Our Green Duwamish (OGD) – Fall 2019 Update

Posted on September 26, 2019 by

Hello OGD supporters!

It’s been more than two years since this blog has been updated, but I want to assure you – we have been busy. In April 2018, we got the ball rolling with a meeting about our new approach and biennial work plan, and momentum continues to increase with every bimonthly stakeholder meeting.

We have met six times, since the beginning of 2018, to discuss the implementation of OGD’s Stormwater Strategy. Agendas have focused on building the components necessary for an implementation plan – using an adaptive management approach. We have discussed the development of metrics, prioritization, and adaptive management. A draft outline for the implementation plan is complete as well as draft language of a vision for each goal area. The goal area visions will help guide our conversation about identifying priorities and metrics for the implementation plan.

Review and comment on the draft goal area vision statements here. For your comments to be considered, please comment before October 31st.

A mapping tool is being built to reflect OGD priorities to help Phase II cities in the watershed meet permit compliance with their Stormwater Management Action Plans. In the future, the implementation plan metrics can also be incorporated into the mapping tool to help track progress over time.

To facilitate collaboration and provide transparency, an online space is in development to host OGD products, meeting agendas and summaries, and any other materials you need to stay informed on this important initiative.

Our next stakeholder meeting is October 10, 2019. If you are not currently on the email notification, list and would like to be, please contact me.

I’m looking forward to your feedback.

Sincerely,
Todd Hunsdorfer
206-263-0922
thunsdorfer@kingcounty.gov

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The WAG concludes & Phase II is complete!

Posted on May 2, 2017 by

We completed our final Watershed Advisory Group (WAG) meeting on April 5, 2017, which also marks the conclusion of Phase II of Our Green/Duwamish.  Since 2014, we have made progress towards improving the environment and health of the Green/Duwamish watershed.  With help and collaboration from the WAG we have:

  1. built and strengthened partnerships among the many stakeholders working in the watershed;
  2. documented a strong baseline of information about the air, land and water conditions in the watershed;
  3. improved coordination of the substantial number of projects and programs underway in the watershed;
  4. identified areas where more work is needed;
  5. proposed strategies to address these priority areas; and
  6. enhanced our collective sense of watershed identity.

Thank you to the WAG and all of the participants in helping to make this project a success.

If you have any news or updates related to the Green/Duwamish watershed or this project that you’d like posted on this blog, please send the information to: Logan Harris, Communications Manager, King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP).

Below we have our final products for this project, as well as, lead contacts for the four Phase II focus areas.

Phase I Products

Phase II Products

Watershed- Wide Stormwater Strategy:

Lead Contact: Josh Baldi, Director, King County Water and Land Resources Division

Watershed-Wide Open Space Plan/King County Land Conservation Initiative:Final Our Green/Duwamish Open Space Plan White Paper

Lead Contact: Bob Burns, Deputy Director, King County DNRP

Website: http://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/water-and-land/land-conservation.aspx

Climate Resilience & Preparedness Program/Plan Integration: Final Our/Green Duwamish Climate Resilience White Paper

Lead Contact: Matt Kuharic, Sr. Climate Change Specialist, King County DNRP

Improve Air Quality and Public Health: Final Our Green/Duwamish Air Quality White Paper.

Lead Contact: Craig Kenworthy, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

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Focus area reports now available!

Posted on March 23, 2017 by

We are close to concluding Phase II of Our Green/Duwamish which kicked off in January 2016, where the Watershed Advisory Group identified four focus areas that could use additional effort to help improve watershed conditions.

The greatest level of effort during Phase II was focused on defining values and priorities for a watershed-wide approach to stormwater management which culminated in a Watershed- wide Stormwater Strategy. View the report and appendices at the links below:

In addition to this, the project team finalized white papers documenting current efforts underway in the remaining three priority areas. View  the white papers at the links below:

NWW-planting2-6-10c

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Green/Duwamish Stormwater Workshop #3 Complete!

Posted on September 29, 2016 by

On September 15, 2016 we held the last in a series of three workshops to develop an action plan for the Green/Duwamish Watershed-Wide Stormwater Strategy. We had over 40 participants representing community groups, nonprofits, government agencies and businesses.

Together, we looked at potential prioritization criteria for actions and we refined stormwater management actions from workshop #2. We also had a great discussion about the important attributes of a coalition or organizational structure to carry on the watershed-wide stormwater strategy.

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The presentations from the workshop can be found here:

Stayed tuned for a draft report summarizing the workshops in late Fall.

