out of the creek, and volunteers agreed to conduct and Wildlife Service, Suquamish revegetated stream banks to filter ongoing monitoring and Tribe runoff and reduce sedimentation. maintenance of the project area Audience: A key element to the success of and contribute information to a Residents and businesses this project were the dozens of database detailing changes in fish Community: volunteers, businesses and schools migration in the upper watershed. Bainbridge Island who took an active role in Award: restoring salmon habitat in their $29,300 community. Timeline: 1997 – 1999 49 Monitoring and Restoration Menzies Research Cruises
Citizens, students, and visitors to Port Townsend collected data about Puget Sound aboard a research vessel.
Description Results Product
he Port Townsend Marine Almost 800 passengers, including Research plan TScience Center named this citizens, students, and area project after Archibald Menzies, visitors, participated on Menzies Sponsor: the naturalist who accompanied Cruises. As a result of Port Townsend Marine Science Captain Vancouver in his collaboration with the Washington Center explorations of the Pacific Department of Fish and Wildlife, Coordinator: Northwest. The Science Center the Menzies Project provides data Judy D’Amore evoked a kindred sense of to improve resource management Partners: discovery by bringing citizens, decisions on a species of prawn Marine Resources Consultants and students, and tourists aboard a and Dungeness crab. The Menzies Sound Vessels, Inc. research vessel to help gather Project gave technical support to Target Audience: scientific data from the nearshore the Jefferson County Marine Tourists, citizens, students waters of Puget Sound. An Resource Committee and its staff Community: underwater video camera allowed were contracted to supply Jefferson County participants to survey eelgrass, information for the Port Townsend Award: kelp, and sea pen beds. Citizens Shoreline Master Program. $45,000 and students monitored water Timeline: quality and assessed the 2001-2003 abundance and composition of Web site: species in plankton throughout the www.menziesproject.org year. The research data collected by the passengers was posted to the Menzies Web site. In the summer, the proceeds from paying passengers helped fund student monitoring during the remainder of the year, helping to make the program self-sufficient. 50 Monitoring and Restoration Puget Sound 2100
Members of Adopt a Beach trained citizens to monitor and care for stretches of Puget Sound shoreline.
Description Results Product
dopt a Beach conducted Adopt a Beach worked with seven Citizen Shoreline Atlas Atraining sessions around Puget local volunteer coordinators and Sound to prepare volunteers and recruited and trained more than Sponsor: local coordinators of volunteers to 200 new volunteers to collect Adopt a Beach collect information about Puget information about Puget Sound Coordinator: Sound’s nearshore environment. It shorelines. They worked with Susan Melrose geared sessions to accommodate People for Puget Sound to use Partners: citizens in both basic and more data collected by volunteers to People for Puget Sound, City of advanced monitoring. It used the create the Citizen Shoreline Atlas. Bainbridge Island, City of volunteer data to create an online Volunteers working with Friends of Edmonds, Citizens for a Healthy geographic information system to the San Juans and People for Bay, RE Sources map the data and make it Puget Sound provided data to the Target Audience: available to the public through atlas in PIE projects described on Citizens their Web site. pages 44 and 53. Community: Various locations around the Sound Award: $28,600 Timeline: 1997 – 1999 51 Monitoring and Restoration Replanting Riparian Areas
To enhance the success of volunteer revegetation projects, Washington State University Cooperative Extension created a “how-to” planting guide and video.
Description Results Products
iparian vegetation is essential At the conclusion of the project, • Plant it Right: Restoring Our Rto watershed health. It is a WSU had distributed 372 videos Streams Video critical component of fish and and 4,900 fact sheets to http://cru84.cahe.wsu.edu/cgi- wildlife habitat, helps maintain a organizations involved in projects bin/pubs/VT0113.html balanced hydrology in watersheds, to restore vegetation. The video • Plant it Right: Restoration and intercepts and filters and brochure are available for Planting Techniques pollutants. Washington State download on their Web site. They http://cru84.cahe.wsu.edu/cgi- University (WSU) Cooperative estimated that the distribution bin/pubs/MISC0337.html Extension observed that would reach more than 2,000 volunteers are carrying out an volunteers who participate in Sponsor: increasing number of riparian revegetation projects. Thurston County WSU Cooperative restoration projects and that the Extension success of these projects depends Coordinator: on proper planting and Robert Simmons maintenance. To increase the Partners: success of revegetation projects, Olympia Stream Team, Tumwater WSU created a training video and Stream Team, Thurston County a handy laminated guide that Storm & Surface Water Program, volunteers can take with them to Thurston County Community project sites. Television Target Audience: Volunteers Community: Sound and state-wide Award: $17,500 Timeline: 1999 - 2001 Web site: wawater.wsu.edu/ 52 Monitoring and Restoration Restoration Radio
The Society for Ecological Restoration Northwest used radio to showcase restoration projects in the Puget Sound basin.
