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Only Three Days Left to Give to the Environment in 2022!

This has been a big year for Stewardship Partners. We are proud of our on-the-ground actions as we continue to facilitate partnerships and create measurable positive impacts on the environment and neighborhoods across the region. Please take this opportunity to show your support of Stewardship Partners before the year ends!

Support Stewardship Partners

Stewardship Partners’ resolute staff represents the most experienced and knowledgeable people working to solve our region’s challenging environmental problems. We would like to share program highlights for the year. 

The 7th annual Green Infrastructure Summit of the Salish Sea was held virtually on March 24 and 25th, and despite not being together in person (for the 3rd year in a row!) the feeling of connectedness to a community of hundreds of leaders and innovators was still profound. The 8th Summit will be in-person on March 17th so save the date.

The Snoqualmie Stewardship Program restored 1.8 acres of habitat, planted over 8,000 plants at multiple farms, and maintained one acre of restoration sites. We also received a total of $25,000 in volunteer time and over $100,000 in government grants.  Two new rain gardens were installed in Carnation at the library, and another will soon be completed at Griffin Creek Farm.  The program continues to expand its impact and partnerships with homeowners, businesses, and farms.

As a friend of ours, we know you’ve probably heard this before. Protecting and restoring salmon and their streams is the reason we started planting riparian habitat buffers over 20 years ago and building rain gardens in 2008. Then we created the 12,000 Rain Garden Campaign for Puget Sound back in 2011, and now we are further sharpening our focus to address runoff from our shared highways and roadways, focusing on the worst first by placing rain garden boxes under elevated highways in the densest urban areas. The concept is called ‘Adopt-a-Downspout’ but in the SP office we affectionately refer to it as ‘box of rain.’ The pilot project has been in the works behind the scenes for more than 3 years as we built a partnership with Washington State Department of Transportation. And now we are launching the pilot phase of adopt-a-downspout under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle, one of the most heavily trafficked roads in the state, passing over a major salmon migration corridor. We will be refining the design of our boxes of rain and testing their overall effectiveness over the coming ‘rain year’ and if the concept works as well as it is expected to, we will expand as quickly as possible to protect and restore the health of our urban streams for salmon, other wildlife and communities.

The Alliance for Pioneer Square, in collaboration with Stewardship Partners, held a volunteer planting event in March 2023 to transform four tree pits on Occidental Ave South into miniature rain gardens. The rain gardens are home to several native plant species that attract pollinators and help filter stormwater, keeping Puget Sound clean. The volunteer event was a huge success, with community members dedicating time and energy to create a unique space in Pioneer Square. In addition to rain gardens, the project included the installation of native artwork designed by Tommy Segundo, a local Native American artist, that was installed adjacent to a storm drain on the sidewalk to draw attention to where our polluted runoff goes and the importance of keeping it clean.

Artist Tommy Segundo

We are so happy to have had an in-person Feast on the Farm; the magical evening at Griffin Creek Farm was full of energy and generosity that our guests brought to the farm.  We wanted to say thank you again to everyone who attended, volunteered, and donated to make our return to Feast on the Farm so special! Thanks to our generous sponsors and guests we raised $88,000 to support our work.

Stewardship Partners would not be here without you. Thank you for being dedicated to our team and our mission and loving this special place we call home. Please consider Stewardship Partners in your annual giving this year.

Thank you,

David J. Burger                                       Christopher T. Bayley
Executive Director                                 Founder and Board Chair

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It’s Earth Month!

April is our favorite time of the year! The sun is showing itself again, temps are warming up (ever so slightly), new leaves are beginning to reveal themselves, it’s planting season and it’s EARTH MONTH! It’s been almost three years since we’ve been able to celebrate Earth Day in the field by engaging the public in direct environmental action. Earth Day turns 42 years old on April 22nd and we invite you to help us celebrate it all month long. We are organizing multiple riparian restoration events focusing on salmon habitat restoration on the Snoqualmie River in Carnation and Duvall, WA (dates below). Join us in the celebration!

