Murray Basin (Lowman Beach Park) Overflow Meeting Tonight

King County Wastewater Division has established a stakeholder group for discussing the options for the Combined Sewer Overflow project for the Murray Basin – located presently at Lowman Beach Park.  The proposals include some options which would necessarily have a huge and negative impact on Lowman Beach Park.  The stakeholder group, the Murray Basin Community Advisory Group, has been addressing these issues and concerns and is expected to work with the County to produce recommendations by the end of September.

All  Murray Basin Community Advisory Group meetings are open to the public to observe discussions. Info to date can be found at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/construction/seattle/beachcso/basins/murray/cag.aspx

The mission of the group is to:

  • Provide a forum for dialog and information sharing;
  • Consult with representatives of the community on the selection of a community acceptablealternative or suite of alternatives to reduce Combined Sewer Overflow episodes;
  • Provide advice, as community representatives, on potential solutions and ways to address community concerns and to advise King County on CSO solutions in the Murray basin;
  • Help King County make a stronger connection with the community;
  • Help King County provide information to the community so community memberscan provide meaningful input, help the County solve the serious problems of combined sewer overflows, and help the County reach a reasonable andtechnically feasible solution.

12th Annual Arts in Nature Festival @ Camp Long

Mark your calendars for the 12th annual Arts in Nature Festival, scheduled for Saturday Aug. 21st & Sunday Aug. 22nd at Camp Long!

It will be a weekend packed with arts and outdoor experiences for people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Festival goers will have access to a wide-range of performing arts including:

  • Music
  • Dance
  • Aerial & fire performances
  • Puppetry
  • Marching bands;

And, visitors will also get to experience sound & visual art installations in the

  • Museum of Sound
  • Interactive arts activities such as Haiku
  • Printmaking
  • EcoRhythm Instrument Building
  • Fabric Animals & Birds
  • Participatory Chime Clusters and
  • Naturalist activities.

Music will range from jazz and classical to bluegrass, indie and experimental. Some of the festival highlights include performances by Hey MarseillesEarth, Lelavision, and Pearl Django.

As a benefit show during the festival, Chris Ballew will be performing songs of the Presidents of the United States of America (tickets $25) on Sunday evening.

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Annual Potluck with Longboards and Electric Bikes!

Join SWS for our Annual Summer Potluck – at Lincoln Park This Coming Monday….

We’ll set up the grill and provide condiments.  Please bring your favorite summertime dish and your own cup, utensils & plates.

We will be set up in Shelter 3/4 which is very close to the principal restroom facilities on the beach at the south end of Lincoln Park.  See map below for details… Continue reading

Kayak the Duwamish & Learn About the River

The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition is again holding their summer community kayak tours on July 14 and again on July 28 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

Join guides from DRCC, Alki Kayak Tours, Camp Long, National Wildlife Federation, and the Seattle Aquarium, to learn all about the natural and built environments of the Duwamish River.

Kayaking experience is not necessary. Explore the river to learn about Superfund sites, river history, and community activism. You’ll also see amazing habitat restoration sites and wildlife, including summer nesting ospreys, seals and sea lions, and shore birds.

Tours will also provide basic information about how to make a water quality violation report, and how to take simple water quality tests. Please see the DRCC Superfund web page for details about the cleanup documents.

Youth 18 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at Duwamish Waterway Park, 7900 10th Ave. S. All gear is included. All tours cost $40 per person and are payable to Alki Kayak Tours.

Some scholarship funding is available for community members, please contact DRCC for more information.

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King County Combined Sewer Overflow Hearings

King County Wastewater Division is hosting two information sessions which focus on projects to control combined sewer overflows.  The meetings are designed to answer questions to date, explain the project science and engineering.

Community members interested in learning more about King County’s proposals to control combined sewer overflows (CSOs) near recreational beaches on Puget Sound are invited to attend these upcoming technical information sessions.

The information sessions will focus on the science and engineering behind the county’s proposed alternatives to build CSO control facilities in West Seattle and North Beach neighborhoods.

Project managers and technical staff will answer questions the county has received to date from community members, including how flows were calculated, why parks are among the sites being considered for location of the new facilities, the feasibility of “green” infrastructure, how much storage capacity is needed to effectively control CSOs, and how a project might impact a neighborhood during and after construction.

People are welcome to come for the entire day, or attend individual sessions based on interest level. A detailed schedule will be posted on the project website at http://www.kingcounty.govCSOBeachProjects.

While the sessions will present a high level of technical detail, the presentations will be geared toward anyone with an interest in science and engineering. Online feedback forms will continue to be available on the project website for people unable to attend the sessions.

