Black Diamond NOW

Want An Incentive To Compost And Recycle - Downsize Your Garbage Can

One very simple way to increase the amount of waste that you either compost or recycle is to get a smaller garbage can.  With the new garbage service rate increases enacted earlier this year, we decided to downsize our garbage can from a 60 gallon container supplied by Allied Waste to a 20 gallon can that we supply ourselves.  Over the years we have become better at composting food waste and recycling the obvious candidates - paper and cardboard.  But, it's easy to get lazy and just dump it in the garbage.  So off on a new experiment we went.

First realization is that a 20 gallon garbage can is really small, so we have little room for error or egregious consumption and waste.  Our second realization is that we have been dumping a lot more recyclable and compostable material in the garbage than we had thought.  And finally, by adopted better habits we can save money in the process.  Following is a comparison of monthly garbage rates we are currently paying versus current rates based on our old habits.

• One 60 gallon cart supplied by Allied Waste with weekly service - $21.58/mo.
• One 20 gallon can supplied by us with weekly service - $8.14/mo.

If you really want to conserve, you can also sign up for once a month service with a 32 gallon can that you supply for just $4.91/mo.  There are other rate saving options also available in between but if you want help paying for your monthly smart phone bill, here you go.  And talk about helping your kids and grand kids learn good habits in sustainability - composting and recycling is a great and yet simple place to start.

What should we put in the Garbage Can?  According to Allied Waste's web site, following is a list of appropriate "garbage" items:

• Aerosol Cans (empty)
• Animal waste or pet litter (bagged)
• Ashes (bagged)
• Carbon Paper
• CD's
• Ceramics or Dishes
• Detergent Boxes
• Diapers
• Empty Motor Oil Containers
• Greasy Car Parts
• Lids or Bottle Caps
• Medical Needeles or Sharps (unless packed in a container)
• Mirrors or Window Glass
• Paper Towels, Plates or Napkins
• Plastics or Aluminum contaminated with food
• Plastic or Waxed Cardboard
• Plastic Cups, Plates, Utensils or Plastic Takeout Containers
• Styrofoam Food Takeout Containers or other Styrofoam
• Tissue or Foil Wrapping Paper
• Tissues or Toilet Paper
• Toxic Containers (empty)
• Waxed Paper or Cartons
• Light Bulbs

Do not put in the Garbage Can:

• Hazordous Waste
• Computers, Televisions and Cell Phones
• Electronics
• Fluorescent Tubes & Bulbs
• Liquids
• Medical Waste
• Wet Paint
• Yard Debris (put in yard recycling)

For those "non garbage can" items noted above, our City annually holds a recycling event in early March.  This is a great opportunity to get rid of the really "bad stuff" and do it safely.  Will keep you apprised of the exact dates.

Two solid waste handlers currently service our tri-city area of Covington, Maple Valley and Black Diamond - Allied Waste (once known as Rabanco) and Waste Management.  While "garbage" collected by these companies throughout King County (excluding the City of Seattle) is all dumped at King County's Cedar Hills Landfill, recycling operations for both yard waste and home recycle products are self contained and unique to each company.  Their incentive - the less they dump in land fill, the less their costs will be.  In addition, the more they can recover of value, the less their costs become.  Following is a summary of the new products most typically made from recycled materials:

1. Paper becomes new paper
2. Cardboard becomes new cardboard
3. Newspaper is made into fruit packing trays and new newspaper
4. Glass gets made into new blass bottles and jars
5. Aluminum cans are made into new aluminum cans
6. Tin cans are made into rebar for construction projects
7. Plasic bottles become new fleece clothing and carpeting
8. Plastic containers are made into shoe inserts, recycling containers, bins and buckets
9. Plastic bags are made into decking and building products

One more interesting aside - what impact has the "great recession" had on waste being dumped in the County's landfill.  Believe it or not there was a more than a 30% reduction in tons of landfill waste being dumped at the County's Cedar Hills site from 2007 til 2010.  What does this say about our consumptive habits?  I should also offer kudos to the County for making big reductions in operating costs during this period despite the fact that many of their costs are fixed and do not vary based upon the volume of waste landfilled.

