Recycle your household items, and bring canned food donations to benefit Highline Area Food Banks, and Rainbarrel Sale. Recycle appliances, metal, tires, oil, transmission fluid, batteries, electronics, flourescent tubes/bulbs, reusable household goods, EPS Styrofoam and more!

See additional information below for specifics items that can be recycled.

WHAT: Spring Recycle Event & Rainbarrel Sale

WHEN: 4/7/2012 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

COST: Admission is Free; CASH only where specific fees apply

WHERE: Tyee Educational Complex Parking Lot, 4424 S 188th Street, SeaTac.

INFO: Recycle your household items; canned food donations to benefit Highline Area Food Banks, and Rainbarrel Sale. See additional information for specifics items that can be recycled.

Here’s more from the city’s website:

SeaTac is dedicated to reducing waste, encouraging recycling and promoting reuse. Mark your calendars for our Spring Event, and help make a difference in your environment!

Recycle appliances, metal, tires, oil, transmission fluid, batteries, electronics, flourescent tubes/bulbs, reusable household goods, EPS Styrofoam and more!

Styrofoam must be clean, dry and free of any plastic film. NO foam sheeting, cardboard, hard plastics, screws or metals. Packing peanuts must be bagged or boxed. Dirty and wet EPS will not be accepted. No food containers will be accepted.

Computer monitors and televisions will not be accepted. You can recycle these items for free at other locations through E-Cycle Washington. Call 1-800-RECYCLE or visit http://1800recycle.wa.gov to find authorized E-Cycle Washington collection locations.

Rain Barrel Sale
Sale will be held at the Tyee Educational Complex in conjunction with the Recycling Event.

Saturday, April 7- 9:00AM to Noon or until sold out. There is a limited number of barrels available for sale.

SeaTac Residents only – $25 ea cash only, limit TWO (2) per customer.

Food Drive for Highline Area Food Bank sponsored by SeaTac Domestic Violence Task Force
Food drive will be held during the Recycle Collection Event on April 7. Bring canned and non-perishable food, diapers, toilet paper, soap, pet food and laundry detergent. Paper bags and donations are welcome, too!

The Spring Recycling Event is produced in partnership with Washington State Department of Ecology, King County Solid Waste Division, and the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County.

Missed a collection event, or have items not accepted at the event? Visit King County’s “What Do I Do With…?” website at http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/wdidw/, or the Earth911 website at http://earth911.com/ to find information on where to take your items.

Call Resource Conservation/Neighborhood Programs Coordinator Trudy Olson with any questions at 206.973.4763.

One of my Google news alerts popped this video up yesterday… and it’s fascinating!

On December 3, the Cascade Orienteering Club conducted one of its events at North SeaTac Park, and one of the participants put a video up on Vimeo.  Says COC’s website:

If you like being outside and exploring nature, then this is the sport for you. Using a map and your powers of observation, you’ll navigate through a course of pre-set checkpoints. Beginners are welcome, and it is not unusual to see entire families orienteering, either together or on different levels of courses.

Burien’s Environmental Science Center (ESC) will be holding free and family-friendly Moonlight Beach Walks on Saturdays at Seahurst beach, starting Dec. 10th and again on Jan. 21st from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Here’s more from a press release:

Local naturalists are volunteering their time to help guide visitors in discovering the unique marine life that lives in the intertidal zone. Considered a marine reserve, the rock strewn beach provides vital habitat for creatures such as purple sea stars, burrowing sea cucumbers, Dungeness crabs, moon snails, and aggregating sea anemones plus an abundance of seaweeds. These walks are a unique opportunity to see Seahurst’s beach at low tide and in the dark. When the tide goes out during the day most of the creatures on the beach go with it or burrow under something. But at night, they stay on the beach. Visitors should bring reliable flashlights to explore the nooks and crannies of the large rocks. Remember that you’re in their house, so tread gently. The goal is to Do No Harm.

