Earth Share of Washington

Earth Share Notes - April 2005

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

Dear Reader:
April is Earth Month
Earth Share of Washington organizations will be hosting volunteer events and celebrations throughout the month of April, in honor of Earth Day – April 22. If you’ve been on the fence about volunteering, now is the time to get involved. Community volunteer activities include hiking trail construction, shoreline planting, parks restoration, invasive plant removal, and a coastline beach cleanup. There are hundreds of activities around Washington in April – from the North Cascades, to Eastern Washington, to your neighborhood.

These volunteer events are focused on protecting your health and quality of life in Washington by preserving clean air & water, restoring parks & recreational areas, and celebrating a healthy community. Grab your friends, family, and coworkers and find an event near you!

Need help finding a volunteer event? Contact Earth Share at eswinformation@esw.org or check out volunteer opportunities posted below or on our website – www.esw.org/help/

Dave Manelski
Program Coordinator

Earth Month – Volunteer Opportunities

• All month long - Hiking Trail Restoration – Earth Share organizations Washington Trails Association and Volunteers for Outdoor Washington will be hosting more than 40 hiking trail restoration events throughout April in locations around Washington. Activities range from weeklong wilderness adventures in the North Cascades to Saturday restoration projects in Seattle City Parks. Please visit their websites for more information about specific events – www.wta.org & www.trailvolunteers.org.
• April 2 – Bear Creek Restoration and tree planting – Redmond – 9:00AM to 12:00PM - Celebrate Earth Day by planting native trees and scrubs in restoration site along Bear Creek! The City of Redmond has joined forces with the non-profit group Watertenders to celebrate Earth Day. For more information, contact Peter Holte at 425-556-2822 or pholte@redmond.gov.
• April 3, 9, 16, & 22 – EarthCorps Earth Month Restoration Events – EarthCorps is one of the most active restoration organizations in Puget Sound – bringing together international volunteers and community organizations to restore local parks. EarthCorps will host volunteer events at Interlaken Park in Seattle on April 3, Licton Springs Park in Seattle on April 9, Hitt’s Hill and Seward Park in Seattle on April 16, and at their yearly Earth Day restoration and celebration at Seward Park on April 22. For more information, please visit the Earth Share volunteer website – www.esw.org/help/ or contact Chris LaPointe at 206-793-8030 or email chris@earthcorps.org.
• April 16 - Swinomish Earth Enhancement Celebration - 9:00AM - 4:00PM - Swinomish Reservation, La Conner - Volunteers will be participating in service projects in the morning, and enjoy a traditional salmon lunch prepared by members of the Swinomish Tribe. If you are a member of a service, church, or school group that would like to participate please let them know. Groups and individuals please RSVP to People for Puget Sound’s Britta Eschete at 360-336-1931 or email beschete@pugetsound.org.
• April 16 - Earth Day Restoration Event at Mud Bay in Olympia - 10:00AM - Olympia - People for Puget Sound volunteers will be meeting at the Blue Heron Bakery, moving on to an exciting new shoreline restoration project, and maintaining a successful older restoration project. For more information contact Jim Dawson 360-754-9177 or email jdawson@pugetsound.org.
• April 23-24 – Washington Coast Cleanup - Volunteers are needed for the Sixth Annual clean-up of Washington Coast Beaches. During the April 23, 2005 weekend. More information online at www.olympiccoastcleanup.us or you may call project coordinator Jan Klippert at 206-364-2689.
• April 23 - Earth Day Restoration Event at Herring’s House on the Duwamish - 10:00AM - Herring’s House Restoration Site, Seattle - Together we can maintain one of the most beautiful restoration projects on the Duwamish River. Thousands of fish and an array of birds are using the area that is threatened by invasive plant species. Help save the biodiversity of this great area! Special appearances by musicians, kayak guides and elected officials. People for Puget Sound will provide lunch, water and tools. You should bring your boots, gloves and perhaps a supplemental snack. For more information contact Jennifer Aunan 206-367-7007 or email jaunan@pugetsound.org.
• April 23 – Earth Day Service Project with Student Conservation Association – 9:00AM – 2:00PM - Join the Student Conservation Assocaition (SCA) at the Washington Park Arboretum (Seattle) for an Earth Day service project on Saturday, April 23rd from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. After a morning rally, teenagers with SCA’s Conservation Leadership Corps will be leading groups of volunteers in an effort to restore and maintain the Arboretum. Everyone is invited to come lend a hand and help build trail and pull out invasive species! Tools, snacks and beverages will be provided, but please wear boots and long sleeves and bring a lunch. The site is very large and there’s much to be done, so invite all your friends and family. For more information, please contact Yemaya Maurer at 324-4649 ext.22 or email her at ymaurer@thesca.org
• April 24 – Earth Day Restoration Event at Hamm Creek on the Duwamish - 10:00AM - Hamm Creek Restoration Site, Seattle - Please help restore Hamm Creek, a habitat jewel along the Duwamish that is home to a diverse number of birds and salmon. People for Puget Sound volunteers will be removing invasive plants that threaten our newly established natives. The day will be packed with hard-working fun! Don’t forget your work boots and gloves. They’ll take care of the tools, lunch and water supply. For more information contact Jennifer Aunan 206-367-7007 or email jaunan@pugetsound.org.
• April 30 – Annual Lake Union Sweep - Volunteers and boats needed for the annual clean-up of Lake Union. This event combines the resources of over thirty organizations, businesses and government agencies. Volunteers and boats will gather at South Lake Union Park in Seattle. A limited number of kayaks will be available for volunteers without boats. If you would like to volunteer, please call Pollution Prevention Director, Chris Wilke at the PSA offices 206-297-7002.