I found the recycling operation at Allied Waste (also now known as Republic Services) to be really interesting.  For more info, be sure to play the video:

 

 

Managing Stormwater When All You Have Is A Drainage System

Believe it or not, the idea of managing stormwater to prevent pollution and protect our fisheries is a fairly new concept in our state and elsewhere in the country.  Prior to the early 1990's, little attention was really paid to stormwater as an important environmental imperative.  To the extent that stormwater retention/detention ponds were included as part of a new development, they were pretty small and particularly during storm events, the water just flowed.  If you drive through Lawson Hills Estates or the Morgan Creek development, both of which were built during the 80's/early 90's period, you will find some stormwater pond capacity, but pretty small.  Most of our city developed well before this period and we pretty much just have what I'll call a "drainage system" - all runoff flows directly into our streams and lakes, untreated and unattenuated.  As a result, runoff from our streets and other impervious surfaces which are typically high in phosphorus and toxic metals such as copper from brake pads, end up polluting our streams and lakes and despoiling our fisheries.

While current regulations require a much higher standard for new development, including a net no new phosphorus loading to Lake Sawyer as a result of Yarrow Bay's planned Master Planned Development, it is important that we also focus on making improvements to the "drainage system" that we now have in the City.  And to their credit, this is exactly what our Public Works Department and City staff have been focusing on.

Today, if you drive through the City when it's raining, you will find water just flowing into our streams from our roads, driveways and parking lots.  Water is lazy - it always goes downhill and this is where our streams are.  As a result, City staff has submitted an application for a $700,000+ grant that would allow us to improve stormwater management along SR169 (runoff today drains directly to Ginder Creek untreated and unattenuated).  The following graphic shows what is currently being planned.

Let's hope that we can make this happen.  Improvement to water quality as a result would be very beneficial.  Kudo's to staff!

Landsburg Headworks Circa 1899

In an earlier post, I focused on Taylor - A Mining Town Condemned.  Though once a thriving community of nearly 1,000, concern existed that coal and clay mining in the area was contaminating the Cedar River and the City of Seattle's principal water supply source.  Located just a few miles south of Taylor between Hobart and Ravensdale is Landsburg where the diversion dam, an intake canal, settling basin and gatehouse were built across the Cedar River in 1899 to supply Seattle's growing water needs.  This turned out to be quite a public works project as can be seen in the following photos.

Photo courtesy of University of Washington Libraries, WWDL0568, Anders Beer Wilse, cira 1899

The above photo shows the headworks under construction.

Photo courtesy of University of Washington Libraries, WWDL0541, Anders Beer Wilse, circa 1899

The above photo shows the intake diversion dam underconstruction.  The two holes you see in the brick structure divert flow into pipe that ultimately extends the 29 miles to Seattle.

Photo courtesty of Museum of History & Industry, SHS8670, circa 1930

Additional expansion occurred in 1930, further increasing the size of the transmission pipe.  Now that's what I call big pipe, especially for the time!  I wonder if the shift from clay pipe to concrete pipe had occurred about then?

The adverse consequence of this new dam was that it effectively blocked salmon spawning on a prime 17 mile segment of the river further upstream.  Correcting this and providing fish passage upstream has been one of the early priority salmon restoration projects in the Puget Sound region.  Quoting from Seattle Public Utilities:

"The construction of Landsburg fish passage facilities at the dam and aqueduct crossing were completed in 2003. The facilities are comprised of four primary components:

1. A full channel, boulder/chute fishway downstream of the aqueduct crossing to provide easy passage over the aqueduct and improved habitat conditions

2. Fish ladder and sorting facility at the diversion dam,

3. Tip-out downstream passage gate to provide safe passage for downstream migrating fish, and

4. Special screens on the municipal water intake to route downstream migrating fish away from the municipal water intake and safely back into the river.

The numbers of fish passing above the dam have generally increased since construction of the passage facilities. Early monitoring suggests that fish are performing well in this new habitat and recolonization is progressing well."

