Earth Day 2021
Please visit our website and social media for information about Earth Day events happening across the region on and around April 22, 2021.
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Board of Supervisors 2021 Election Sets Records for Candidates and Turnout
King Conservation District’s 2021 Board Election ran from March 1 to March 23. With over 9500 ballots turned in, it represents the largest turnout in KCD history. The eight candidates vying for the position is also a KCD record.
For the second year, KCD partnered with Democracy Live and King County Elections to offer electronic ballot access to reduce barriers and increase access to the election. KCD also mailed out over 800,000 election notice postcards to households in King County to raise election awareness.
The final tally puts Brittney Bush Bollay with the most votes for Position #3. Conservation district elections are reviewed and certified by the Washington State Conservation Commission at the May Commission meeting.
KCD is committed to pursuing election reform with the Washington State Legislature and making future elections more accessible to all voters. If you would like this election on the regular fall ballot, please contact your legislator at 1-800-562-6000.
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KCD Union Contract Approved by Board of Supervisors
KCD leadership and staff, working with their union representatives from the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), have been working diligently to negotiate a union contract. We are excited to announce that with yesterday’s Board vote, KCD has authorized its first ever union contract.
This contract represents a commitment by KCD to a workplace built on collaboration, mutual respect, and a shared dedication to our mission.
It is our belief that this contract will make KCD a stronger organization. It will promote the retention of skilled employees and keep KCD competitive in recruiting new talent.
As KCD continues our work to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in our programs and in our workforce, this contract will help ensure that we have the foundations necessary to build a healthy and inclusive workplace.
Thank you to the dedicated staff who put in long hours working with WFSE and KCD leadership to ensure the success of this effort.
KCD Board of Supervisors:
Burr Mosby, Chair
Kirstin Haugen ,Vice-Chair
Bill Knutsen
Jim Haack
Chris Porter
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KCD Grant Programs Award Over $1.3 Million to Organizations and Cities in 2020
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KCD-Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program Awards $426,000 to Six Organizations
KCD and the City of Seattle started the 2020 grant process later in the year than usual to make time to hear from previous grantees about the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic is having on their projects.
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Member Jurisdiction Grant Program Awards Nearly $662,000 in 2020
KCD’s Member Jurisdiction Grant Program recently approved awards for nearly $662,000 to cities and nonprofit organizations in 2020.
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2020 KCD Regional Food System Grant Program Awardees
In 2020, KCD awarded nearly $300,000 in grants to support projects that contribute to the economic viability of local farms, encourage new farmers, expand acreage in food production, improve food access and increase demand for King County farm products.
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What’s the Scoop on Loop®?
You’re invited to join King Conservation District and Loop® for a FREE virtual, educational workshop to find out!
Tuesday, April 6th: 6:00pm to 8:00pm or Saturday, April 10th: 10:00am to 12noon
We will create a virtual space for you and other community members to share about how you care for your soil (or don’t!). Presenters will share the history of human poop as a fertilizer and how King County’s Loop® compost (made with YOUR poop) provides benefits to soil and plants.
This workshop will be hosted by:
- Cly Samson, Community Agriculture Program Coordinator, King Conservation District
- Ashley Mihle, Compost Project Manager, King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD)
- Cat Gowan, Biosolids Project Manager, King County WTD
- Siena Ezekiel, Education & Outreach Specialist, King County WTD
Contact siena.ezekiel (at) kingcounty.gov by March 28 if you or your community garden needs language interpretation for the workshop.
Questions? Contact cly.samson@kingcd.org or 425-529-4795.
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Native Plant Sale Huge Success
Another KCD Native Plant Sale is in the bag. The response to the 2021 plant sale was spectacular. Many of you were clearly ready to get outside and get trees, shrubs and plants in the ground this spring! Thank you to our customers and staff for making it possible. After a rocky start on Friday, Saturday pickup was a smooth and relatively quiet affair. We will be taking these lessons learned into making improvements for future years. With your help, we were able to fulfill 900 orders and get roughly 65,000 native plants into our community that will provide pollinator habitat, stabilize slopes, and keep invasive species at bay.
If you missed out on this year’s sale, check out these other local native plant resources:
Also, check out other plant sale events offered by partner organizations in our Get Involved section below.
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Beautify and Care for Your Stream or Lakeside Property
Curious about what it takes to return your stream, lake or wetland property to its more natural state? Want to learn ways you can support wildlife, enhance your property’s aesthetic, and reduce maintenance needs?