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Watershed-wide stormwater strategy workshop #2 complete

Posted on July 13, 2016 by

On June 28, 2016 Our Green/Duwamish held the second in a series of three workshops to create an action plan for a watershed-wide stormwater strategy in the Green/Duwamish Watershed.  We had over thirty participants from different government agencies, community groups and businesses.

We had a great conversation about the vision, mission and goals for the stormwater strategy and developed potential actions that could achieve the draft vision.  Thank you to all the participants and check out these photos from the workshop!

 

 

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Check out the Preliminary Background Report and join us at the June 28 Stormwater Workshop

Posted on June 13, 2016 by

The Our Green/Duwamish Preliminary Background Report is completed and available for review!

This report is a working document that marks the first step to develop strategies to strengthen communities and improve 1203DuwamishAerial082air, land, and water outcomes in the Green/Duwamish Watershed.

The report summarizes current conditions, identifies gaps in activities in the watershed, considers approaches to address the gaps, and helps support decision-making for Our Green/Duwamish.

Please take a moment to review the report files:

And be sure to join us at our next watershed-wide Stormwater Strategy meeting set for Tuesday, June 28, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Green River College Kent Campus, located at 417 Ramsay Way #112, in Kent.

 

 

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Recap of May 19 Watershed Advisory Group Meeting

Posted on May 27, 2016 by

On May 19, 2016, we held the fourth WAG meeting to discuss the King County Land Conservation and Preservation Work Plan (Work Plan) which proposes implementing a land preservation and conservation program to identify, protect and conserve water and land resources.  We worked with the WAG to determine if this County project meets the Our Green/Duwamish interest of developing a watershed-wide open space action strategy. The WAG determined it fulfills the purpose of a watershed-wide open space strategy.

 

They recommended that the Work Plan could be improved with the following additional analysis and engagement:

  1. Update parcel level maps based on comments from WAG (Duwamish Blueprint, KCD urban forests, etc.) and open space “opportunities” from OGD Phase I.
  2. Consider equity: overlay “Access to Open Space” map to identify gaps in open space.
  3. King County Work Plan team will work with G/D cities to identify candidate conservation lands (suggested by WAG).
  4. Look at spatial nexus of stormwater management and open space lands.
  5. Work with WAG volunteer team (PSRC, TNC, WRIA 9) over summer to respond if additional candidate conservation lands are added in the Green/Duwamish Watershed.
  6. King County Work Plan team provide updates to the WAG when the Land Conservation Task Force begins to meet.

The King County Land Conservation Initiative team will consider how to include these recommendations in the project.

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Our Green/Duwamish Stormwater Workshop #1– Presentations Posted!

Posted on May 12, 2016 by

On May 4, Our Green/Duwamish kicked off the development of a watershed-wide stormwater strategy with the first of three workshops. Nearly 50 people took part in this exciting and productive session, representing many different sectors including government, business and industry, and community and environmental groups.

In addition to presentations on stormwater management, group discussions centered on what’s  being done now, and identified gaps and opportunities for improvement. People also shared their vision for stormwater management in the watershed, and note takers recorded this input.

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If you missed the first workshop, presentations from the meeting can be viewed at the links below:

Our Green Duwamish Overview
Green Duwamish Watershed Water Quality Conditions
Nonprofit Stormwater Management Activities
Boeing Company Stormwater Management Activities
City of Kent Stormwater Management Activities
King County Stormwater Management Activities
Stormwater Regulatory Framework – Dept of Ecology

Our next stormwater workshop sessions are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 15 and Wednesday, June 27, so save these dates. We’ll share detailed information in the next few weeks.

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Green/Duwamish Watershed Symposium 2016 Videos Now Available!

Posted on May 2, 2016 by

The first Green/Duwamish Watershed Symposium was held on February 29, 2016.  This symposium was aimed at fostering collaboration, building partnerships and sharing knowledge about all of the great work that is occurring in the watershed.  Many of the presentations are shown in the videos below! More information about the presentations can be found here:  http://www.greenduwamishwatershedsymposium.org/panel-one-sharing-knowledge.html










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KPLU covers the ‘endangered’ Green-Duwamish River

Posted on April 12, 2016 by

From pristine mountain wilderness to the region’s biggest industrial hub, the Green-Duwamish watershed is a study in contrasts.

Recently, the nonprofit conservation organization American Rivers ranked the Green-Duwamish River as one of the most endangered waterways in the nation.

KPLU environmental reporter Bellamy Pailthorp covered the story, taking an aerial tour of the watershed to explore some of the conditions and challenges facing the river.

If you have a couple of minutes, it’s definitely worth checking out.

CecilMoses

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