If you have an opportunity, be sure to visit Landsburg where you can connect with the beginning of the Cedar River Trail that can take you all the way to Renton and Lake Washington.  We have logged many a mile on this trail and consider it one of our funner jogging and biking trails.  The many river crossings also make it a great place to go if you want to observe fall Sockeye salmon runs.  Enjoy.

State Recreation & Conservation Office Grant Funding - Firearms?

I was recently doing some homework about grant funding for 2012 provided by the State Recreation & Conservation Office.  Of particular interest to me was funding provided for Salmon Recovery efforts.  In the process, I learned about some surprising if not disturbing projects that are currently being funded.  Topping the list for me of questionable spending was the category Firearms and Archery Range Recreation.  I'm not a firearms enthusiast but the issue for me was not so much whether firearms and archery qualify as bonafide "recreation" that merit state recreation funding but that the funding was going to private gun clubs.  If you don't belong to any of these clubs or pay a fee to them, you can't use their facilities.  I don't get it.  And consider how are State Parks are now being decimated. 

Following is the full list of funded projects:

Why in the world should the public provide grant funding to upgrade the Clubhouse of the Renton Fish and Game Club or any of these clubs for that matter?   For more detail on these projects and others, follow this link to Recreation and Conservation Office.

I did find that there is quite a lot of funding going directly and indirectly to salmon recovery as the following summary  list illustrates.

I believe that the roughly $540,000 grant awarded to purchase an easement for trails in the Icy Creek area came through the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.  Hopefully, such acquisition can be completed as this would be a significant asset to our community.

King Conservation District Update

In a post last June, I focused on the King Conservation District (KCD) - A Best Kept Secret.  Their mission is "promoting sustainable uses of natural resources through responsible stewardship".  A great goal.  Based on a recent survey conducted by KCD, it appears that they are doing quite well in the eyes of those they serve.  One of the survey questions that particularly caught my interest related to top priorities for the District.  To my surprise and delight, stormwater topped the list.

Five years ago, I doubt that stormwater would have been in the top 5 priorities, yet may well be the biggest key to long term efforts to save/protect Puget Sound and our fisheries.  Its gratifying to see how widely understood/accepted this priority has now become.

One other note, KCD is having a Native Bareroot Plant Sale. You can pre-order plants on January 27 for early March delivery.  Sounds like a great opportunity.  Follow this KCD link for more info.

First Teacher

 

What a wonderful way to educate our children.  Congratulations to Courtney Feeney for such an innovative program.

Cleaning Up The Green/Duwamish River Watershed

As many of you are aware, our lower Green River/Duwamish watershed is designated as a Superfund site with lots of legacy contamination as shown above.  This contamination resulted historically from many of the early aerospace (Boeing) and other manufacturing industries that initially formed along the Duwamish. The levels of existing pollution are well documented but what to do about it is a work in progress.  And just so you know, the term Superfund is hollow - there is no fund.  Any cleanup of this pollution must be paid for by current or past property owners and/or current government agencies.  Expected cleanup costs range from $200 million up to more than double this amount.

Our Regional Water Quality Committee was briefed last week about clean-up efforts and schedules.  Some key takeaways for me:

1. The biggest risk to humans appears to be the bottom dwelling fish and shellfish that reside in the Duwamish.  Because salmon spend very little time during their spawning cycle in the Duwamish, there seems to be very little risk here to our fisheries. 
2. Young people ages 0 to 5 are the highest health risk population.
3. PAH (petroleum derivitives) from stormwater appear to be the biggest current risk for adding further contamination to the Green/Duwamish.  Though PAH's may not kill fish, they do appear to have a very significant impact on their health and long term life span.
4. Cleanup can be dicey - dredging up this material can cause more problems than letting it lie as evidenced by findings from the clean-up efforts at Commencement Bay in Tacoma.

What can we expect to see in the future?  We will likely see more capping, less dredging and increased use of granular activated carbon to contain legacy contamination.  Also, we may need to adjust our expectations - it is highly unlikely that we will ever return to natural background levels of pollution.  The Duwamish is likely never to be pristine again.  All the more reason for protecting the middle and upper Green before it gets defiled.