Can You Say “Phthalates”?

- By Heather Trim from Earth Share organization People for Puget Sound

Phthalates (pronounced “thal-ates”) are industrial chemicals used to make plastics soft and as solvents in cosmetics and other products. Phthalates are found in common products like hair conditioners, hand lotion, perfume, car wax, cigarette butts, and in some tires, brake pads, and automotive belts. They are even in Styrofoam peanuts!

Phthalates pose a health risk, as they interfere with the development of reproductive organs. When fish ingest phthalates, these toxins can interfere with proper reproduction. More studies are needed to get the complete picture on human health effects.

Phthalates have been found in almost half of our nation’s more than 1600 Superfund sites, the most toxic cleanup sites in the country. Locally scientists have found phthalates in the mud in the Duwamish River. Phthalates enter the river in stormwater and urban runoff, which flows from neighborhood streets and drains into the river. City of Seattle and King County scientists are trying to track down areas with the highest levels of phthalates in and around the Duwamish River Superfund site. The City of Tacoma is conducting similar studies for the drainages to the Commencement Bay Superfund site. Phthalates are hard to trace and are elusive because they occur in so many of everyday products that we use from cosmetics to car parts. Tacoma, Seattle and King County staff are testing products, such as car waxes, automobile fan belts, asphalt and sealants, and detergents to determine potential sources. Next steps include taking air samples from the Duwamish Basin.

In March 2005, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition and People For Puget Sound initiated an outreach campaign to raise awareness about phthalates in our environment. In partnership with Project Wild, high school students are going door-to-door in targeted areas of the Duwamish watershed to educate residents about phthalates. They conduct informal surveys to find out what household and beauty products are used by residents and provide postcards for people to mail to manufacturers to inquire if their products contain phthalates and other toxic chemicals. Contact People For Puget Sound for postcards to send to the companies whose products you use and ask them about phthalates!

You can help keep phthalates out of Puget Sound!
Seven things you can do to prevent pollution in Puget Sound

1. Keep litter off your streets. Cigarette butts, plastics and Styrofoam often contain phthalates and other pollutants that may runoff to local waterways.
2. Use public transit when possible, or carpool or bike to reduce the impacts of cars, such as oily runoff from streets.
3. Avoid using products with phthalates. Check these phthalate-free products guides: Environmental Health Network (www.ehnca.org) and Health Care Without Harm (www.noharm.org or www.nottoopretty.org).
4. Properly dispose of household products such as paints and soaps. Do not put these products into city storm drains. For information on hazardous waste disposal, call your local county hazardous waste program or your city utility department.
5. Don’t wash cars in the street where dirty soap and water can enter a storm drain; go to a professional car wash where the water is treated and recycled.
6. Keep your car maintained to reduce leaks that could enter storm drains and flow into local waterways.
7. Minimize or eliminate home and garden chemicals, and use them according to instructions. Overuse can harm your lawn and garden, as well local waterways.

Spring Tree Cutting May Lead to Orphaned Wildlife

- submitted by Earth Share organization PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

The Puget Sound region is home to a wide array of wildlife species, many of whom make their homes in forests, or in individual trees. Trees and forests provide critical food sources, cover, and nesting sites for many of these wild species. Woodpeckers, cavity nesting owls, squirrels, and bats take advantage of standing dead trees, and a multitude of birds grace the branches of still-living trees with their amazing and varied nests.