People are also invited to provide feedback by calling Monica Van der Vieren at 206-263-7301 or by e-mailing CSOBeachProjects@kingcounty.gov.

A portal to information about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks is at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Newsroom.aspx.

Local Whale Expert To Speak at Duwamish Longhouse

The Whale Trail is hosting an exciting event featuring John Calambokidis, with an introduction by Kathy Fletcher at the Duwamish Longhouse on June 17, beginning at 7:00 pm.

The Whale Trail presents John Calambokidis speaking on gray whales and other large whales of the Pacific Northwest. Kathy Fletcher, People for Puget Sound, will give remarks on Saving the Sound: What We Can Do.

Advance tickets are available at BrownPaper Tickets with a $5 suggested donation

John Calambokidis is a renowned marine mammal biologist and founder of Cascadia Research. John recently conducted the necropsy on the gray whale that stranded on Arroyo Beach in West Seattle.

John’s talk will focus on the recovery and recent studies of the larger whales in the region, including the recent gray whale strandings in Puget Sound. He’ll also talk about the resurgence of humpbacks along the coast, and recent sightings and studies of blue and fin whales.

Kathy Fletcher, Executive Director of People for Puget Sound, will update us on the health of Puget Sound and efforts towards its recovery.

Come learn more about the great whales that pass through our waters, and what we can do to help them.

The event is presented by The Whale Trail, whose mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of whales and our marine environment by establishing a network of viewing sites along the whales’ trails through Puget Sound and the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest. The Whale Trail is a project of Coast Watch Society, a 501(c)3 organization.

John Calambokidis is a Research Biologist and one of the founders of Cascadia Research, a non-profit research organization formed in 1979 based in Olympia, Washington. He periodically (1991-2010) serves as an Adjunct Faculty at the Evergreen State College teaching a course on marine mammals. His primary interests are the biology of marine mammals and the impacts of humans. As a Senior Research Biologist at Cascadia Research he has served as Project Director of over 100 projects. He has authored two books on marine mammals ( the award-winning Guide to Marine Mammals of Greater Puget Sound from Island Publishers, with R. Osborne and E.M. Dorsey and Blue Whales from Voyageur Press, with G.H. Steiger) as well as more than 150 publications in scientific journals and technical reports. He has conducted studies on a variety of marine mammals in the North Pacific from Central America to Alaska. He has directed long-term research on the status, movements, and underwater behavior of blue, humpback, and gray whales. His work has been covered on shows by Discovery Channel and others and is featured in a National Geographic TV special and magazine article released in March 2009.

Kathy Fletcher is founder and executive director of People For Puget Sound, a citizens’ organization formed in 1991 to protect and restore Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits. She also sits on the Northwest Straits Commission and the Puget Sound Partnership’s Ecosystem Coordination Board.

For more information or questions contact Donna Sandstrom at info@thewhaletrail.org

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Lowman Beach CSO on Next Parks Board Agenda

The Seattle Parks Board June 10 meeting will be at the  Activity Resource Center at Woodland Park Zoo, – located near the West Entry. Commissioners will tour the new West Entry at 5:00 pm. Members of the public are welcome.

The meeting begins at 7:00 pm and includes the annual briefing on the Woodland Park Zoo and a briefing on the Lowman Beach ParkKing County Combined Sewer Overflow Project.

For more information, contact Sandy Brooks, Park Board Coordinator at 206-684-5066 or check out their website  www.seattle.gov/parks/parkboard.

Current Park Board Commissioners are:

  • Neal Adams, Vice Chair
  • John Barber
  • Terry Holme
  • Jourdan Keith
  • Diana Kincaid
  • Donna Kostka
  • Jackie Ramels, Chair

The Agenda for this meeting is:

  • I. Call to Order 7:00 p.m.
    • Consent Items:
    • Approve June 10 Agenda; May 13 and 27 minutes; Acknowledgment of Correspondence
  • II. Superintendent’s Report 7:05
  • III. Oral Requests and Communication from the Audience 7:20 (for subjects that have not had or are not scheduled for a public hearing) NOTE: Speakers will be limited to 2 or 3 minutes each, to be determined by the chair and based upon # of people testifying. A maximum of 10 minutes testimony will be heard during Oral Requests portion of the agenda. Testimony in excess of 10 minutes will be heard prior to “Old/New Business”
  • IV. Briefing: Woodland Park Zoo Annual Report 7:30 Presented by Zoo Director Deborah Jensen and Deputy Director Bruce Bohmke
  • V. Briefing: Lowman Beach Park-King County’s Combined Sewer 7:55  Overflow Project, Presented by Kevin Stoops, Seattle Parks Director of Planning and Development
  • VI. Old/New Business 8:20
    • Committee Reports
  • VII. Adjourn 9:00