This year’s walk promises a new treat to returning beach explorers – a brand new warm building! Our new center is at Seahurst beach: 2400 Southwest 140th Street in Burien. Park in the lower or upper lot and walk along the trail that runs north from the turning circle at the lower parking lot. Visitors should check-in at the center for some pre-beach activities and cider, hot chocolate or coffee. Activities include a Matisse themed art project on sea life and a microscope lab with plankton to identify.

Please make sure to dress warmly with hats, gloves, and warm coats. Also, wear rubber shoes so that you can wade out into the ankle-deep water around the tide pools. And please practice beach etiquette:

DO NO HARM

1. Be extra careful where you step so you don’t step on animals or their homes.
2. When you want to look more closely at a creature, bend over and look rather than picking it up. Leave animals where you find them. Don’t move them to a new home!
3. Touch plants and animals gently with one wet finger. Animals living on the beach and in the water are cold and wet, your fingers are warm and dry. Simply touching a plant or animal may be enough to injure or kill it.
4. If you want to look under a rock, be gentle. Turning over a rock can be like someone turning on a bright light in your bedroom in the middle of the night. Lift it slowly and gently. When you’re done the rock needs to be gently returned to its original position.

SAVE THE CHILDREN
Leave all shells and animals on the beach rather than taking them home. Shells and rocks need to be left on the beach because they provide a home for the next generation, an animal’s children, to live on.

For more information about this event, contact Jennifer Dumlao at outreach@envsciencecenter.org or call 206-248-4266.

For more information about the Environmental Science Center visit www.envsciencecenter.org.

Well, King County wants you to know that they’re ready… sort of…  just in case.  They sent out the following press release earlier today:

Falling temperatures have King County road crews on weather watch;  public may see changes in snow response
Working with reduced resources, road crews ready to help keep people moving this winter

A repeat of La Niña and snow in the forecast has the King County Road Services Division cautioning drivers to be prepared for winter driving.

Because winter can come early in the higher hills, County road crews have topped off stockpiles of salt and sand and are ready to respond when roads get icy and the first flakes fall. That could be any day now, according to the latest forecast.

This season, the Road Services Division will have 17,700 cubic yards of sand, 270 cubic yards of salt and 21,000 gallons of anti-icing material stockpiled at ten field offices throughout the county. It also has a variety of equipment ready to go to combat snow and ice. During significant snowstorms, crews will be placed on 12-hour shifts to provide around-the-clock response to roads in unincorporated areas.

And beginning this month, six maintenance workers will once again be assigned overnight shifts to respond to snow, ice and other road problems.

While some unincorporated neighborhoods have been annexed by cities, the actual number of snow routes maintained by King County has changed very little in recent years. The County is still responsible for about 1300 miles of snow routes connecting cities, suburban and rural areas. Yet the Road Services Division will have fewer resources to respond due to funding and staff reductions.

These reductions mean some roads will be plowed and sanded less often depending on weather conditions. Priorities for snow and ice removal include arterials and heavily traveled roadways and routes used by Metro Transit buses. In general, snow response on roadways will occur in the following order of priority:

• Major roads such as key arterials and main thoroughfares connecting densely populated areas.
• Smaller roadways that carry traffic from local streets to arterial roadways connecting towns and cities.
• Secondary commuter routes that are considered important connectors to the County’s larger network of roads.

During minor localized snow events, the division will shift crews from non-affected areas of the county to help keep roads clear. But during a significant regional snowstorm, the shifting of County forces may not be possible.

Given this potential for reduced road clearing, residents should familiarize themselves with King County’s snow plan and develop backup plans if heavy snow prevents travel. Those plans might include working a flexible schedule, telecommuting or postponing your trip, if possible.

“When a snowstorm strikes, the best way to avoid the dangers of driving is to stay home,” Road Services Division Manager Paulette Norman said. “If you must drive, stick to major arterials and make sure your vehicle has good winter tires and a full tank of gas before heading out.”

King County Executive Dow Constantine has pledged to work on finding a permanent and sustainable solution for local roads funding, and will work with the Governor’s Connecting Washington Task Force, which is crafting a statewide transportation package for consideration by the legislature.

