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Orca Recovery Day Recap
Thanks to our amazing volunteers that came out for Orca Recovery Day! Thanks to 24 dedicated volunteers, we were able to plant 417 native plants to help restore a tributary of Covington Creek. Species planted include Snowberry, Pacific Ninebark, Salmonberry, Nootka Rose, Western Red Cedar, and Pacific and Sitka willow, many of which will be available in the upcoming KCD Native Plant Sale!
Volunteers planted native trees and shrubs that will grow and help provide the stream with shade, reduce erosion, and help protect water quality. Both the tributary and Covington Creek are historic salmon supporting streams and improving water quality will help salmon, and more salmon means more food for our struggling Orca. This event was just one of many throughout Puget Sound. If you weren’t able to make it out this year, look out for next year’s Orca Recovery Day and other volunteer opportunities!
This event was just one of many throughout Puget Sound. If you weren’t able to make it out this year, look out for next year’s Orca Recovery Day and other volunteer opportunities!
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KCD Native Plant Sale Store Opens November 15
KCD’s Plant Sale will be open for preorders starting November 15! We’re starting preorders a little later this year, so make sure you get the date added to your calendar. We expect a busy first few weeks and the best variety is available the sooner you get your order placed!
We also have an online native plant talk on November 18 where you can learn more about planting with native plants to improve your home and property.
Save these key dates for the upcoming Native Plant Sale and download these handy calendar reminders!
Online Store opens on November 15:
  
Plant Sale Pickup at Tukwila Community Center March 12 and 13, 2022:
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KCD Seeks Board Supervisor Candidates
King Conservation District will be holding an election for an open seat (Seat #2 currently held by Kirstin Haugen) on the Board of Supervisors in the first quarter of 2022. General information on the role of conservation district board members can be found at kingcd.org/elections. The specifics of a KCD Board Election are passed each year by a Board Resolution that lays out candidate filing deadlines and election dates. We expect this resolution to be passed in November 2021 for the 2022 election.
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KCD Partners with King County Housing Authority to Restore Streams
King Conservation District has had the pleasure of partnering with King County Housing Authority on two properties in Kirkland, Casa Juanita and Juanita Court, which provide subsidized housing for families, seniors, and disabled persons. Through this partnership, KCHA residents will see firsthand the progression of streamside habitat restoration projects; from the removal of invasive species to the installation of native species. Together, the two projects add 1,380 native plants to the Juanita Creek corridor and further connect KCD habitat restoration projects along Juanita Creek.
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Shore Friendly King County Launches
Shore Friendly King County is a collaborative of restoration and conservation agencies and organizations working together to bring Shore Friendly tools and assistance to homeowners in King County. Shore Friendly programs can be found in counties across Puget Sound. KCD has partnered with Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group, King County, and WRIA 8 and WRIA 9 to launch this program in King County and provide education, technical assistance, and free consultations for those that want to help restore the nearshore ecosystem.
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Pacific Coast Harvest and Farmstand Local Foods: Sending out and scaling up local food
Most farmers markets across King County have wrapped up their summer seasons. King County's Local Food Initiative team share another way to source fresh, local produce, and even have it delivered to your doorstep.
They spoke with Chris Teeny, co-owner of Pacific Coast Harvest (PCH) and Farmstand Local Foods, about what these brands are doing to make it easy for individuals and larger customers to support local growers.
This project was funded through KCD’s Regional Food System Program in 2020.
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King County Agriculture Commission Seeks Commissioners
The King County Agriculture Commission is currently recruiting applicants for 6 open seats to be filled in 2022. Applications are due end of day on Monday, November 15, 2021.
Created in 1994, the commission advises county managers and elected officials on policies and programs affecting agriculture, including land use issues, promoting and enhancing agriculture and agricultural products across the region, and more.
Agriculture Commission members are required to attend nine early evening meetings a year over the course of a three-year term, plus some committee work. Currently, meetings are all being conducted via Zoom.
As you know, King County agriculture faces challenges such as land development pressure, climate change, labor shortages, and competition from producers growing on less expensive ground elsewhere. While the challenges abound, farming and local food production play prominent roles in Executive Dow Constantine’s Local Food Initiative (2014) as well as Fish, Farm, Flood (FFF) (2017).The Agriculture Commission’s contribution to the success of the Initiative and FFF’s implementation will continue to be important.
King County residents who are interested in applying should have a working knowledge of agriculture and/or food systems in the county, and the ability to work with differing viewpoints to find solutions to complex problems. Applicants should either be producers of agricultural crops or commodities, or have demonstrable knowledge, experience, and interest in agricultural real estate, food processing, wholesale and retail marketing, produce buying, direct marketing, supply, and finance.
Apply To learn more about the Agriculture Commission contact King County’s Agriculture Program at 206-477-1556; email patrice.barrentine@kingcounty.gov.
