Earth Share of Washington

Earth Share Notes - July 2005

Monthly perspectives from Earth Share of Washington staff members on activities and trends.

Volunteers at Earth Share's Day in the Park turned out in record numbers to restore Golden Gardens Park. On this rainy June day, more than 750 volunteers participated in volunteer restoration projects -- removing invasive plants that threaten this urban park, rebuilding hiking trails and cleaning up this popular beach destination.

As a result of the combined efforts of hundreds of volunteers and crew leaders, we accomplished the following feats at Golden Gardens:

• Removed nearly 800 lbs. of trash from the beach.
• Spread 10 tons of new sand on the beach.
• Eradicated invasive plants from the dunes, which will help foster native plant growth.
• Removed more than 1500 lbs. of ivy from the upper forest.
• Cleared huge swaths of land that were previously ivy deserts.
• Mulched bare soil in preparation for fall planting.
• Removed invasive garlic mustard from around the park.
• Protected the delicate wetland ecosystem from invasive plants.
• Resurfaced several stretches of hiking trails in the upper forest.

We could not have realized these goals without the assistance of our talented volunteers, crew leaders, and event sponsors.

If you would like to see pictures of the event, you can visit our online photo gallery at: www.dayinthepark.org

We hope to see you at the park again next year...in the sun!

Dave Manelski
Program Coordinator

Washington Wilderness Coalition Teams Up With School Kids to Support Wild Sky Wilderness

- By Tom Uniack of ESW organization Washington Wilderness Coalition

In May, the Washington Wilderness Coalition worked with the Seattle Meridian Elementary School and the Index Elementary School to give students and opportunity to weigh in on the importance of protecting our wild forests and then go out and get their boots dirty on the trail. The result was a picture/essay/poetry contest focused on the importance of protecting special wild places like the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness. More than 100 entries by students from kindergarten to seventh grade were submitted

The partnership underscores perhaps the biggest selling point of the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal, which is now moving through Congress. The historic proposal would protect 106,000 acres of lowland forest and salmon habitat less than 2 miles from the small rural community of Index in the Skykomish River Valley as well as preserving a prime recreational destination for millions of families in Seattle and throughout the Puget Sound who live less than 90 minutes away.

Student entries were judged by a panel of noteworthy local judges including Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, Everett Herald reporter Jim Haley, Monroe Mayor Donnetta Walser, Monroe Monitor Columnist Steve Higgins, local Index artist Patrick Woods and Rick McGuire, author of 55 Hikes around Stevens Pass, Wild Sky Country.

The contest culminated in a group hike and trailhead awards ceremony to Barclay Lake, which sits at the foot of Mt. Baring, surrounded by the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness. Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA02), the House sponsor of the Wild Sky Wilderness Act, was on hand to present the winners in each grade with prizes generously donated by REI, Alpine Lakes Protection Society, Index Elementary School and Rick McGuire.

The Wild Sky Wilderness bill has garnered strong local and bipartisan support from more than 120 local elected officials, including more than 60 mayors and 20 Republicans, as well as strong support from hunting and fishing groups, businesses and religious leaders. The bill has passed a key Senate committee in March and is awaiting a vote by the full Senate.

More than 50 parents and students from Seattle and Index showed up for a wet but enjoyable hike through the Wild Sky proposed wilderness. As Nicole Brodeur put it in her June 5 column in the Seattle Times, "we all headed onto the trail, chattering for a while, then falling silent as the trees surrounded us like a cool green comforter. It was contemplative. It was wet. And it was special."

To read more about the contest and hike and to view all of the student submissions visit http://www.wawild.org/admin/wild_sky_hike.html.

Seattle's First Ever 'Green Map' Makes its Debut

- By David Wortman

Seattle has long been considered the "Emerald City" for not only for its lush forests, but also for its eco-friendly attitude. Now, there's a new tool for Seattle residents and visitors to tap into the wealth of green and community-oriented destinations and resources across the city.