You may also have noticed a spate of new radio ads today promoting roads funding.  Any connection?  Nah…  Couldn’t be.

In any event, budget crunches are a reality in the City and the County.  And you’ve no doubt heard of “austerity measures” in Greece and Italy.  So we should expect belt-tightening to extend to snow removal services, too, as things are rough all over.  Be patient with the City, County, and State through this winter season, and adjust your travel plans accordingly!

Public Health – Seattle & King County wants our Readers to know that they are awarding mini-grants worth $750 for community groups who participate in parks clean-up events between now and the end of the year.

Groups who choose to participate will hold a cigarette butt clean-up event at one of several identified parks (download a PDF list here). Each event pays $750. Groups do their own organization, including purchasing gloves etc. but instructions are provided.

Organizations are considered eligible and may apply if:

• They have a federal tax ID number.
• They have not already received $4,250 in funding from any King County Department.
• They don’t already receive funding from tobacco or alcohol companies.

Eligible organizations may apply for more than one event and may suggest parks for future events.

This mini-grant opportunity is part of a larger regional effort to support parks who want to implement tobacco or smoke-free policies. Tobacco/smoke-free policies in public places are widely supported by the public. They help protect park users from exposure to second-hand smoke, save on maintenance costs for the parks, and provide healthy spaces for people to live and play.

More information on this grant opportunity is online here.

If you have any questions, please send an email by clicking here.

The “Mitsubishi i 100% Electric Experience” Tour is in the Seattle area until Sunday.

The tour allows attendees to experience and test drive the Mitsubishi i and learn about the vehicle from an on-site team of Mitsubishi i experts. The breakthrough Mitsubishi i is the most affordable 100% electric-powered mass-market production vehicle available in North America. Its starting MSRP IS $29,125 and the net MSRP* after federal tax credit is a very affordable $21,625 for the standard ES model and only $23,625 for the upgrade SE version, making the starting price for the all-new Mitsubishi i several thousand less than other mass produced electric vehicles available in the market.

The Mitsubishi i may be compact in its overall dimensions, but this EV’s clever packaging and design make for very roomy and comfortable accommodations for four adult-size passengers. With its relatively tall roofline, rear-mounted electric motor and battery pack placed safely and securely in a watertight, stainless-steel safety cell underneath the floor of the passenger compartment, even the rear passengers will experience an exceptionally satisfying degree of legroom. There’s even a small cargo area at the back of the vehicle that is more than capable of carrying numerous bags of groceries or purchases from the local mall. And with the 50/50 rear seats folded flat, the cargo capacity expands greatly, allowing the Mitsubishi i to become the preferred vehicle for weekend trips for bulkier items at a discount warehouse or home improvement retailer.

For more on the Mitsubishi i, visit http://i.mitsubishicars.com and www.facebook.com/imitsubishi.

Upcoming Seattle-area stops include:

• Wednesday, October 19
  Best Buy Bellingham
  11am – 7pm
  4281 Meridian Street
  Bellingham, WA 98226
• Thursday, October 20
  Best Buy Puyallup
  11am – 7pm
  4102 S. Meridian Ste. A
  Puyallup, WA 98373
• Friday, October 21
  Best Buy Bellevue
  11am – 7pm
  457 120th Avenue Northeast
  Bellevue, WA 98005
• Saturday, October 22
  Best Buy Issaquah
  11am – 7pm
  6000 E Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE,
  Issaquah, Washington 98029
• Sunday, October 23
  The Landing
  11am – 7pm
  828 North 10th Place
  Renton, WA 98057

If you drive an electric car and you’re running low on power, you might want to steer yourself towards the City of SeaTac, as they are now offering free electric charging stations.

Charging stations will be provided by the ChargePoint® Network. Charging station owners can set their own prices for charging as a function of the time of day or calendar date – much like a parking meter.  The City of SeaTac has configured the stations to provide free access to EV drivers.