As the breeding season is now well underway, the trees in your area are likely teeming with life. Some species began nesting as early as February, and others will be following suit throughout the spring and summer. Please be aware that pruning or cutting down trees during these months can and does displace, harm, or even kill wild animals. PAWS Wildlife Center receives hundreds of baby wild animals each year, many of which have been displaced when their nest tree was cut down or their nest site destroyed.

Before cutting down any tree, whether it is alive or dead, please consider the following information to prevent unnecessary loss of life or habitat:

• Plan tree cutting projects for November through January. This is well outside of the breeding season for most species.
• Inspect the tree for active nests/dens before you begin cutting or pruning.
• If a tree does not present a safety hazard, please consider leaving it alone. Standing dead trees (snags) provide excellent habitat for cavity nesting animals. Please consider letting both live and dead trees on your property remain standing.
• If a tree contains an active nest, you may risk hefty fines if you cut the tree down, or prune the section containing the nest. Many species of birds are federally protected, and laws prohibit the disturbance and/or destruction of their nests.

If a nest-bearing tree absolutely must be cut down, please call PAWS Wildlife at 425-787-2500 ext. 817 to find out how you can minimize the chances that wildlife will be injured in the process. Thank you!

The Pollution in People: Toxic Chemicals in our Bodies

- by Kristina Logsdon from Earth Share organization Washington Toxics Coalition

In the past year or so, you may have seen stories about a very disturbing new development- scientists are finding rising levels of legally-used but damaging toxic chemicals in our breast milk, our bodies, and in wildlife.

Toxic flame retardants called PBDEs are perhaps the best example of legally used chemicals that are finding their way into our lives. PBDEs are flame retardants that have been added to many everyday products, from carpets to computers to couches. Unfortunately, science is discovering very disturbing trends about these chemicals. Toxic flame retardants persist in the environment, build up in the food chain, and are toxic at very low levels.

About a year ago, Northwest Environment Watch released a report that found high levels of PBDEs in the breast milk of Puget Sound mothers, levels 20 to 40 times higher than those found in European and Japanese women. More recent studies have found levels of PBDEs in the household dust in people’s homes across the country. And other scientific studies have found PBDEs in salmon, orcas, osprey, and other wildlife. Bottom-line, everywhere that scientists are looking, they are finding rising levels of PBDEs.

On March 1, Earth Share organization Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC) and our many allies in the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition introduced a series of exciting new tools to educate and activate Washingtonians about PBDEs and what they can do to get involved. We launched a new website, www.BanToxics.org, with great information about the issue, including fact sheets and reports. We also placed educational advertisements in leading Washington newspapers. The new ad is running in The Olympian, The King County Journal, and the eastside edition of The Seattle Times at least three times each the month of March. The ad is also running in the March edition of Seattle’s Child. Finally, we created a short flash video, which is available on the website.

These new tools by themselves won’t help us to eliminate PBDEs or the other toxic chemicals that are contaminating our bodies. Much more is needed, including convincing policymakers of the need to take strong action to protect our health. The Toxic Free Legacy Coalition is a broad-based network of groups including Washington Toxics Coalition, WashPIRG, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, Healthy Building Network, The Breast Cancer Fund, Healthy Building Network, and 50 other organizations. Together, we are working to eliminate persistent toxic chemicals including mercury, dioxin, and PBDEs.

Please visit www.BanToxics.org to learn more and get involved with our growing movement to protect our health.

SAVE THE DATE - Earth Share's Day in the Park

Presented by IKEA

June 11, 2005 – Earth Share’s Day in the Park 2005 – At Golden Gardens Park in Seattle - Day in the Park invites volunteers to team up with leading non-profit conservation organizations and community groups for an honest day’s work enhancing a local park. Volunteers remove invasive plant species, plant trees & native vegetation, clean up beaches, and rebuild trails. Volunteer teams, under the guidance of Seattle Parks personnel and Earth Share of Washington crew leaders, learn the values of teamwork and stewardship while having fun. It’s an opportunity for everyone to feel good about helping the Earth and giving back to your community parks. To learn more about the event or to signup, please visit http://www.dayinthepark.org

Bring your friends, bring your coworkers, or recruit a volunteer team from your community! A celebration afterwards features fun activities for kids and families, live music, free food, prizes, and giveaways for every volunteer.

Signup today at dayinthepark.org
http://www.dayinthepark.org