On June 2, a coalition of grassroots organizations and individuals launched the Seattle Green Map, a cutting-edge, web-based map providing residents and visitors with the city's first-ever interactive tool to discover all things green and sustainable about the Emerald City. The map showcases the talents of tech-savvy Seattle, using emerging web technologies and the visually appealing icons of the international Green Map System. Residents and visitors can look up eco-friendly buildings, recycling sites, organic and natural food stores, cultural sites, community centers, trails and transit, polluted sites, and more. The online map (www.seattlegreenmap.net) includes detailed site descriptions, locations, and contact information, as well as video features of "sustainable stories" from across the city created by students at Seattle Girls' School.

Completion of the map caps four years of work by volunteers who worked together to define, organize, and build the new and innovative green resource. The map reflects hundreds of volunteer hours and dozens of meetings and workshops involving 400 citizens. In addition to a core steering group, key to the project has been the dedication of several "Theme Teams," of volunteers organized around issues such as culture and design, economic development, transportation and mobility, renewable resources, and nature. Together, the teams reviewed more than 600 sites nominated for inclusion on the map, added new sites, updated information about sites, and clarified map icon definitions and criteria.

Among the most inspiring aspects of the Seattle Green Map has been the involvement of over 200 youth and teachers from local schools, supported by a Green Map curriculum designed by the Seattle-based Homewaters Project and funded by a City of Seattle Technology Grant. Using green mapping, students at Cleveland and Nathan Hale High Schools developed neighborhood green maps, learning together about their communities and the environment in the process.

Seattle Green Map is supported by several community groups including Feet First, Homewaters Project, Sustainable Seattle, The Design Resource Institute, People For Puget Sound, BALLE Seattle, the Transportation Choices Coalition, and the Seattle Urban Nature Project. City support has come from Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin, and from Mayor Greg Nickels' Office of Sustainability and Environment, among others.

Seattle joins a growing list of Green Map projects worldwide. Since the creation of the world's first Green Map of New York City in the early 1990s, communities in 45 countries around the world have initiated over 285 green map projects, from Sumatra to Dublin, Hiroshima to Victoria.

Seattle's Green Map is connected to the Green Map System (GMS) and its global network of locally-based green map-making teams (http://www.greenmap.org), which celebrated its 10th anniversary in March 2005. The GMS is coordinated from a New York City office by Wendy Brawer, founder and director, and her staff. Wendy has received numerous awards and international recognition for her work as a designer and innovator.

Brawer, a former Seattle resident, says that the Seattle Green Map is a reflection of Seattle's leadership in moving towards a more sustainable future. "As founding director of the global Green Map movement, I'm so pleased by the outcomes showcased by the Seattle Green Map," says Brawer. "This team has set a new standard for excellence - their years of effort involved scores of community members in mapping the community from a sustainability perspective, resulting in a high caliber, practical and expandable digital Green Map."

The map will continue to evolve over time. According to Steering Committee member T.J. Moore, some recently nominated sites are being added to the online map, along with design refinements and technology improvements. Seattle Green Map is pursuing funding for a print-based map, and hopes to make copies freely available around the city in the near future to residents and visitors interested in experiencing the green in Seattle.

Brawer may best sum up the aspirations of all those who've worked so hard to make the Seattle Green Map a reality. "I hope that through it, every corner of the city will find itself turning toward choices that help cultivate an evermore beautiful, healthy and culturally rich Seattle."

To start using this new resource and learn more about the Seattle Green Map, visit http://www.seattlegreenmap.net.

Citizens Monitoring of Columbia River Radiation

- submitted by Aaron Crowell of ESW organization Government Accountability Project

As the Columbia River winds its way through the high desert of eastern Washington, its life-giving waters flow by the largest environmental remediation site in North America - the Hanford Nuclear Waste Reservation. Citizens of the Pacific Northwest know that the Columbia is sacred lifeblood to our ecosystems and economies. And we know that the Hanford site, hosting tanks that have already leaked millions of gallons of radioactive, toxic liquids into the ground, is a lingering danger to this region. Our passion to protect the Columbia River for future generations was heard loud and clear last November when nearly 70% of Washington voters approved Initiative 297 - insisting that Hanford be cleaned up before any more waste is brought in.