*Times listed for all agenda items are approximate & agenda items may not be taken in the order listed. Please address all correspondence to: voice mail: 206 684-5066 or Sandy Brooks, Coordinator e-mail: sandy.brooks@seattle.gov

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Walk the Waterfront with Sally Bagshaw & Feet First

Join the quarterly Feet First Walk & Talk on the waterfront with Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw. Come find out about public space plans for the waterfront.

We’ll finish the walk at Feet First with refreshments and the unveiling of the new Feet First website.

RSVP for the walk by emailing yoyo@feetfirst.info by Monday, May 10th. For more information about this event, contact Yoyo Hsieh, Event Organizer or call 206-652-2310

Walk & Talk Schedule

  • 5:15pm  Assemble/Check-in @ Pier 70 near the fountain
  • 5:30pm Departure Time
  • 6:00pm-6:10 pm  Short stop and talk at Mithun by Principal, Mark Shapiro
  • 6:30pm-7:30pm  Reception @ Feet First – Nord Building, 314 First Avenue South in the heart of the Pioneer Square District

If you are not able to participate in the walk, join the reception beginning at 6:30pm at the Feet First office.  Join the Feet First Facebook Group!

For more information call 206-652-2310 or go to the Feet First website www.feetfirst.info

King County Natural Resources Seminar on Stormwater

King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Water and Land Resources Division is hosting another in their series of SciFYI science seminars.  This one’s on Stormwater and all that entails including monitoring and plans for rivers and streams and floodplain monitoring.  This seminar takes place at the King County King Street Center at 201 South Jackson Street, in the 8th floor conference room from 8:00 am through Noon.

The format includes two sessions followed by a panel discussion:

  • Session I: Stormwater Monitoring – Moderator: Doug Navetski
    • 8:10-8:30am Puget Sound Stormwater Monitoring Work Group Update, Jim Simmonds
    • 8:30-8:50am Preliminary Results of NPDES Stormwater Permit Monitoring, Dean Wilson
    • 8:50-9:10am A Fecal Pollution and Correction Program in Kitsap County, Mindy Fohn
    • 9:10-9:30am Theo Foss Waterway Source Control Strategy, Dana de Leon
    • 9:30-9:50am Storm Drain and Combined Sewer Overflow Source Evaluations in the Duwamish Waterway Drainage Basin, Debra Williston and Beth Schmoyer
  • Break (9:50-10:00am)
  • Session II: WLRD Monitoring – Moderator: Jo Wilhelm
    • 10:00-10:20am Monitoring Salmon Recovery in WRIA 8, Scott Stolnack
    • 10:20-10:40am Status of King County Streams, Deb Lester
    • 10:40-11:00am Framework and Status of Regulatory Effectiveness Monitoring, Gino Lucchetti
    • 11:00-11:20am Development of a Monitoring Framework for the River and Floodplain Management Section, Sarah McCarthy
    • 11:20-11:40am An Overview of the CIP Monitoring and Maintenance Program’s Approach to Monitoring – Past and Present, Dan Eastman
  • Panel Discussion – Moderator: Josh Latterell
    • 11:40am-12:00pm Speakers et al

For more information:

Duwamish Alive! Come Help Restore Our River

Duwamish Alive! Restore Our River

On Saturday, April 17, 2010, from 10:00 am  to  2:00 pm join a thousand volunteers to restore the Duwamish River watershed an celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  Meet at Terminal 105 Park, 4032 W. Marginal Way

Come join EOS Alliance‘s Sustainability Team and other volunteers to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day!  We will be working at Terminal 105 Natural Area, which is a restoration site near the mouth of the Duwamish River. We will be laying down cardboard and mulch to suppress persistent and pesky invasive weeds that threaten to take over our native plants. Gloves, tools, and snacks will be provided.

Following the restoration event there will be a FREE Earth Day Festival from 2-4 pm at Pathfinder K-8 School, located in the Delridge neighborhood. The Earth Day Festival will provide food, kids’ activities, informational booths, music and special Earth Day surprises!

For more information, and to RSVP for this event, please email Ben Kantner at EOS Alliance at bkantner@eosalliance.org, re: “Duwamish Alive!” by April 16, 2010. Or feel free to call 206-762-2553.[mappress]