Current cleanup timelines appear to be problematic.  Why on earth should it take until 2018 to begin cleanup efforts?

 

CSO's - An Environmental Connundrum or Not?

For those of you looking for a sexy topic, CSO's are not it.  But if you wish to engage in a discussion of environmental regulation and where it does and does not pay dividends, then this is your forum.  Hang on to your seats and let me first describe what a CSO is.  CSO stands for Combined Sewer Overflow and was the popular stormwater and sewer engineering practice in the northwest in the early days - pre 60's.  Following is a graphic that explains the concept and the problem.

In essence, our sewer and stormwater drainage systems were interlinked.  But when we have heavy rainfall exceeding the sewer treatment plant's capacity, which has been a frequent occurance, the combination of raw sewage and stormwater overflowed into our streams and into Puget Sound.  From a public works engineering perspective, this was most efficient.  But from a pollution standpoint, it was horrible.  Pretty ugly.  The result was contaminated beaches (swimming in sewage) and pollution in the sound that killed fish - but it was "engineering efficient".  OK, no more engineer bashing.  To correct these obvious problems, major efforts were initiated in the mid to late 1960's to begin separating stormwater and sewer systems and the results have been very impressive.  Following is a chart that shows the rate of progress in reducing combined sewer overflows and sewer pollution into Puget Sound over the last 50 years. 

As we can see, though there remain some CSO related flows into Puget Sound, current volumes are but a bare trickle of what they once were.  Yet, efforts to get that last trickle out of the system continue.  But at what cost?  Should we spend our scarce rescources here to fully finish the retrofit job or should we redirect these resources (our money) to other efforts that will give us an even bigger bang for the buck?  And this is the simple question that I am now posing.  Guess what the price tag is to wring that last bit of CSO out of the system.  For King County alone, it's $711 million dollars and there is less a problem here than for the City of Seattle.

So, the real question is - should we (King County) spend $711 million, and the City of Seattle even more, to tighten up our current CSO systems to "finish the job" and pay for this through our sewer rates or are there other uses for this money that can yield us even higher returns for preserving Puget Sound and our fisheries?  Unfortunately, this is not the question now being asked by King County - and I sit on the Regional Water Quality Committee.  There seems to be a view that to legally comply, we must remove the last vestiges of CSO's.  But, it's highly unlikely that this money and these expenditures will in the end make a material difference in improving water quality and fisheries within Puget Sound and our region.  There are likely to be expenditures to solve other problems with a much higher return on investment than these CSO's if our end goal is to provide maximum protection/improvement for Puget Sound and our fisheries.

And by means of full disclosure, I am also a member of the South Central Action Area Caucus Group of the Puget Sound Partnership focused on preserving Puget Sound.  In this capacity and in that as a member of the Regional Water Quality Committtee, I have in the past, and will continue to ask this same question - solving what specific water quality problems will give us the biggest return on our investment?  If that means less investment in CSO replacement and more investment in retrofitting other stormwater systems, then the money should be allocated accordingly.  Simple question, but not a simple answer with the multiplicity of government jurisdictions involved with overlapping responsibilities.  It seems to me that this is why the Puget Sound Partnership was created to begin with.  Where is the leadership?

 

WRIA9 - What?

WRIA9 stands for Water Resource Inventory Area 9 - which is our Green/Duwamish River watershed.  For perspective, WRIA8 is the Cedar River watershed to our north and WRIA10 is the Puyallup/White River watershed to our south. Following is a picture of the WRIA9 watershed.

As you can see, WRIA9 extends from the Upper Green River Subwatershed, which is located above the Howard Hanson Dam, through the Middle Green River Watershed from Howard Hanson Dam to below Flaming Geyser State Park and then on into the Lower Green and the Duwamish.  Cleaning up the Duwamish as it enters Puget Sound and all of the EPA Superfund sites along the way remains an important priority.  But, to insure that our fisheries can be maintained/expanded to their original state, requires that the Lower and Middle Green river watersheds are both protected from further degradation and restored to healthy habitat levels.  Common approaches to restoring water quality include the following:

• Restoring riparian habitat
• Controlling stormwater flows
• Treating stormwater
• Removing cross connections
• Fixing failing on-site septic systems
• Business BMP's (Best Management Practices)
• Improved stormwater O&M

I recently had an opportunity to see the return of Pink Salmon into the Green and they were very plentiful.  But from what I am told, current returns of pink, silvers, chinook and steelhead are but a fraction of what they used to be. 