Description Results Product
abitat restoration has Forty stories aired twice daily and Radio stories, which may be Hincreased dramatically in the reached more than 65,000 people accessed through the Restoration Puget Sound region in the past in eight weeks. Hits to the Radio Web site decade. To inform people about Restoration Radio Web site the wealth and variety of increased significantly during the Sponsor: restoration projects in the Puget radio broadcasts. Some Society for Ecological Restoration Sound area, the Society for environmental groups reported an Northwest Ecological Restoration Northwest increase in volunteer participation. Coordinator: created radio stories for the KMTT- Nancy Hahn FM, “The Mountain” radio station. Partners: In addition to informing the public Entercom—KMTT-FM, Seattle about restoration projects and Public Utilities local environmental issues, the Target Audience: radio spots recruited volunteers to Radio audience of Puget Sound help with litter pickup, trail citizens ages 25 to 49 maintenance, habitat surveys, Sound-wide invasive weed removal, and Award: revegetation events. $17,000 Timeline: 2001-2002 Web site: www.restorationradio.net 53 Monitoring and Restoration Salmon Habitat Restoration Citizens’ Action Project
More than 1,000 volunteers worked on stream restoration and fish passage projects in Whatcom County streams.
Description Results Products
he Nooksack Salmon The Association gave • Portable display to recruit TEnhancement Association’s presentations on salmon habitat to volunteers. mission is to restore healthy 28 groups in the community and • Slide presentation about salmon populations in the streams organized 49 work parties to do restoring salmon habitat of Whatcom County. In this action- hands-on restoration work. oriented project, the association Another 25 work parties helped Sponsor: led citizen work parties to restore gather plants and restock the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement stream habitat and improve fish nursery with new seedlings. More Association passage. The group installed a than 1,000 volunteers participated Coordinator: fence to block off a creek site in the work parties. Citizens Darrell Gray from all terrain vehicles (ATV) and planted riparian vegetation along Partners: local elementary school students 6,500 feet of streams. Volunteers Washington Department of produced signs to ask ATV owners removed fish passage barriers in Ecology, Washington Department to respect the restoration efforts. three creeks and built a temporary of Fish and Wildlife, City of Interns from Western Washington rock weir to facilitate fish passage Bellingham, Western Washington University helped monitor the in a creek. University restoration sites Target Audience: People living and working in the Nooksack Watershed Community: Whatcom County Award: $20,000 Timeline: 1997 - 1999 54 Monitoring and Restoration Shoreline Preservation Project
Friends of the San Juans trained volunteers to collect shoreline data and used it to compile a citizen shoreline atlas and create a display to educate people about the need to preserve Puget Sound habitat.
Description Results Products
he San Juan Archipelago is More than 60 adult and student • Shoreline Curricula: Nearshore Tone of the more diverse and volunteers collected data at sites Teacher’s Toolkit exquisite marine ecosystems still throughout the San Juan Islands. • Shoreline Exhibit: located at the intact in the nation, but The data were included in a Whale Museum in Friday Harbor development pressures are taking Citizens Shoreline Atlas, created http://whale-museum.org/ their toll. Friends of the San Juans with funding from a previous PIE and partners launched an effort to project (see page 44). Friends of Sponsor: train adult and student volunteers the San Juans used the data in an Friends of the San Juans to secure a baseline of shoreline online interactive computer Coordinator: data against which to measure display, using a Geographic Kevin Ranker changes and to identify sensitive Information System (GIS) for a Partners: or key habitat areas to protect or shoreline exhibit at the Whale People for Puget Sound, Whale restore. They produced curricula Museum. Museum, Wolf Hollow Wildlife to train middle and high school Rehabilitation Center, San Juan teachers about nearshore habitat Island National Historical Park, and to guide student participation San Juan County Planning in the shoreline inventory. Department Volunteers helped inventory the Target Audience: entire 6.1 miles of shoreline in the Adults and students who live in San Juan National Historic Park. the San Juans Community: San Juan Islands Award: $31,500 Timeline: 1999 – 2001 Web site: www.sanjuans.org 55 Monitoring and Restoration Spawning Gravel Monitoring Project
Grays Harbor College developed resources and training to help groups assess the potential of stream gravel for supporting spawning salmon.
