October 14, 2003

Environmental Watch: Shaw Environmental adds three to staff

SEATTLE -- Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure added three employees to its Seattle office.

Nancy Case O'Bourke, Shaw's new regional director for ports, harbors and waterways, is a civil engineer with more than 20 years' experience in dredging, navigation and sediment management projects. Project engineer Bernadette Johnston will focus on waterfront development, dredging and sediment projects.

John Hicks, commercial business development director, has 20 years' experience in environmental chemistry and has worked for laboratories and consulting firms. He will manage commercial business development in Washington, Alaska, Oregon and Idaho.

Oct. 20 meeting to air Puget Sound plan

FEDERAL WAY-- The Puget Sound Council, the advisory group to the Puget Sound Action Team, will map out its role for protecting, restoring and sustaining the Puget Sound at an Oct. 20 meeting in Federal Way.

The Puget Sound Action Team, the state's partnership for Puget Sound, defines the state's environmental agenda for the Sound. The Puget Sound Council represents business, agriculture, environmental, tribal, industry and state and local government interests.

The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Dumas Bay Centre at 3200 S.W. Dash Point Rd. Council members will discuss how to measure and report on the Puget Sound Action Team performance. For details visit www.psat.wa.gov.

NOAA awards $230,000 for fish habitat

SEATTLE -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded grants totaling more than $230,000 to restore salmon habitats on three watersheds in lowland Puget Sound.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service awarded $35,000 to the city of Milton for the Hylebos Creek Restoration project; $149,900 to the Northwest Watershed Institute for the Tarboo Creek Fish Passage; and $49,850 to the Mid-Puget Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group and partners for the Newaukum Creek Side Channel Restoration.

The grants were awarded through NOAA's Community-based Restoration Program, which has funded more than 700 projects in 26 states since 1996. For details visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration.

Workshop on Columbia River sediment Oct. 17

PORTLAND -- Sediment experts from Oregon and Utah state universities will discuss management of regional sediment at the mouth of the Columbia River at an Oct. 17 conference at the Robert Duncan Plaza in downtown Portland.

The Army Corps of Engineers Collaborative Learning Workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at 333 S.W. First Ave. It is part of a Corps-sponsored demonstration project to evaluate regional management of sediment in the MCR littoral zone.

The project runs from Point Grenville, Wash., to Tillamook Head, Ore., and to River Mile 7 of the Columbia River. It is part of a national initiative to coordinate dredging activities in coastal zones to retain sand in littoral systems. To register, contact Gregg Walker at (541) 737-5397 or gwalker@orst.edu, or Doris McKillip at (503) 808-4348 or Doris.J.McKillip@usace.army.mil.

DNR merging two state offices

OLYMPIA -- A merger of the state Department of Natural Resources' central and southwest regional offices will save an estimated $1 million per year, according to a DNR news release. The central regional office in Chehalis will become a satellite office at the end of this year.

Vicki Christiansen, the new region manager, will work in DNR's Castle Rock office, which will represent eight counties in central and southwestern Washington.

DNR manages more than 2.4 million acres of aquatic lands and more than 3 million acres of state-owned trust forest, agricultural, range lands and commercial properties. DNR said it's merging the regional offices to cut costs amid reduced revenue and state budget cuts.

Meeting on coastal engineering research

PORTLAND -- The Coastal Engineering Research Board, which advises the Army Corps of Engineers on coastal engineering research, will meet Oct. 29 at Hilton Portland and Executive Tower at 921 S.W. 6th Ave.

The board is made up of four Corps senior officers and three civilian engineers/scientists who specialize in coastal engineering. The theme for the meeting, which is open to the public, is "Navigation and Regional Sediment Management in the Northwest." For information call Sharon L. Hanks at (601) 634-2004.

DNR buys land along Skykomish River

SEATTLE -- The Department of Natural Resources is buying land along the Skykomish River and the river's tributaries to prevent future development on a total of 8,000 acres.

Hancock Timber Resource Group is selling the land to private individuals, and DNR is buying the land with federal Forest Legacy Program funds. The conservation easement will allow continued timber harvest. It will also preserve a view corridor along Highway 2 and protect Chinook salmon habitat.

Locke gives pollution prevention awards

OLYMPIA -- A school district, a county government, a military base and two businesses won Governor's Awards for reducing waste, conserving resources and using "sustainable" business practices.

Gov. Gary Locke and state Department of Ecology interim director Linda Hoffman last week gave "Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices" awards to Clark County, Mount Baker School District of Deming, 2020 Engineering Inc., Aaron's Bicycle Repair of Seattle and Bangor Naval Submarine Base.

The winners were chosen by pollution-prevention experts; labor, business and environmental group members; and past winners. For details visit www.ecy.wa.gov/sustainability/GovAward/gov_awards.htm.

Enviro group settles Columbia suit

VANCOUVER (AP) -- Plans to deepen the Columbia River for shipping crossed another hurdle last week when a Washington environmental group settled its legal challenges to the project.

The settlement allows development of a key tract of industrial land, while requiring the Port of Vancouver to set aside several hundred acres for sandhill cranes, potentially at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.

Despite the settlement, the ports' push for a deeper channel still has several daunting financial and environmental challenges looming.

Foremost is a decision by the Bush administration to keep money for the Columbia River project out of the president's annual budget proposals for the rest of his term, forcing backers to fight for every scrap of money from members of Congress.

Port officials also think lawsuits from other environmental groups may lie ahead.