Our Regional Water Quality Committee was recently briefed by staff on the status of restoration efforts within WRIA9.  Stormwater retrofits are an important priority for the future.  Why?

• Most developed areas have no or inadequate controls
• Large storm flows erode streams
• Untreated stormwaters harm fish

Retrofits do improve flow and water quality.

Prior to 1990 there were virtually no stormwater management regulations.  The focus was strictly on "drainage".  If you drive along Lawson during a rain storm event, you will clearly see what I mean.  Water just sheets down the streets, into ditches and then directly into Ginder Creek and Rock Creek located just below.  No storage, no attenuation of flows, no treatment, just drainage.  We know what phosphorus from stormwater can do to Lake Sawyer.  So what is the answer?

Stormwater retrofit planning for WRIA9 is now an important priority.  A $1 million grant has been received from EPA to assess needs and cost effectiveness.  Primary streams being addressed include:

• Newaukum Creek (south of the gorge through the Enumclaw area)
• Soos Creek and Covington Creek (the outfall of Lake Sawyer)
• Crisp Creek
• Mill Creek in Auburn and Kent
• Springbook Creek
• Des Moines Creek and others

The goal is to understand the tradeoffs - cost versus improvement - for making stormwater retrofit changes.  The goal is to also define regional retrofit funding needs, prioritize these needs, provide input to capital project planning and influence future permit requirements. This project is expected to be completed in the 2012 to 2013 time frame.  We look forward to the results.  Stay tuned.

Beaver Lake Restoration

Following are some fun photos from the volunteer tree planting at the Beaver Lake restoration project taken this past Saturday, courtesy of Lisa Delfiner Parsons.  It was a great day.

No blackberry vines left there.

Judy and her shovel.

Sam Eide - mulch man.

Trip Hart - Enumclaw attorney.

Yours truly having fun.  Overall, close to 500 trees planted on this day.

Beaver Lake Tree Planting Event - Help Us Restore This Property

Last Saturday we had Make A Difference Day and did battle with himalayan blackberry vines.  This Saturday (Oct. 29) we are looking for volunteers to help us restore Beaver Lake to the next level - achieving a long term "natural state".  With over 1,000 trees already planted, we have lots yet to go including 1,300 more trees planned for planting this weekend.  Come help us starting at 10 am.  Become a member of the Middle Green River Coalition for 2012 for the bargain sum of $25 and contribute to preserving the last best places in King County. 

Beaver Lake is part of the Bass Lake, Beaver Lake and Dandy Lake complex located just west of SR169 and south of the Green River Gorge toward Enumclaw. It alls drains into the Green River through Christie creek just east of Flaming Geyser State Park.  To get there, follow SR 169 south toward Enumclaw.  Go over the Green River Gorge Bridge and back up the hill.  Turn right on 383rd Street.  You will see large homes up on the hill to your right.  Follow this road and you eventually find yourself at Bearver Lake which is on your right.  Another great opportunity to help improve and restore natural areas within our community.

Make A Difference Day - Quite A Success

The above photo is courtesy of Ron Olness and the Covington/Maple Valley Reporter

This last Saturday was Make A Difference Day here in Black Diamond, and boy did we.  In all we had about 120 volunteers undertake tasks throughout the community.  This is believed to be the biggest turnout yet.  Some volunteers cut wood for people who needed it to heat their homes this winter.  Others did painting around the Community Center and Historical Museum. The motley crew that you see pictured above is what we call the "A Team".  Our task - remove all the blackberry vines, undergrowth and debris that had grown up around the entrance to Diamond Glen.  Believe me, these were huge vines - a virtual jungle.  Not for the faint of heart. If you see this bunch walking down the street together, my advice is to get out of their way.