Photo courtesy of Steve Schroder
Description Results Products
ecause salmon lay their eggs The contractor developed a Salmon Spawning Gravel Sampling Bin gravel nests, clean gravel is training video and instructional Video and Instruction Booklet essential for the reproductive booklet to visually demonstrate success of salmon in the Puget proper techniques for conducting Sponsor: Sound basin. Sediment from gravel surveys in the Timber Fish Grays Harbor College logging and other development and Wildlife manual. Two training Coordinator: can destroy spawning beds by workshops introduced the training Claire Denise reducing the supply of oxygen and materials to groups involved with Partners: nutrients to eggs and by stream habitat monitoring. In Northwest Natural Resource preventing fry from emerging after addition, the contractor loaned Technologies Consortium, they hatch. The goal of this monitoring equipment necessary Northwest Indian Fisheries project was to improve fish habitat for conducting the surveys to Commission, TV News Service, by providing resources and groups, acquired commitments Timber, Fish and Wildlife training to support the protocol for from groups willing to monitor Monitoring Program, Point No gravel surveys developed by the streams, and posted the data Point Treaty Council Northwest Indian Fisheries collected in the statewide Target Audience: Commission (NWIFC). The database kept by NWIFC. Teachers/instructors at the high coordinator made the materials school and community college available to educational levels, environmental groups, institutions, community and conservation districts environmental groups, local Community: government, Indian tribes, timber Puget Sound basin companies and state agencies Award: interested in improving fish $35,000 habitat. Timeline: 1997 – 1999 56 Monitoring and Restoration Whale-Sighting Network and Education Program
A sighting network allows people to learn about whales as they travel through Puget Sound.
Photo courtesy of The Center for Whale Research
Description Results Product
he decline in orca populations The Orca Network gave whale Orca Network Web site Tis one of the many symptoms presentations on ferries and at emerging in the greater Puget many public events. In the spring Sponsor: Sound ecosystem that signals and summer of 2002, they sent Orca Network problems caused by rapid out e-mail notices of 321 sightings Coordinator: population growth and reports and received up to 358 Susan Berta development. Volunteers from a user sessions per day on the Web Partners: whale-sighting network collect site. Whale Museum, Center for Whale observations of the southern Research, Foss Maritime, resident orca community and The Orca Network coordinator International Whale Watch distribute them to researchers and reported that a big challenge was Operators Association, Washington interested citizens. Daily e-mail “Walking the fine line between State Ferries reports, education presentations, getting the whale-sighting Audience: and a dynamic Web site with locations out fast enough for Puget Sound residents and visitors updated sightings give insight into researchers and for citizens hoping Community: the behavior, range, and habitat to see the whales from the shore, Sound-wide needs of whales in Puget Sound. while at the same time ensuring Award: The network also provides that we aren’t increasing boater $2,400 information on how people can pressure on the whales.” To Timeline: make lifestyle changes to protect address this challenge, the Orca 2001 - 2003 whales, and posts opportunities Network does a lot of work to Web site: for people to become advocates educate people about proper www.orcanetwork.org for whales. whale-watching etiquette.
58 Youth Education Application of a Shellfish Science Club Model
Coordinators mentored schools interested in forming a shellfish farming club, an entrepreneurial project pioneered by Quilcene- Brinnon schools.
