The Slow, Steady March of Progress

Posted on August 17, 2020 by

Greetings!

The three months between meetings has flown by. The OGD team at King County has been working tirelessly to consolidate all of the amazing contributions to the Implementation Plan we’ve received from our stakeholders.

I want to take a minute to say ‘Thank You’ to all of you who were able to carve out some time for individualized and focused conversations centered on refining content and tying up loose ends. The quality of the Implementation Plan will be better because of your commitment and contributions. We anticipate having a completed draft available for your review at the stakeholder meeting on September 17th.

The quality of the Implementation Plan will be better because of your commitment and contributions.

Progress towards a beta version of the mapping tool continues on track. During this interim period, the mapping subgroup was able to meet and provide valuable feedback to help Christian Nilsen at Geosyntec advance the development of our mapping tool. A link to the base layers we’ve been planning to use can be found here. The technical memo detailing the mapping tool’s features and needs is available for download, and can be found below. Please email Todd Hunsdorfer with any feedback you may have about the direction we’re headed for this mapping tool.

Our agenda for the September 17th stakeholder meeting will be focused on providing brief updates from our subgroups and refining the list of Implementation Plan recommendations provided by our stakeholders – over the last several months. We plan on using some new interactive ways of engaging during this remote workshop, so get excited!

I sincerely hope everyone is staying healthy and safe and having a wonderful summer.

Be well,
Todd

ogd_mapping-tool_features_and_needs_finalDownload
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Recommended Actions

Posted on June 18, 2020 by

Greetings, 

The Our Green Duwamish Stakeholder Group continues to make progress on articulating the actions that will bring us closer to realizing a future built on clean water. The Implementation Plan describes current conditions in the watershed, and identifies  existing and future actions required to improve them. We are still on track to provide the Stakeholder Group with a draft version of this Implementation Plan in September 2020. Now we need some feedback from you! 

Do you have ideas for action(s) in the watershed that could lead to real improvements? 

Take this survey. 

This survey is one way we are collecting ideas for future recommended actions that Stakeholders can take in the next 5 years to move closer to achieving our goals and overall watershed vision. The survey will remain open until June 25. 

Stay safe and be kind.  

Sincerely, 

Todd 

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Remote Action

Posted on April 15, 2020 by

“Thank you!” to all the stakeholders who were able to attend our workshop on April 9th, and another huge “Thank you!” for your continued dedication to improving the watershed.  

Our conference call was brief but we had a few updates I wanted to share with everyone following this blog.  

1. Subgroup Updates  

  • The Mapping Subgroup now has a contract in place to begin the development of a watershed-wide mapping tool to guide decision making, track progress on reaching our desired future states, and assist with Municipal NPDES permit compliance. We can expect additional updates from this group at our June workshop. 
  • The Coordination subgroup made great progress on identifying regional collaborative groups with goals that help to advance the goals of Our Green/Duwamish. This subgroup compiled a list of overlapping goals and objectives, mapping them to the goals and objectives of Our /Duwamish, and identified ways to collaborate on future actions. These opportunities have been pulled into our draft Implementation Plan, and will be available for comment until October 2020. Stay tuned for more updates from this subgroup as they begin to connect with the other regional groups they’ve identified.  

2. Implementation Plan Updates 

  • We received a number of great comments about the organization of the Implementation Plan from stakeholders in February. We made edits based on those comments and presented them  during the April 9th stakeholder workshop.  

3. Implementation Plan Editing 

  • Finally, we had reserved time at the end of the April 9th  conference call to collectively provide comments on the current draft of our Implementation Plan. At one point there were more than 15 people looking at the document simultaneously. Thank you for all the constructive comments. The link will remain open until April 22nd, so please be sure to review the document if you haven’t had a chance yet. It’s the perfect activity for telecommuting.  

4. Action Tables 

  • We ask that all stakeholders complete action tables for goals 5, 6, and 7 (or all goals not previously completed). To date we have received actions from the cities of Renton, Auburn, Kent, Maple Valley, and Seattle. King County, WSDOT, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Regional Council, and Stewardship Partners have also contributed actions. GREAT WORK! 

If your organization is doing work in the watershed to improve water quality please contribute to the Implementation Plan! We want to know what you’re up to! Email me to get a FREE blank copy of the Action Tables – fill it out with actions specific to the strategies and objectives under each goal.  

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The future is bright!

Posted on February 25, 2020 by

Greetings!

I wanted to use this forum to provide a quick update for those that couldn’t make it to our stakeholder meeting on February 13th.

Together we:

  1. Discussed how our co-designed content is being used in the Implementation Plan
  2. Gathered feedback about the Implementation Plan outline
  3. Built a table describing the strengths of our organizations
  4. Heard an update from the Mapping Tool and Coordination Subgroups
  5. Discussed the 2020 Work plan

We have some heavy lifting to do in the next 3 meetings. We are hoping to build out the content of the Implementation Plan by goal area before the end of June, and have a completed draft by September of 2020. In addition, we are planning to have a ‘proof of concept’ mapping tool to assist our partners with decision making and permit compliance by the end of the year.

2020 is going to be very busy for all of us, and I continue to be optimistic. We are doing more together.

Please email if you have any questions. It was great to see so many familiar faces at the Green Duwamish Symposium yesterday. What a fantastic event!

Cheers,
Todd

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Here’s to 2020!

Posted on January 20, 2020 by

Happy New Year!

Last year was incredibly productive and critically foundational to the work we have teed up in 2020. I would like to thank everyone who participated and provided feedback on all the products we co-designed.

In 2019 we:

  1. Created a 2-year work plan (and we’re still on target!)
  2. Adopted Co-Design strategy
  3. Compiled and discussed early mapping tool ideas
  4. Initiated Coordination and Mapping subgroups
  5. Designed a Public Input tool for gathering more feedback
  6. Created an Implementation Plan outline
  7. Committed to an adaptive management approach
  8. Reestablished recurring blog posts
  9. Drafted an informational website
  10. Agreed on our Desired Future States for each goal area
  11. Brainstormed metrics to track progress in each goal area

We are also very excited to be recently invited to participate in the Green – Duwamish Watershed 2020 Symposium. I hope you see you at this symposium on February 24th, 2020!

At our next stakeholder meeting (Thursday, February 13) we will continue working on our Implementation Plan for those actions needed to improve the watershed. If you would like to learn more, please email me directly.

If you would like to follow our progress, subscribe to this blog post, and engage as we transform the watershed together.

Cheers to 2020!

Todd

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Future States for OGD

Posted on October 29, 2019 by

Happy Fall!

Another very productive stakeholder meeting is in the books. Thank you to all who were able to attend.

At the Oct. 10th meeting we were able to generate ideas for the future state of goals 5, 6, and 7, and comment on the draft of our future states for goals 1, 2, 3, and 4.

In general, feedback was very positive and aspirational – exactly the kind of energy we need to continue our progress developing the implementation plan. If you’d like to see or comment on the draft versions of the future state goals, you can do so using our public input tool.

The meeting also included presentations about King County’s Land Conservation Initiative and a Stormwater Pollutant Heatmap being developed by The Nature Conservancy and Geosyntec. It was interesting to consider how these projects overlap and support the goals of Our Green Duwamish. We also heard some quick updates from the Regional Coordination and Mapping Subgroups.

If you’re interested in learning more about those subgroups and are considering new opportunities to engage with the larger group, please feel free to reach out to Todd Hunsdorfer.

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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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