What a difference it turned out to be. Take a look the next time you go through town headed north on SR 169.  Special thanks go to the Kiwanis, Rotary, Lake Sawyer Christian Church and City of Black Diamond staff.

For more pictures, follow this link to the Make A Difference Day slide show prepared by Ron Olness.

 

 

 

Make A Difference Day - Saturday October 22

Please make it a point to come join us for Make A Difference Day this Saturday October 22 here in Black Diamond.  We will be meeting for Breakfast at the Black Diamond Community Center beginning at 8 am.  I understand that Andy Williamson and our Publics Works Dept. has arranged for a "blackberry removal" brigade at Diamond Glen.  So, come help us and help your community get better.  It's fun too!

Region Water Quality Trends - Discouraging

Last week, our Regional Water Quality Committee received a briefing from King County staff regarding water quality trend results in the Puget Sound Region for the year 2010.  Following is a summary of the results presented

The large lakes noted below are Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish.  Lake Sawyer, which would be number three on the list but not included in this data, is also posting good results for phosphorus.

Unfortunately, when it comes to streams in the region, the news re temperature and dissolved oxygen levels is not nearly so good.

The good news - less fecal bacterial contamination of our beaches.  The bad news, marine water quality remains below standard or is declining from prior years.

 
Bad news for our fisheries.  Little or no improvement.  FYI, WRIA 9 refers to the Green-Duwamish watershed.

Once again, pretty bad news.

I am also a member of the South Central Action Area Committee (SCAACG) of the Puget Sount Partnership - the entity charged with saving Puget Sound.  My emphasis, while being on this committee and representing our community, has been to focus on the steps required to actually improve water quality.  In a briefing prepared by King County staff in June, I found it eye opening that "roughly more than three quarters of the developed land in King Count was built out prior to 1990 using no stormwater control methods or the ineffective intitial methods developed in the 1970's.  ----- this was a time with no or relatively little flow control and virtually no water quality control."

In my business experience, I have been faced with many of these same issues, most notably in the Cape Cod area (excessive nitrogen and phosphorus) and in the Chesapeake Bay region where excess nitrogen is the compelling call to arms.  In all cases, including our challenges here in Puget Sound, the biggest issue we face is "sins of the past".  I see a lot of great proposals for making new developments better, and this is all good including Yarrow Bay's committment for zero net new discharge of phosphorus into Lake Sawyer, but until we have the will to tackle the bigger issues which are legacy problems from our past, we are likely to continue to be disappointed by annual water quality results like those summarized above.

My current advice to SCAACG, spend less on studies and more on actually making some changes in our historical stormwater management systems.

 

Low Impact Development - A Few Words Of Caution

In a post last week, I focused on Low Impact Development tools and techniques for improving stormwater management.  These tools include rain gardens, rainwater harvesting, pervious pavers etc.  For more info on this topic, follow this link to Low Impact Development - What Does This Mean?  And while I am a big fan of these largely decentralized approaches to stormwater management, a word of caution is also in order.  It needs to be done right.

As an example, there are lessons to be learned from the City of Seattle's experience putting in rain gardens in the Ballard community.  Not all went well, including several gardens that just didn't drain, creating ponds and a potential safety hazard for children and breeding ground for insects.  Following are a couple of pictures from this project:

To fix the problems, many of these "rain gardens" had to be removed and others repaired - at a cost of approximately $500,000.  While I am in no way trying to be critical of the City, I am most interested in what we can learn from this experience.  The lesson I believe - you must do your homework.  This means understanding the soils at each and every site.  If you have impervious clay, it obviously makes no sense to put a rain garden there.  It just won't drain.  I would also add that, in my experience,  Low Impact Development requires different skills than traditional civil engineers are schooled in.  It's a different world, so be careful.

For example, in our City of Black Diamond, there are many areas where the underlying soils are dense glacial till and these do not drain well.  Most of the Lawson Hills area is a case in point.  Rainwater just runs off in sheets with very little absorption.  These areas would not appear to be good candidates for rain gardens or pervious pavers.  Rain water harvesting might make sense here but we must pick and choose what fits best where based on "specific site conditions".  In other areas of the City, soils are highly permeable, like where we live.  Perfect candidates for rain gardens.