As we head into Earth month, we’ve got some great events in the works! 

  • Centennial Fields Park Rain Garden Maintenance – Saturday April 9th, 2022 (9am-12pm) – Sign Up Here
     
  • Salmon Habitat Restoration on the Snoqualmie River – Saturday April 16th (10am-2pm) – Sign Up Here
     
  • Salmon Habitat Restoration with Stewardship Partners & Long Live the Kings – Friday April 22nd (10am-2pm) – Sign Up Here
     
  • City of Duvall Earth and Arbor Day Celebration at Depot Park – Saturday April 23rd (11am-2pm): stop by our table to learn about green stormwater infrastructure and enter to win a free rain barrel! More Info Here
     
  • Feast on the Farm – September 24th, 2022 – More info coming soon!
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Welcome Back Volunteers

It’s been far too long since we’ve posted a volunteer event on our website, but we are thrilled to let you know that we will be doing so soon! In early March 2022 you’ll be able to sign up for events! Volunteer Event Sign Up

In the meantime, here’s what we have in the works thus far in terms of events!

  • Sunday March 13th 2022 – Pioneer Square Rain Garden Installation Project (closed to the public at this time)
  • Saturday April 2nd 2022 (10am-2pm) – Earth Month Kickoff: Snoqualmie River Habitat Restoration at Changing Seasons Farm w/ Google and Microsoft (may be open to the public depending on enrollment)
  • Saturday April 9th  2022 (9am-12pm) – Centennial Fields Park: Rain Garden Maintenance (open the public)
  • Friday April 22nd 2022 (10am-2pm) – Location to TBD: Earth Day Event: Salmon Habitat Restoration with Long Live the Kings (may be open to the public depending on enrollment)
  • Saturday April 23rd 2022 – City of Duvall Earth and Arbor Day Celebration at Depot Park (11am-2pm): stop by our table to learn about green stormwater infrastructure and enter to win a free rain barrel! (open the public)
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Updates from the Field – February

The crew attended a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training with CPR Seattle and are now all certified wilderness first aid responders! WFA is an intensive 16-hour program designed for anyone involved in wilderness work or recreation. Safety in the field is extremely important, as often our crew members are working together at very rural sites where there may be nothing but nature surrounding them. Having this certification means that our hard-working crew members are well prepared in the event of an emergency while in the field. Something that we hope never happens, but is important to be prepared for! 

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You Can Help Us Tote Trees

After running the numbers, we have found that Stewardship Partners spends at least $9,000 annually hauling plants to our project sites.

With a UTV (Utility Terrain Vehicle), one person can haul 20 trees, while transporting 3 total crew members to the site and takes 4 minutes roundtrip. The wagons and carts we currently use takes 20 minutes roundtrip, hauling only 16 trees of the same size. Many of our project sites require us to haul trees and carts for roundtrips of up to 4 miles. This method is cumbersome, leads to cart tips, tree drops and takes a toll on our bodies.

Because of this, our field crew could greatly utilize a UTV.  We have our eyes on a Bighorn Outrider 200 and are seeking private donations to help us fund this purchase. Any gifts made for this purpose would help greatly improve our field productivity, enabling us to plant more trees and restore more of the Valley. Our field crew and the Snoqualmie River would be eternally grateful. 

To support this purchase, please use the donation button below or mail a check!

Donate
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Oxbow Farm Gets an Adorable Visitor

Trail Cam Footage Courtesy of Oxbow Farm

Over the last two decades, we’ve seen a lot of tangible results from the miles of restored riparian habitat on agricultural properties in the Snoqualmie Valley. We have impressive before and after shots of our restoration sites previously covered in invasive plant species that have now become ecologically diverse habitat corridors teeming with native trees, shrubs and groundcover shading streams and the river so salmon can thrive. The Alder Grove at Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center is a perfect example of that diversity of life and our hard restoration work in action. The Alder Grove is maintained on a regular basis and the plants are thriving. We were thrilled to learn of some footage from a wildlife cam that showed much more than plant life thriving in the buffer, a rarely seen bobcat. Nothing warms our hearts more than seeing firsthand the fruits of our labor. A special thank you to Oxbow for their long-term commitment to the health of the ecosystem. Read More