Description Results Product
hellfish provide jobs for The contractor mentored two The Development of a School Sresidents in rural communities schools interested in setting up Shellfish Science Club of Puget Sound, contribute to the clubs. They worked with schools to quality of life enjoyed by many identify shellfish beds for Sponsor: residents, and make up a large cultivation, conducted water Pacific Shellfish Institute percentage of west coast shellfish quality testing and shellfish Coordinator: sales in the nation. Shellfish are surveys, and purchased farm Daniel Cheney also very sensitive indicators of supplies. The project exposed Partners: the quality of marine water and students to water quality and Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers clean water is essential for shellfish issues, the links between Association, North Canal Shellfish shellfish production in Washington. shellfish resources and the Coalition, Quilcene School District, The project coordinators used the watershed, the connection Washington Department of Natural Quilcene-Brinnon School Shellfish between declines in natural Resources, U.S. Environmental Club program as a model to resources and the resulting loss of Protection Agency educate high school students Northwest history and traditions, Audience: about how to farm shellfish, and students also learned about Students maintain water quality, and career opportunities in this natural Community: practice scientifically sound resource field. Belfair, Olympia resource conservation. Award: $18,000 Timeline: 1997 – 1999 59 Youth Education Asian Pacific Islander Youth’s Shellfish Harvesting Outreach Project
Young people educated their community about safe and sustainable shellfish and seaweed harvesting.
Description Results Products
n 2000, people became ill from The young people reached over • Video: Good Food From the Sea, Ieating shellfish tainted with 400 adults at community meetings in English, Korean, Cambodian, paralytic shellfish poisoning. The and during beach walks. The Vietnamese, Samoan, and Asian Pacific Islander community young people provided outreach to Filipino languages. Contact the worked with state and local 10 local businesses. Marine Korean Women’s Association at agencies to alert their Resources for Future Generations, (253) 535-4202 to obtain copies communities about safe and the advisory group for the project, of the videos. The Puget Sound responsible harvesting from produced a guidance document on Action Team has copies available beaches. Teens from the Asian how to work with diverse for loan. Pacific Islander community learned communities and presented the • Public Service Announcements about shellfish and water quality information at a national in six languages issues and monitoring techniques conference. They have pioneered • Report: A Community Centered in preparation for educating their collaborative working relationships Approach to Working with communities. They worked with between the Asian community and Diverse Communities elders from the Samoan, Korean, government agencies. Filipino, Vietnamese, and Sponsor: Cambodian communities and Korean Women’s Association conducted field trips to beaches to Coordinator: model sustainable harvest Faaluaina Pritchard methods. The young people Partners: collected clam samples for a Indo Chinese Cultural Service biotoxin sampling project led by Center, Tacoma-Pierce County the local health department. They Health Department, Washington helped create a video and a public Department of Fish and Wildlife service announcement on safe and Audience: sustainable shellfish harvest that Asian Pacific Islander adults and they translated into six languages students and ran on local stations. They Community: provided outreach to Asian Pacific Pierce County Islander-owned businesses in the Award: community to provide information $45,000 on safe and sustainable purchase Timeline: of shellfish. 1999 - 2001 Web site: kwaonline.org/Programs/ youth.html 60 Youth Education
EnviroChallenger
The Tacoma Public Works Department brought environmental science lessons to Tacoma students.
Description Results Product
he city of Tacoma brought Tacoma’s public and private EnvironChallenger lesson plans Thands-on, interactive lessons schools took full advantage of on water quality, watersheds, the education provided by the Sponsor: salmon, household hazardous EnviroChallenger program. City of Tacoma Sewer Utility, waste, recycling, and worm About 5,000 students Stormwater Utility & Solid Waste composting to students in the participated in the interactive Utility beautifully painted lessons during the PIE contract. Coordinator: EnviroChallenger. The van is The city of Tacoma has chosen to Chris Gleason painted to show people, salmon, continue funding the program, Partners: and other animals living together which currently serves several Tacoma School District amidst familiar Tacoma landmarks. thousand students each year. Audience: The lesson plans were designed to K-5th grade students meet the state’s academic Community: standards. Educators from the Tacoma Public Works Department also Award: provided teacher workshops on $30,600 water quality, habitat and Timeline: monitoring and presented a mini 1999 - 2001 lesson on earth-friendly lawn care Web site: at community events. www.envirochallenger.com 61 Youth Education Expedition Mee Kwa Mooks
Pathfinder Elementary School students worked with the community to improve wildlife habitat and reduce pollution from stormwater runoff at a West Seattle park.