While offering no panacea, there is an important role for Low Impact Development in our future.  It just has to be done right and where it fits.

Auburn Narrows Restoration - Some History

Thanks again to King County Property Services and their iMap feature, I thought it would be fun to see what this property located just west of the Hwy 18 bridge across the Green River looked like historically.  The following aerial photo was taken in 1936.  Click on the photo to enlarge.

Pretty much farmland.  Notice how wide the Green River was back then, no doubt due to the frequent flooding.  At some point, levees were installed in this stretch of the river to protect these farmlands from seasonal flooding.  Also, note that the Hwy 18 bridge appears to be nothing more than a country road back then.

Fast forward to 2002 and we have pretty much the same picture except that active farming had ceased by this time and the impact of channeling of Green River flows can clearly be seen.  The current Hwy 18 bridge is also very visible.

As shown in the photo that follows, site restoration efforts began in 2005.

Three major efforts were begun.  1st was the dredging of a small side stream that young salmon could use for protection and to get food on their way to Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean.  The sidestream is shown in the upper center left of the graphic.  From what I understand, no sooner was this sidestream established but they found young fish hiding and feeding - essential habitat if they are to survive their long journey.  The second part of restoration focused on wetlands restoration.  Thus we find the pond like area and other site work.  Finally, the levee was removed and much of the site work we see above was involved with filling in areas with soil taken from the levee.

Next is an aerial view from 2007.

By this time, tree planting had begun on a large scale and the side stream was really maturing as were wetlands areas. 

I haven't found a suitable current aerial photo but can tell you from my site visit a couple of weeks ago, this site has changed dramatically since then.  So much more tree canopy and bird habitat.  For those who missed my earlier post re Transfer Mitigation Credits and current restoration activities, follow the link.  This site is a great work in progress.

A Few Pictures From Shadow's Frog Frolic Event Earlier This Saturday 9/10

The varieties of moss in the bog are amazing.

Four varieties in this one picture.

Mounds upon mounds.

And the forest cover is incredible by itself.  For more on SHADOW (Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetlands), follow the link above.  Great place with a wonderful education program.  Thanks all for a fun day. 

The music, food and people were awesome.  Sorry, I focused these pictures on what I love - the native ecology at SHADOW.  Next time will publish more pictures about the people who have done so much to create this special protected area so that we can all enjoy it.

Transfer Mitigation Credits (TMCs) - A New Tool For Achieving Environmental Mitigation?

Above is a picture taken on Thursday of Auburn Narrows, a site owned by King County along the Green River just west of the Hwy 18 bridge.  As shown above, parts of this site are totally infested with reed canary grass, canada thistles and other weed invasives.  Over the years, King County has undertaken significant efforts to restore the site (encompassing several hundred acres) to a more natural environment, targeted at improving fisheries, wetlands remediation and habitat restoration.  Results to date are impressive with several levies along the river removed or lowered and thousands of trees planted.  Migrating young salmon now have a natural environment in which to feed, grow and hide on their way to Puget Sound and ultimately the Pacific Ocean.  But much remains to be done.  It is a long term effort as all restoration projects tend to be.  The Middle Green River Coalition (MGRC) recently received a grant to complete Phase 5 of this restoration at Auburn Narrows in the area pictured above, partnering with King County to do the work consistent with County specifications.  Earlier this year, I reported on similar grant funded efforts by the MGRC for restoration of Beaver Lake - for more information on Beaver Lake restoration, follow this link and this link.  I will post more on Beaver Lake project progress as well as Auburn Narrows in the future.