Hanford has already affected the ecosystems of eastern Washington, however, and we must honestly and bravely face this legacy from the plutonium production era. Currently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) spends millions of dollars to monitor the extent of radioactive and heavy metal contamination around the Hanford site. Again and again, the public has been told that historical contamination is not very widespread and poses little risk. Thankfully though, monitoring and stewardship of the mid-Columbia region does not only emanate from the DOE budget - the citizens of Washington State have the power to improve the scientific accuracy regarding Hanford's legacy.

Several weeks ago, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) and Boston Chemical Data Corporation issued a report about radioactive contamination in public areas surrounding Hanford. The $50,000 study includes the first reports of plutonium ever found in clams and fish, a contaminant for which the DOE no longer tests. Additional findings include evidence that radiation levels in mulberry trees are higher than previously reported, strontium-90 has entered the ecosystem at higher levels than other reports have shown, and that contamination is much more geographically widespread than previously thought.

For example, an area of the Columbia River 20 miles upstream from the Hanford site contained high uranium readings. Possible explanations could include that the uranium comes from natural sources, from a source upstream of Hanford, or that contamination was either windblown or carried upriver by aquatic organisms. Recent court cases involving people who became sick with cancer after growing up downwind of Hanford have also set a precedent showing the site's widespread effect on the region.

Fortunately, relatively inexpensive citizen monitoring efforts such as the GAP study can effectively hold the Department of Energy accountable for better science. The GAP study indicates that the Hanford cleanup efforts by the DOE are based on science that is incomplete at best. In order for the DOE to provide justice to the people of the Columbia River region, federal environmental monitoring must fully and accurately reflect the degree of Hanford's contamination. When it comes to cleaning Hanford and protecting the Columbia River, the public and environmental watchdog organizations can continually lead the government in the direction of better science.

The GAP study and related articles can be found at www.whistleblower.org.

TrailsFest 2005 offers a whole summer of outdoor adventure - all in one day

The great outdoors of Washington is calling you! And for one whole day this summer, you can get outside and try it all - as much as you can fit in one day. It's called TrailsFest, and it is Saturday July 16, 9am-4pm on the shores of Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend.

Presented by Washington Trails Association, TrailsFest is a hands-on event for all ages, providing families and other adventurers with a fun and safe environment to explore the outdoors. The outdoor celebration features activities like guided hikes, fly-fishing, kayaking and canoeing. A variety of clinics run periodically throughout the day on everything from mountain weather to ultralite hiking. And, dozens of exhibitors from gear companies to non-profit outdoor organizations are on hand to talk with you and answer your questions.

"TrailsFest is about getting people outside to play and enjoy the opportunities in Washington's great outdoors," said Lauren Braden, Outreach Director for Washington Trails Association. "Outdoor exploration should be available to everyone, and it's a fantastic way to spend quality time with your family. TrailsFest takes the mystery out of it, and helps you get outside, doing the things that you love."

Have you always wanted to try fly casting? Learn how to cast a fly rod with Creekside Angling. Tired of plain old raisins and peanuts? Try out "Beyond Gorp," the backcountry cooking clinic sponsored by Mountaineers Books. Marmot will have a climbing wall for you to try. Wind down with smores by the campfire, then hike a small mountain to a beautiful viewpoint. Learn to identify native plants and birds. Check out the season's hottest outdoor gear, attend a workshop predicting mountain weather, and talk to forest rangers about where to camp and hike. Learn from local activists what you can do to protect our wild places. There is something for everyone at TrailsFest.

If you've got kids, don't leave them at home! They can paddle a canoe, try their hand at fly-fishing, take a hike with llamas or goats, and sing songs around the campfire. There will also be a treasure hunt for kids, and lots of kid-friendly booths and activities.

TrailsFest is jam-packed with fun things to do. The activities are designed to be fun and informative for everyone - from kids and families, to novice adventurers, to experienced hikers.

To get to TrailsFest, take I-90 east to exit 32, then turn right on 436th Ave SE. Follow this road 2.7 miles to Rattlesnake Lake. Parking is tight so carpooling is strongly encouraged.

TrailsFest is sponsored by Swedish Medical Center, Green Trails Maps, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Thorlo, Tecnica, Backpackers Supply, Seattle Public Utilities, Chaco, and Gregory.

TrailsFest is your passport to the great outdoors this summer, and admission is free! For more information on TrailsFest: (206) 625-1367 / www.trailsfest.org.