Description Results Products
athfinder Elementary School The curriculum invested students • Interpretive signs Pused Mee Kwa Mooks Park with a strong sense of place. Sixty • Web site near Alki Point as an exciting students cleared 2,000 square feet • Script for play written by extension of their classroom of non-native plants and replaced students: Attack of the Evil environmental studies. In addition them with 500 native plants. Of Pollution to learning about the plants and the 240 people that attended the animals in the park, students community celebration, several Sponsor: studied the Duwamish tribe and were inspired to sign up to help Pathfinder Elementary interviewed a descendent of an the students care for the park. Coordinator: early Alki settler. Building on their J. Bryan Street research into the environmental, Partners: historical and cultural history of Seattle Parks, Doug Rice, the park, students participated in Landscape architect, Pathfinder monthly work parties to pull tutors invasive weeds and restore natural Audience: vegetation in the park. They Students, residents, businesses installed signs at the park and Community: held a community celebration to West Seattle educate residents about choices Award: people can make to reduce $9,800 pollution and protect wildlife Timeline: habitat. 1997 – 1999 62 Youth Education Knowledge and Restoration
Students learned about and restored salmon and wildlife habitat along the North Fork of the Samish River.
Description Results Products
he Edison community takes According to pre-and post-project • Curriculum Tpride in their school, which has tests that measured increases in • Pre- and post-project tests been a central part of the student knowledge about • Monitoring plan community for more than 75 watershed, water quality and • Water quality database years. When a teacher obtained habitat issues, average scores PIE funds to study and restore improved from 59 percent to 87 Sponsor: habitat on a watercourse that ran percent and 54 percent to 83 Edison Elementary School through school property, however, percent for the two groups tested. Coordinator: he reported that there was some The coordinator established a Rob Matthews skepticism about the value of the database to track water quality. Partners: “Edison slough” which in most Almost 100 students participated Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, Skagit people’s minds translated to the in cleanup and replanting Conservation District, Washington “Edison sewer.” Few knew that the activities. Science instruction in Department of Fish and Wildlife, degraded slough was the north the seventh and eighth grades Skagit Fisheries Enhancement fork of the Samish River. Students became more project-oriented and Group, Skagit Public Works sampled the water and compiled a incorporated the project site as an Department database of water quality outdoor laboratory for Audience: monitoring results to provide environmental studies. 4th-8th grade students, parents, information to the local community community, Health Department, Community: and other agencies to promote Northwest coastal region of Skagit better understanding of the County, town of Edison condition of the North Fork and Award: how it affects the shellfish industry $5,500 in Samish Bay. They cleaned up Timeline: trash, removed blackberries, and 1997 - 1999 planted native species along the river. Their activities enhanced the value of the ecosystem for wildlife and managed to raise it a few notches in the community estimation as well. 63 Youth Education Seabeck Alki Salmon Team
A group of elementary and middle school children formed a team to teach the community how to protect salmon habitat.
Description Results Products
nder the leadership of a Students presented the slide show • Salmon Team Guide Udedicated parent and a group to eight elementary schools and • The Salmon Book (produced by of enthusiastic children, the five community groups. They students) Seabeck Alki Salmon Team made created and distributed 100 • Slide Show (produced by a commitment to learn about salmon books through the schools. students) salmon and their habitat in order They provided advice on how to to educate the community about start a salmon team and received Sponsor: what people can do to protect and interest from two schools. One of Seabeck Alki Salmon Team preserve wild fish. Their passion their biggest challenges was Coordinator: for fish led them to learn about persuading schools to dedicate Jerry Zumdieck and teach their community about time for the program and Partners: the harm that people can do to obtaining evaluation from Ron Hirschi (biologist), several salmon populations by nonpoint participating teachers. Salmon can other community members pollution, on-site sewage systems, be controversial and one of the Audience: bulkheads on marine shorelines, most positive aspects of this K-6th grade students in Central and fish passage barriers. To help project was the community’s Kitsap schools, community clubs, them convey their message, the reception of the enthusiastic and environmental groups team produced a slide show, a apolitical voice the children Community: salmon book and a guidance brought to the issue. Seabeck & Kitsap schools document on how to start a Award: salmon team. After the conclusion of the PIE $13,700 contract, the Seabeck Alki Salmon Timeline: Team has gone on to achieve 2001 - 2003 some noteworthy successes. They Web site: spearheaded efforts to acquire http://salmon.home.donobi.net/ funds for a 35-acre parcel on news.htm Seabeck Bay with prime fresh and marine salmon habitat that was slated for development and have created an environmental learning center on the site. 64 Youth Education South Sound GREEN: Salmon Come Home
Teachers and students learned about threats to local salmon populations and participated in habitat protection and restoration activities.