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Our 2021 Accomplishments

Dear Stewardship Partners Community,

As we approach the end of 2021, we are thankful for your continued support that has allowed Stewardship Partners to continue providing environmental solutions for landowners and businesses who care for the land and water of the region. We are proud of our on-the-ground work as we continue to forge long-lasting partnerships and measurable positive impacts on the environment and communities across the region.

Stewardship Partners’ resilient, hard-working staff comprises the most experienced and knowledgeable people working to solve our region’s complex environmental issues. We’d like to share several program highlights for the year.

The Snoqualmie Stewardship Program restored two acres of habitat, planted over 3,000 plants at multiple farms, and maintained a record 9.5 acres of restoration sites. We also completed a new Snoqualmie Valley Stewardship Handbook. This guide includes tips and funding sources for projects including home stewardship, agricultural stewardship, forest stewardship, sustainable recreation, volunteering, and green consumer tools. The program continues to expand, working with schools and cities in the Snoqualmie Valley, building rain gardens, and installing other green infrastructure projects in addition to riparian restoration.

A new innovative ad campaign was created this spring that calls on people to become “Rain Changers” by creating rain gardens at their homes and businesses. The campaign was the brainchild of Sam Neukom and the pro-bono creative team at Northbound. Merlino Media also provided resources to match advertising funding. Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, who is planning his second rain garden, lent star power to the campaign. Noting in one radio ad, “if you want to keep your basement dry and the Sound clean, cisterns and rain gardens are a beautiful way to help.” The campaign was featured in the Seattle Times and South Seattle Emerald and included bus-side ads, radio ads, and billboards. The RainWise website saw the largest ever number of visitors to the site after the Seattle Times article. Visit www.rainchangers.org to see if your property qualifies for rebates from the City of Seattle or King County or to find incentives in other areas of Puget Sound. 

The 6th Annual Green Infrastructure Summit of the Salish Sea gathered seven virtual panel discussions and an online networking event over two days in March. We covered big ideas and impacts that go way beyond water alone. Discussion topics included innovative partnerships, whole watershed approaches, climate resilience, systems of power and access, science, and research-based pragmatism, and we shined a spotlight on innovative leadership in northern Puget Sound watersheds. 

We continue to educate the public on supporting local farms and restaurants by choosing sustainable Salmon-Safe products. We also hosted educational workshops and webinars, such as the virtual Flower Farmer Workshop in April. Stewardship Partners maintains a vital relationship with the Salmon-Safe headquarters team in Portland, and we all meet regularly. We are thrilled to welcome new farms to the program this year, such as Farm at Water’s Edge in Belfair and Paradise Parking Plots in Kent. We hope you will help us protect our Puget Sound and all its residents by choosing Salmon-Safe products! 

Once again, we couldn’t gather in person for Feast on the Farm; so we feasted and celebrated with supporters, each in our own homes across the region. It wouldn’t have been possible without our sponsors, farmers, and chefs. Feast on the Farm at home raised $25,500, which will directly support our conservation and restoration initiatives in Puget Sound! 

Stewardship Partners would not be here without you. Thank you for being dedicated to our team and our mission and loving this special place we call home. Please consider Stewardship Partners in your annual giving this year.

Donate
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Win a Rain Barrel!

We are celebrating Summer at our local Farmers Markets! Visit the Carnation Farmers Market on Tuesdays from 3-7 pm and stop by our table to learn more about green infrastructure and enter to win a rain barrel! Every week we raffle away a rain barrel and deliver it to the recipient. We will also doing the same thing at the Duvall Farmers Market on August 12th & 19th!