Join KCD online Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm for a FREE webinar for homeowners living along the water.
Learn from restoration experts about managing your yard to support both the environment and your own needs.
Topics:
- Minimizing pollution runoff on your property
- Controlling invasive weeds
- Utilizing native plants for wildlife habitat and erosion control
- Adding value and beauty to your yard naturally
Questions? Contact nikki.wolf@kingcd.org or 425-773-1868.
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Survive The Sound
Survive the Sound uses real tracking data from juvenile steelhead to visualize a migration that everyone can learn from and enjoy. Before the migration, teachers and students can pick their favorite fish, join a team, and compete to see whose team has the most surviving fish over the 5-day migration from May 3-7!
Along with this amazing interactive “fish race”, Long Live the Kings is offering a completely free Salmon Education Resource which can be taught online or in person. These lessons and educational materials are designed to accompany the migration and be taught in the 2-6 weeks leading up to the event.
To top it all off, there is a Survive the Sound Educator Training for teachers and educators to get acquainted with the program while earning two free STEM Clock Hours credits. Space is filling fast for the last StS Educator training taking place on Thursday, April 8 from 6:00pm to 8pm.
Questions? Contact nparish@lltk.org or 206-382-9555x35.
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21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge
April 5 through 25, 2021
Several KCD staff and AmeriCorps members participated in this program last year and found it very valuable.
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What’s the Scoop on Loop®?
Tuesday, April 6th: 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Saturday, April 10th: 10:00am to 12noon
Questions? Contact Cly Samson at cly.samson@kingcd.org or 425-529-4795.
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King County Master Gardeners 37th Annual Spring Plant Sale
Online Store Preview Viewable April 15
Online Ordering April 21-27
Thousands of veggie and herb starts, heirloom tomatoes, rare blooming annuals, plus perennials and ornamentals from specialty growers will be featured. Order from any of three online stores in Bellevue, Shorewood and Auburn, and schedule curb-side pickup at those locations.
The store opens for browsing on April 15, and is open to place orders from noon April 21, to 6pm, April 27. All proceeds benefit the Master Gardener Foundation of King County in supporting local Master Gardeners’ activities to teach science-based gardening in the Puget Sound region.
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Beautify and Care for Your Stream or Lakeside Property
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm
Learn from restoration experts about managing your yard to support both the environment and your own needs.
Questions? Contact nikki.wolf@kingcd.org or 425-773-1868.
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Managing Wildfire Risk to Your Western Washington Home
Thursday, May 6, 2021 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Join us to learn simple actions you can take to prepare your family and western Washington home for the upcoming fire season.
Questions? Contact matthew.axe@kingcd.org or 425-773-5060.
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Where the Water Begins
Saturday, May 8, 2021 9:00am to 12:30pm
Saturday, May 22, 2021 9:00am to 12:30pm
Friday, June 4, 2021 9:00am to 12:30pm
Learn from experts in geology, ecology, and vegetation management about managing your beach or bluff property to support both the environment and your own needs.
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Tilth Alliance Edible Plant Sale Returns
Friday, May 7 through Friday, May 14
This year’s sale will include in-person shopping with a limited number of shoppers allowed to enter the sale at a time. Shopping reservations and face masks will be required of everyone on site.
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Carnation Farms Drive Through Plant Sale
Pre-Orders go live on the Carnation Farms on website April 20.
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WNPS Native Plant Sale
Online Sale Open: April 9, 10:00am to April 26, 5:00pm
Pickup by Appointment Only at 21 Acres in Woodinville:
8:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday, May 8 and Sunday May 9
Central Puget Sound Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society will offer nearly 100 species of native shrubs, perennials, groundcovers, and a small selection of trees. All ideal for Western Washington gardens and supportive to wildlife.
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Online Growing Groceries
Presented by Master Gardeners: October - May
Learn to grow your own food! Growing Groceries is an integrated series of classes, building on knowledge gained. Each class contains the information needed to get started. Attend one, a few or all and get growing!
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Per OMPA Guidance and Governor Inslee’s “Stay Safe, Stay Healthy” order KCD’s office is currently closed to the public and all staff are working remotely.
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At King Conservation District, we’re all about Better Ground. Better Ground means taking important stewardship actions at home and in our communities to create healthy soil and water, to provide healthy food, and to conserve land, water, forests, wildlife and related natural resources. And you don’t have to go at it alone. You have a partner, your local conservation district.
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