Title
Special Recognition - Habitat, Stewardship and Outreach
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Recognize the significant outreach and volunteer work efforts associated with aquatic habitat stewardship in Olympia.
Report
Issue:
Whether to recognize the significant outreach and volunteer work efforts performed by staff and citizen volunteers as they learn about, protect and enhance the aquatic resources of Olympia.
Staff Contact:
Joe Roush, Environmental Services Supervisor, Public Works/Water Resources, 360.753.8563.
Presenter(s):
Jesse Barham, Habitat Planner, Public Works/Water Resources
Michelle Stevie, Senior Habitat Biologist/Stream Team Coordinator, Public Works/Water Resources
Background and Analysis:
One of the three mandates of the Storm and Surface Water Utility is to protect, restore and enhance aquatic habitat. Consistent with this mandate, Water Resources staff developed a remarkable number of opportunities for Olympia’s citizens to participate in environmental education and volunteer stewardship activities.
Staff would like to share our accomplishments and promote upcoming events with City Council and the Olympia community.
In 2017, Water Resources hosted 107 environmental education events attended by 1,345 people. Between November 2017 and June 2018, we will host 13 restoration events, engaging close to 800 citizen volunteers, planting over 5,000 trees and shrubs.
Some of the recent and upcoming restoration projects include:
• Grass Lake Refuge, headwaters of Green Cove Creek
• Mission Creek Park, headwaters of Mission Creek
• Taylor Wetlands, headwaters of Woodard Creek
• LOTT’s Kaiser Road property, headwater of Green Cove Creek
Upcoming volunteer monitoring and education opportunities include:
• Amphibian egg mass surveys and road surveys (February - March)
• Purple Martin monitoring (April - September)
• Forage fish surveys (April - June)
• Macro-invertebrate monitoring (July)
• Plankton monitoring (July)
• Beach seining (July - August)
• Marine Creature Mondays (July - August)
• Salmon Stewards (August - October)
Many of these projects and programs would not be possible without the assistance and cooperation of our partners including:
• Olympia Parks, Arts and Recreation Department
• Stream Team partners (Lacey, Tumwater & Thurston County)
• Olympia Coalition for Ecosystem Preservation
• Capital Land Trust
• Washington State Departments of Enterprise Services, Ecology, Fish & Wildlife and Natural Resources
• LOTT Clean Water Alliance
• Port of Olympia
• Olympia School District
• The Evergreen State College
• Numerous neighborhood and other citizen groups
Interested citizens can register for these events and more through the Stream Team website.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The Olympia community is engaged in the protection and enhancement of our natural environment.
Attachments:
Link to Stream Team website