“We are excited to be a part of the ChargePoint America program and provide charging services to the region given our easy access from Interstate-5,” said Todd Cutts, City Manager. “We host many regional meetings as we are centrally located so we are hopeful many will take advantage of the charging stations while they are conducting business in SeaTac.”

We’re not sure yet where the charging stations are located (we suspect near City Hall), but once we find out we’ll update this post.

Here’s more from a press release:

The City of SeaTac today announced this week they have joined the ChargePoint® Network and will now offer electric vehicle (EV) charging services for the community. The city has installed two ChargePoint® Networked EV charging stations that are part of Coulomb Technologies’ $37 million ChargePoint America program, that will provide nearly 5,000 free EV charging stations for individuals and businesses throughout the United States. The charging stations were provided and installed by Coulomb Technologies’ northwest distributor Charge Northwest.

“The City of SeaTac is increasing its commitment to the community by offering ChargePoint EV charging services to attract EV drivers to the city and promote cleaner transportation,” said Michael Jones, western regional director at Coulomb Technologies.  “We are happy to welcome the City of SeaTac to the ChargePoint Network as they take advantage of free stations offered through the ChargePoint America program working to advance and promote EV infrastructure in Washington.”

ChargePoint Network brings Washington’s EV drivers unique, easy-to-use services including the ability to: check real-time status and location of unoccupied charging stations, turn-by-turn navigation to station, to reserve a charging station, track and report greenhouse gas and gasoline savings, receive charging status notification by SMS and email or by an iPhone and Blackberry applications. Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and all manufacturers of electric vehicle charging stations.

The City of Seatac sent out the following reminder yesterday.  Next Saturday is our big annual recycling event!

This event is for King County residents only – no commercial loads accepted. Bring the following materials to be recycled on Saturday, October 1, from 9 AM to 3 PM to the Tyee Educational Complex parking lot: appliances, refrigerators/freezers ($20 cash fee per each refrigerator/freezer), scrap metal, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, oil, antifreeze, transmission and steering fluids (no gas or brake fluid; no mixed fluids), tires, clothing and reusable household goods, and EPS Styrofoam. Please note that only computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and printers are accepted at our recycle events.

Free Confidential Material Shredding. DataSite Northwest will be providing secure document destruction services at the October 1 Fall Special Recycling Event. Limited to three boxes per vehicle.

Televisions, computers, computer monitors, and laptops are no longer accepted at our recycle events. Call 1.800.RECYCLE or visit 1800recycle.wa.gov to find authorized electronic product recycling services in your area. E-cycle Washington sites will accept televisions, computers, computer monitors, and portable or laptop computers throughout the year for free. Households, small businesses, schools and school districts, small governments, special purpose districts, and charities can recycle electronic products free of charge.

For more information contact Resource Conservation/Neighborhood Programs Coordinator Trudy Olson at 973.4763.

Rainbarrels. SeaTac Residents Only, $25 each, cash only, limit TWO (2) per customer.

SeaTac Domestic Violence Task Force Food Drive for Highline Area Food Banks.  Also Saturday, October 1, from 9 AM – 3 PM at the Tyee Educational Complex parking lot. You may bring canned and non-perishable food, diapers, toilet paper, soap, pet food and laundry detergent to donate to SeaTac’s Domestic Violence Prevention Program. Paper bags and donations are welcome too! Call Chris with any questions at 973.4933.

On March 14, 1911, Governor Marion E. Hay (1865-1933) signs legislation authorizing the establishment of public port districts. The Port District Act, which allows citizens to end private monopoly control of urban harbors, is a victory for progressive and populist reformers then at the height of their influence in Washington. Voters in Seattle and Grays Harbor will create the first two port districts later that year and many more will be established around the state in succeeding years.

Before statehood, most harbor improvements in Washington were privately owned. Although the 1889 state constitution preserved all remaining tidelands in public ownership, many critical port facilities were already in private hands, allowing those who controlled them to monopolize key transportation routes and set prices accordingly.