So what are Transfer Mitigation Credits or TMC's?  Well, at this point they are little more than concept with a long ways to go yet before they become formally adopted as an accepted program. As a starting point for the concept, you may wish to familiarize yourself with the County's Transfer Development Rights (TDR) program.  TDR's are a tool long advocated by the Cascade Land Conservancy for preserving and conserving public open space and forestland free from urban development pressures. The concept of Transfer Mitigation Credits or TMC's differs in that it recognizes that while county, state and federal acquisition of land helps us preserve many environmentally critical lands, these lands in the past have often been "abused" by prior owners or uses and require significant efforts focused on "restoration" to achieve their full benefit and potential.  These lands sitting idle as they often do does little to enhance our fisheries, wildlife habitat or open space that benefits the public.  Beaver Lake and Auburn Narrows are great examples.  Fully restored, these sites offer huge environmental and people benefit, but restoration is a critical need.

So where does restoration money come from today?  First, from environmentally focused organizations such as REI (one of the grant providers for Beaver Lake Restoration).  Second from local government agencies such as King County, but as we know, these funds are increasingly scarce.   Lastly, and where I believe significant future potential lies is where builders are seeking LEED certified status or where builders and developers are seeking to mitigate otherwise adverse environmental impacts of their development in urban areas.  To achieve LEED certification requires that significant adverse environmental impacts be mitigated.  In urban areas, development mitigation options can often be cost prohibitive - meaning that an otherwise valuable project for the urban community can't move forward.  However, if "equivalent" mitigation can be achieved by land acquisition and/or environmental restoration efforts in other areas of the county, we can end up with a big win.  The environment wins and many projects otherwise unaffordable, can now become affordable.  We often see a huge urban/suburban/rural divide in King County.  One way to minimize this divide - allow TMCs. 

Why TMC's through organizations such as MGRC?  Very simple - much of the work we are able to do as a qualified 501 c 3 non-profit is through volunteer efforts and contractors willing to discount their normal fees for the benefit of the public.  One clear example:  our MGRC grant for Beaver Lake Restoration efforts totals $20,000.  However, the amount of work done to-date at Beaver Lake in contractor hours and volunteer equivalent dollars easily exceeds $60,000.  TMC's help us achieve this incredible financial leverage - totally local, no Wall Street here.

Give it some thought.

P.S. - I should give some credit for the TMC concept to Andy Williamson with the City of Black Diamond (though no blame attributed) who has served as an excellent "foil" as we debate environmental mitigation issues within our community.

Join SHADOW For Their 15th Annual Frog Frolic

For those not familiar, SHADOW is short for Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetlands.  The organization was formed to promote the preservation and protection of wetlands for future generations.  As one of the few remaining peat bogs in King County, Shadow Lake Bog offers an amazing learning experience.  The total preserved site encompasses over 92 acres and is truly unique and fascinating.  The bog boardwalk is 600 feet long.  See 27 different varieties of moss, an ancient peat bog and carnivorous plants.  Learn that things don't rot in a bog; they mummify!  For more information on SHADOW's education program and partner MGRC, follow this link to Environmental Education At It's Best.

Though it has a Renton address, its actually quite close to Maple Valley.  For directions, follow this link.  Following are a couple of pictures I took earlier this summer.

Hope to see you there.  It's quite a site.

Music In Camp - Circa 1907 & 2011

The above advertisement is courtesy of University of Washington Libraries ADV0267 circa 1907 and shows that enjoying music while camping is not a new phenomenon.  It's just that we take it to a different level these days.  Fast forward to this Saturday's August 13 Rock The Green event held at Kanaskat Palmer State Park.  This day we had 6 bands live and they certainly did "Rock".  The event was a fund raiser for the Middle Green River Coalition (MGRC) to support the conservation and environmental restoration efforts of our organization along the Middle Green, from Kanaskat Palmer to Flaming Geyser State Park.  Needless to say, the beer garden was quite popular and the food provided by the Cumberland City Hall Saloon & Eatery was outstanding.  And the music - nothing beats live rock.

The above picture of Bernie McKinney, lead singer for the local band Howling Rain, captures what music today at the campground looks like.  It was awesome.

More on this event in later posts as we recognize the many contributors to the event's very big success.  Music then and now is a bit different.  Not only can you enjoy the amped up vibes today but you can take a nature hike with MGRC experts as many families did throughout the day.

The above picture shows Courtney Feeney on the right leading another family nature hike on Saturday.