Description Results Product
outh Sound GREEN held a More than 20 teachers who • Summer teacher institute Ssummer teachers institute to attended the summer institute agenda train teachers about the issues committed to involve their • Curriculum surrounding the 4H’s that threaten students in an action project and a wild salmon stocks: habitat watershed related field trip. Sponsor: destruction, hydroelectric dams, Seven hundred students, parents South Sound GREEN over-harvest, and competition and community members Coordinator: with hatchery fish. The teachers participated in storm drain Kathy Jacobsen visited sites where salmon habitat stenciling and restoration work on Partners: had been restored, a hatchery, Woodard and Percival Creeks in South Sound Salmon and a dam. Teachers used the Thurston County. Enhancement, Kennedy Creek knowledge and skills they gained Management Committee, Thurston from the institute and teamed up Conservation District, Olympia with GREEN coordinators and Rotary, Earth Savers Stencils, other resource specialists to Natural Resource Conservation involve their students in salmon Service, WSU Cooperative habitat protection and restoration Extension during the school year. Audience: 4th-12th grade students, teachers, parents, community members Community: Thurston County Award: $18,800 Timeline: 1997 - 1999 65 Youth Education Student Environmental Enhancement Project
Students from a rural community put their knowledge about the watershed to work with restoration, monitoring, and trail building activities.
Description Results Product
any of the students from the Fifty Hood Canal seventh and Skokomish Watershed Youth Field MHood Canal School have a eighth grade students were Guide cultural heritage descended from actively involved in hands-on field the Twana, the earliest inhabitants work. Ninety students participated Sponsor: of the Hood Canal who are the in class activities each month Hood Canal School predecessors of today’s Skokomish throughout the school year and 10 Coordinator: Tribe. The tribal community has a students continued to participate Laurie Byrd deep cultural connection to the during the summer. The students Partners: Skokomish River and its continue to monitor and maintain Skokomish Tribe Department of watershed located on the southern the upkeep of the wetland trail. Fisheries, U.S. Forest Service, end of Hood Canal. In this Mason Conservation District project, middle school students Audience: learned about the ecology of the Students watershed in the classroom and Community: reinforced the lesson with field Skokomish Watershed studies. They planted riparian Award: areas, placed salmon carcasses to $28,000 replenish nutrients in streams, Timeline: built a trail around a wetland near 1999 – 2001 the school to allow access for wetland studies, removed barriers to fish habitat, snorkeled to inventory bull trout, and measured survival and growth rates of reintroduced native Olympia oyster populations. To share their watershed lore, they put on an Earth Day, Every Day Fair for elementary students with games, activities and presentations. They created a field guide to show species in the watershed, some of which the tribe has nurtured and used since time immemorial. 66 Youth Education Swan Creek Watershed Citizen/Youth Partnership Project
Citizens and youth of the Puyallup Tribe and Tacoma’s Salishan and Eastside communities became caretakers of the Swan Creek Natural Area.
Description Results Products
wan Creek, a tributary to the More than 150 students from • Swan Creek Color Book: SPuyallup River, is an urban Chief Leschi School toured the Produced by the Eastside 4-H stream impacted by excessive Swan Creek Watershed. Twenty- club stormwater runoff, fish passage two teachers from Chief Leschi • Swan Creek Trail Guides: problems, and garbage dumping. attended an inservice teachers day produced by Gault Middle School This project recruited and trained to learn about Swan Creek students low-income, minority students and macroinvertebrates and how to • Water Quality Display: produced citizens to work with youth to conduct simple water quality tests. by McIlvaigh Middle School encourage community ownership Citizens and students planted 500 students and stewardship of Swan Creek. cedar and hemlock trees along the The group removed invasive plants stream. Sponsor: and replaced them with native Metro Parks Tacoma Nature Center species, picked up trash, Coordinator: monitored to assess the stream’s Carly Gelarden health, and educated the Partners: community. Student leaders Eastside 4-H Ecology Club, Chief provided environmental education Leschi School, McIlvaigh and Gault activities during day camp Middle Schools, Puyallup Tribe sessions and provided education Fisheries Department, Youth to the community. Outdoor Adventures Program, Portland Avenue Center Target Audience: Adults and children in 3rd-8th grades Community: Salishan and Eastside Tacoma Communities Award: $12,500 Timeline: 1999 - 2001 67 Youth Education Taylor Creek Watershed Internship Project
The Pacific Science Center mentored teen interns as they evolved into knowledgeable watershed educators in the Rainier Valley community.