…

Progressives were at the height of their strength in the 1911 legislative session, which enacted numerous progressive reforms. And by then even much of the state’s conservative business establishment had grown tired of the railroad stranglehold on the harbors on which the state’s trade and commerce depended. Governor Hay called on the legislature to “encourage all improvements of harbors and the acquisition of public docks and wharfs” (1911 Senate Journal), and legislators did.

The state House of Representative passed the Port District Act on March 3, 1911, and the Senate followed suit six days later. Governor Hay signed the measure into law on March 14, 1911.

Seattle voters were the first to take advantage of the new law. On September 5, 1911, they approved the Port of Seattle and elected Hiram M. Chittenden (1858-1917), Robert Bridges (1861-1921), and Charles E. Remsberg as port commissioners (a position that by statute was unpaid).  [Note: according to a recent report in Seattle Magazine, Port commissioners are now paid $6000 each year.]

The Port has put together a pretty nifty educational site as part of its centennial celebrations.  It’s well worth a browse.  As the site puts it,

Since 1911, the Port of Seattle has grown from a fledgling harbor to a multi-faceted organization that runs a world-class seaport and international airport, supports industries as diverse as tourism and commercial fishing, is a key partner in building road and rail infrastructure, and is committed to being a national leader in environmental and sustainability programs.

This week, the Port issued a press release noting that it “generates nearly 200,000 jobs statewide and $867 million in state and local tax revenues.” Governor Gregoire declared Monday, September 5, “Port of Seattle Day” in Washington.

The next public celebration of the Centennial is coming up September 17 as part of the  23rd Annual Fishermen’s Fall Festival sponsored by the Fishermen’s Terminal Tenant’s Association.

We’ve embedded the Port’s half-hour documentary about the Centennial below:

New King County Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward Elissa Ostergaard wants our Readers to know that volunteers are needed for ‘CSI:Highline,’ also known as ‘Community Salmon Investigation Highline,’ which surveys local salmon in the area.

“In 2010, 20 volunteers each surveyed the creeks each week,” reads an alert from the City of SeaTac. “This year, team members will have the option of surveying every week or every other week. This means we need between 10-20 new volunteers in 2011!”

Volunteers will go through training on Wednesday, Sept. 28th, and will need to commit to volunteering either one day per week or one day every other week for the 2.5 month period from mid-October to late December.

To help out, please reply before Sept. 20th to Elissa at elissa.ostergaard@kingcounty.gov, and include answers to these questions:

• Would you like to survey every week? Or every other week?
• What days of the week are you available? (If you can manage weekdays, that will be especially helpful.)
• Will you attend the training on September 28 from 4-6pm?

To sign up, or of if you have any questions about whether this volunteer activity is right for you, please contact Elissa at elissa.ostergaard@kingcounty.gov or 206-296-1909.

Here’s more info from Elissa:

Willing to Mentor a High School Senior?
I am looking for one generous volunteer to offer to mentor a senior high school student for their culminating senior project. Are you willing to have a high school student participate on your team? Help them determine another way to use what they learn, such as give a talk at a neighborhood meeting, or a class, or write an article, or ??? Please let me know right away – we are recruiting high school seniors soon.

Information for New and Potential Volunteers – Be part of Miller/Walker Creek Stewardship
How many adult salmon return to Miller and Walker Creeks in Burien, Normandy Park, and SeaTac each year? The fact is we have only a general idea, but last year we learned a lot. In addition, we need to know how many of these fish are stricken by pre-spawn mortality each year, and thus how many are surviving long enough to lay the eggs of the next generation.

A better understanding of the numbers of fish returning to the streams and the extent of pre-spawn mortality is one of the top recommendations the community identified as part of coordinated monitoring of the streams (see the 2009 monitoring coordination recommendations). Adult salmon in our streams are the Pacific Northwest equivalent of the “canary in the coal mine” – they reflect the health of our lands and water. Knowing adult salmon numbers and what’s happening to them once they enter the stream will serve as “vital signs” for our streams. By being part of our Community Salmon Investigation team, you can help us learn more about this community resource.