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Save the Date: NW Envirothon High School Competition
Washington State Envirothon is an annual environmental and natural resource competition for high school students organized by Washington Conservation Districts. Teams of students compete in five natural resource topic areas, engage with diverse environmental issues, and learn from natural resource professionals.
King Conservation District (KCD) is recruiting King County educators and high school students interested in participating in this year’s NW Regional competition. The 2022 Northwest Regional Envirothon competition will be held in person on March 24, 2022, at the Brightwater Environmental Education Center in Woodinville.
If you are interested in learning more or forming an Envirothon team, contact Rosie McGoldrick, 206-379-5258.
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Request for Proposals for A Housing Study in San Juan County
San Juan County has a strong agricultural heritage and a growing appreciation of the significance of local food and regenerative agriculture practices. One of the greatest barriers to increasing local food self-sufficiency in the islands is the lack of housing, which in turn directly impacts the availability of an agricultural and food system work force. To address this barrier, funding for a new Housing Study has been secured and the Request for Proposals (RFP) is now open, with the goal of hiring a rural food system housing consultant to research and prepare a Housing Market Study.
Working together, The San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild, the San Juan Islands Food System Team, and the San Juan Makers Guild, with advisors from OPAL Community Land Trust and the Lopez Community Land Trust are leveraging newly awarded USDA funding to invite, review and select the Study consultant.
Thanks to support from the Northwest Agriculture Business Center, the contract funding is available and the final report will be shared with the community by the end of 2022.
Consultants interested in submitting a proposal can contact sjmakersguild@gmail.com to request a copy of the RFP. Proposals are due November 19, 2021.
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Na’ah Illahee Fund Blue Jay Festival
Rooted in community, we continue to find ways for us to gather, share, and lift up one another. For our 12th annual festival this year, we can do just that! We are excited to host a collection of virtual events for all of our relatives to gather for stories, art, learning, and conversation.
All festival events are FREE and available online.
Join us for one story or the whole week! We look forward to seeing you!
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Do you work with beginning farmers?
American Farmland Trust (AFT) is recruiting a cohort of agricultural service providers in Washington State who currently – or plan to – work with beginning producers on issues related to land access. Beginning in late January 2022, participants in their Pacific Northwest Farmland for the Next Generation 8-part training series will gain foundational skills and expertise needed to provide impactful technical assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers around finding, assessing, and securing land to farm.
Approximately 24 service providers will be invited to join the cohort. The selection process will take into account factors such as geography, ability to use the training to serve farmers in the future, and the diversity of the applicants and the farmers they serve. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) folks are encouraged to apply, as well as those working with farmers who identify as BIPOC.
The deadline to submit applications is Monday, November 15, 2021. Applicants will be notified of their selection status by Monday, December 20, 2021. The 8 training sessions will take place virtually on a weekly basis starting the week of January 31, 2022. There is no cost to participate.
This project is supported by Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. Project partners include Viva Farms, Washington Farmland Trust, and Ecotrust.
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Spawning Salmon
Lower Boise Creek Natural Area, Enumclaw, WA
October 10, 2021
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USDA Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program Open for Applications
- The Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program provides grants to food processors, distributors, farmers markets, and producers to respond to coronavirus.
- Small businesses and non-profits are eligible with a focus on:
- small producers,
- food processors and distributors that meet small business size standards, and
- farmers markets
- Funding requests may range from $1,500 to $20,000. Cost share/ matching funds are NOT required.
- Applicants must have a DUNS number. Links to how to obtain a DUNS number and a grant application hotline number are on the grant website.
- The grant covers costs incurred between Jan. 27, 2020 and December 31, 2021, including:
- Workplace Safety: Implementing workplace safety measures to protect workers against COVID-19
- Market Pivots: Implementing market pivots to protect workers against COVID–19
- Retrofitting Facilities: Retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety to protect against COVID–19
- Transportation: Providing additional transportation options to maintain social distancing and worker and consumer safety to protect against COVID-19
- Worker Housing: Providing worker housing that protects workers against COVID-19
- Medical: Providing health services to protect workers against COVID-19
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Salmon SEEson is HERE!
Fall is coming and salmon will be returning to streams and rivers throughout King County to spawn. The annual Salmon SEEson program runs from late August through November, promoting self-guided salmon viewing sites as well as some hosted events. If you decide to visit a self-guided site near you, please remember to: plan ahead, practice social distancing, wear a mask, leave no trace, and contribute to an inclusive experience for all. Visit the Salmon SEEson website for more information.
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KCD Webinar: Benefits and Beauty of Landscaping with Native Plants
Join King Conservation District on November 18 at 6pm for a FREE native plant webinar with Jacobus Saperstein, native plant expert. The talk will cover the countless benefits that native plants provide for landscape aesthetics, wildlife habitat, water quality and more!
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Do you know of an event to highlight on KCD’s Partners’ Events page? Please let us know.
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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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