Description Results Products
his project brought teens, The sponsors had difficulty • Lesson plans Telementary school students, recruiting interns and • Water quality data for Taylor teachers, families, the city of recommended starting early in the Creek (2001 – 2003) Seattle, and citizen groups school year and targeting students together to learn about, monitor, interested in science. Each of the Sponsor: and protect the health of Taylor six interns who completed the Pacific Science Center Creek, an urban stream in south program demonstrated an increase Coordinator: Seattle. The high school interns in teaching skills; most were Apryl Brinkley designed and presented lessons confident in their ability to relay Partners: about Puget Sound, watersheds, concepts about the water cycle Elementary School Teachers, and salmon to elementary and watersheds; and each Friends of Deadhorse Canyon, students. Translations of take- reported attitude and behavior Seattle Public Utilities home materials helped spread the changes. Half expressed a desire Audience: message to non-English speakers to pursue a career in education or Taylor Creek Watershed Residents in the community. science. Of the 123 elementary Community: students who participated, 80 Southeast Seattle percent had never visited a Award: stream and 31 percent had not $37,600 visited a park prior to the Taylor Timeline: Creek project. 2001-2003 Web site: www.pacificsciencecenter.org 68 Youth Education WaterWeb Intertidal Studies and Monitoring Project
Students shared knowledge about the intertidal ecology of the Salish Sea through the Internet.
Description Results Product
E Sources in Bellingham RE Sources modified a nearshore Living on the Edge: A Teacher’s Rmodified a teachers guide curriculum and distributed it to 13 Guide to WaterWeb. from British Columbia and led field teachers and eight community trips to introduce middle and high organizations. They trained 10 Sponsor: school students to the natural and teachers how to use the RE Sources cultural history of the Puget curriculum, inventory beach Coordinator: Sound/Georgia Basin estuary, organisms, and collect data for the Robyn Du Pré which Washington shares with Citizen Shoreline Inventory. Partners: Canada. Workshops trained Subsequently, six teachers involved Georgia Strait Alliance, People for teachers on two beach monitoring their students in beach monitoring. Puget Sound, Adopt a Beach, methods. In addition to learning RE Sources directly trained 61 Beach Watchers, Whatcom Middle how to collect information about students to monitor beaches. They School, Shuksan Middle School, the plants and animals found on provided guidance for 13 classes Sehome High School, Squalicum the beach, some classes learned on posting beach monitoring data High School, Wellspring to conduct detailed surveys of the to the WaterWeb site. Community School, Western shoreline using the Citizen Washington University Shoreline Inventory. Data from the Audience: studies were posted on RE Middle and high school students, Source’s Web site. teachers Community: Whatcom, Island and Skagit counties Award: $19,900 Timeline: 1997 - 1999 69 Youth Education Watershed Education and Restoration Program
A dynamic partnership involved middle school students in monitoring and restoration activities in the Newaukum Watershed.
Description Results Products
he Mid-Sound Fisheries During the course of this project, • Water quality monitoring TEnhancement Group partnered 294 volunteers planted 1,035 protocol with the Seattle Aquarium and native trees, shrubs, and cuttings, • Teacher workshop agenda and Muckleshoot Tribe to provide constructed 460 feet of fencing, materials meaningful on-the-ground and revegetated nearly a half- • Training materials stewardship opportunities in the mile of riparian habitat. The • Outcome evaluation Newaukum Watershed for students African American Academy and and teachers from schools located Washington Middle School Sponsors: in King County. The students modeled a smaller scale project Mid-Sound Fisheries Enhancement conducted chemical and biological within the Seattle area. The Group & Seattle Aquarium monitoring, placed woody debris project helped develop a contact Coordinator: in the stream, planted trees and with the Emerald City Rotary Club. Craig Carson, Belinda Chin shrubs, and installed fences to Partners: keep farm animals away from the Muckleshoot Tribal School, African stream. American Academy, Cascade Middle School, Sequoia Junior High School, Washington Middle School Target Audience: Middle school students and teachers Community: Newaukum Creek, Green- Duwamish Watershed Award: $15,800 Timeline: 1997 - 1999
February 2004
(360) 725-5444 (800) 54-SOUND Publication #PSAT04-02 www.psat.wa.gov