To accurately monitor adult fish returns and fish health, we need your help! This e-mail asks for volunteers to collect data on adult salmon that will return to Miller and Walker Creeks from mid-October to late December. Please sign up by Tuesday, September 20.

Beginning in mid-October and continuing until late December, we need volunteers to visit Miller and Walker Creeks daily at several locations to look for fish. We need enough volunteers to staff every day of the week because only a sustained, daily (or close to daily) survey will provide us the accurate information we need to understand stream health.

This is an exciting and unusual opportunity to see parts of your community that are normally inaccessible. You will get closer to one of the iconic animals of America – the Pacific salmon. You will be part of an important community effort to better understand how well we’re doing taking care of our lands and waters. And, of course, you’ll get to cut open dead salmon bodies like the CSI teams you watch on TV!

Volunteer Expectations
As a volunteer, here is what to expect:

• You need to commit to volunteering either one day per week or one day every other week for the 2.5 month period from mid-October to late December. (If you can’t volunteer consistently but would be willing to fill in for a regular team member, please let me know and we’ll see if we can include you that way.)
• Two-person teams will be responsible for data collection on one day each week (e.g., every Tuesday). Ideally each team will have three or four people, so each person only needs to go out every other week, and there are enough volunteers to fill in on days when one team-member cannot go out.
• Volunteers should assume spending three or four hours on their day. If we have enough volunteers, we will make the stream reaches shorter and have multiple teams each day.
• You will work only during daylight hours, which will, of course, become more limited as the season progresses. People who work five weekdays will want to volunteer for Saturday or Sunday surveys. Those with flexible schedules will be encouraged to do weekdays.
• You need to be able to walk up stream channels/banks that are rocky and wet/covered in running water. You may need to climb over and under downed trees and push through or go under brush. Overall distance walked each daily survey will be about one mile (only a portion will be in the stream).
• You will need to go out rain or shine but you will not monitor when the stream is running high to keep you safe (plus it’s hard to see fish in high, turbid water).
• There are three sites to be inspected on Miller Creek and two sites on Walker Creek – four sites are in Normandy Park and one site is in Burien because all adult salmon migrate first through the lower part of the creek before spawning (or, sadly, dying before they can spawn). Short drives will be needed for you to reach all the survey sites.
• You will work in pairs for safety and to maximize data quality.
• You will need to follow the access requirements of the private and public landowners who are graciously providing us access to the streams.
• You will count and record information on living fish
• You will take measurements of each dead fish. This will involve handling and cutting open carcasses. Gloves will be provided. You will record information on adipose fin presence (indicating whether the fish came from a hatchery), sex, percent egg retention, spawning status, and if possible, coded wire tag scans (another sign a fish came from a hatchery).
• You will need to provide your own rain gear and footwear. In most cases, we expect you will need to use hip waders but knee-high rubber boots may suffice depending on your height and stream conditions. My rubber hip waders – which have survived many years of rough service already – cost less than $40, so buying a pair is not a big investment.
• You will be given sampling collection kits and recording documents.
• You will be trained or paired up with a trained volunteer who will teach you what to do.

Training
This community is fortunate to have some citizens who love the fish and work together to restore the streams. People so motivated will be offered more intensive training in late September. (However, everyone is invited to attend.) This self-selected “core group” will provide the “lead” team member. These leads will in turn train the other team member(s). Consequently, lack of previous experience should not be an obstacle to successful data collection.

New and returning volunteers, especially team leaders, are encouraged to attend the training:

• WHEN: Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 4:00-6:00 pm
• WHERE: Normandy Park
• WHAT: New survey locations, fish identification and measuring techniques, staying safe, scheduling. Please contact me to sign up for the training.

Sign Up and Questions
To sign up or of if you have any questions about whether this volunteer activity is right for you, please contact me at elissa.ostergaard@kingcounty.gov or 206-296-1909.