Rain barrels collect rainwater running off your roof so you can put it to a better use, like watering your garden! Our raffle rain barrels, provided by Seattle Conservation Corps, once had a past career holding Greek olives, which we think is pretty neat! Talk about upcycling! We hope to see you at the market! If you’re lucky enough, maybe you’ll get a chance to visit with the Powder Hound Woodworks puppy as well!

Our friend, the Powder Hound Woodworks puppy!
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Snoqualmie Stewardship: The Snoqualmie Valley Stewardship Handbook

The Snoqualmie Valley Stewardship Handbook is a resource for people that live and visit the Snoqualmie Valley. It provides solutions to local issues and the actions people can take to improve the Snoqualmie River Watershed. It is based on a collaborative effort and an understanding that we all can keep the Valley pristine. We appreciate the opportunity to share this tool with you and hope you find it helpful, as a steward to the land and water that sustains us.  

From its headwaters in the Cascade Mountains to the confluence of the Snohomish River and on into the Salish Sea the Snoqualmie River is the majestic provider of habitat and sustenance, as it breathes life into all it encounters. For time immemorial the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (sdukʷalbixʷ) has lived and cared for this river and its surrounding lands. We acknowledge this throughout this handbook and with all of our actions associated with the land and water of this area.  

Today, the ever-growing population, industry, extraction, and production wear on this once pristine river and the territory it flows through. Our first step in rectifying this is to recognize the impacts and threats to healthy ecosystems, salmon, orca, and people. The salmon need a clean and healthy river to survive. Orca need healthy salmon to survive, and we need both healthy salmon and orca to survive. It’s going to take hard work, but we at Stewardship Partners are up for the challenge, and we hope you are too, and that this Handbook provides you the knowledge and tools to take action. 

Just like the river making its way to the sea, we are on a journey to heal the river and its riparian habitat in a way that’s conducive to all. All efforts to recover the Snoqualmie will require collaboration, patience and hard work but by working together, we can achieve a much more sustainable environment for this current generation as well as for generations to come. Let’s do this. For the River. For the Orca. For the salmon. For the people.  

The Snoqualmie Valley Stewardship Handbook was made possible by Bullitt Foundation, King County, Patagonia, and a host of volunteers.   

Download Handbook PDF in English
Download Handbook PDF in Spanish
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Restoration Crew Updates

With our crew back to full swing, we are thrilled to announce that Snoqualmie Stewardship crew member Ashley Aversa has been promoted to the position of Ecological Restoration Project Manager! 

“We’re happy to have our crew back in full swing. I’m really excited about our upcoming projects and my new role as project manager. The role provides the opportunity to build stronger relationships with other programs and partners. I’m hoping to learn and collaborate more with the community, to bring that knowledge and value to our operations in the field.”

-Ashley Aversa, Ecological Restoration Project Manager

In addition, the restoration crew is also welcoming two new members, Vickee Beach and Neli Banev! As life slowly moves forward after the last year, we look forward to continued work in the field and returning to hosting events for partners and supporters to come join us in restoring the incredible Snoqualmie Valley.

Vickee Beach  – Restoration Crew Member
Vickee joined the Stewardship Partners team in April 2021. She moved to the Seattle area from Texas because she wanted to be closer to the beautiful Cascades. While gaining a degree in Nonprofit Leadership, Vickee served as Vice Chair of the We Mean Green Fund at the University of North Texas, a committee that aims to enable students to create sustainable practices on their college campus. Vickee’s passion for sustainability stems from her love for the outdoors and all the life in it, and a hope for inspiring others to care for it as well. In her free time, Vickee enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and throwing pottery.

Neli Banev – Restoration Crew Member
Neli joined Stewardship Partners in 2021. She came from Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, aiming to explore the world and earn her bachelor degree in Global Studies from UW Bothell. Neli became passionate about habitat restoration by volunteering for Seattle Urban Forest. By joining Stewardship Partners, Neli is following her passion to protect and restore the natural habitat and achieve change in the world for better. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her dogs and exploring nature.

Vickee
Neli