October 5, 2004

Environmental Watch: Anchor Environmental adds Seattle staff

SEATTLE — Anchor Environmental hired new staff in its Seattle office. Bryan Patterson is an environmental engineer with expertise in aquatic environments. Environmental toxicologist Shawn Hinz assesses aquatic and upland systems. Junior planner Katie Chamberlin has marine affairs and regulatory expertise. Erin Iverson is a GIS analyst with database administration experience.

Leilani McSpadden is a senior accounting coordinator. Kim Golka-Ridlon is a senior payroll and accounting coordinator.

Thomas Patterson is on the information technology team and will troubleshoot technical problems in the company's eight offices. Lynn Turner is a project assistant and helps manage document production and marketing efforts. Susan Thompson works on general office support as a project coordinator in the Portland office.

Anchor is an environmental science and engineering firm that focuses on shoreline projects. The firm works on projects around the country, specializing in sediment management, environmental review and geotechnical engineering.

Goldendale wind project gets $307,000

OLYMPIA — When three Fuhrländer wind turbines come to Goldendale in Klickitat County, they'll be the first in the state to supply community-owned power, said Jessica Raker of Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development, or SEED.

A $307,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows SEED to team up with Last Mile Electric Cooperative and the Klickitat County Public Utility District to bring three 100-kilowatt turbines to Luna Point, near Goldendale. Profits from sales of power will go to Operation Warm Heart, a low-income energy assistance program.

Raker said construction is set to start at the end of summer 2005. She said the location was a demonstration site for Department of Energy-sponsored wind projects.

USDA chose 167 in 26 states to receive $22.8 million in competitive grants. Rural small businesses, farmers and ranchers can use funds to create renewable energy systems.

Can green power boost your brand?

SEATTLE — A conference on using green power in business will be on Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Qwest Field and Events Center in Seattle. Organizers of "Better Business Through Green Power" will show examples of how green power purchases can strengthen brand recognition, and customer and employee loyalty.

The keynote speaker is author and consultant Gifford Pinchot, who works to help companies use sustainable business practices. Other speakers are Kevin Hagen, a renewable energy procurement strategist, and Jim Burke, coordinator of Sacramento municipal utility district's Greenergy program.

Cost is $60. For more information, contact Diane Zipper, Renewable Northwest Project, at (503) 223-4544 or diane@RNP.org.

Wetlands conference Oct. 25, 26

SEATTLE — Seattle-based Law Seminars International presents its "Wetlands In Washington" conference in Seattle on Oct. 25 and 26. Brent Carson of Buck & Gordon and A.W. "Sandy" Mackie of Perkins Coie will chair the program, which covers: isolated wetlands, tribal perspectives on wetlands protection, permitting, mitigation banking and the survival of the shellfish industry. For more information, call (206) 567-4490 or (800) 854-8009. Or visit: http://www.clenews.com/LSI/04/04wetwa.htm.

County redesigns waste disposal Web site

SEATTLE — King County's Solid Waste Division has redesigned its Web site so people can find out where to recycle electronics and used appliances, and how to safely dispose of hazardous wastes such as paint and batteries.

King County researchers say the average person has four gallons of paint, two pounds of pesticides and a couple of old televisions he doesn't want.

A new Web site feature is a "What do I do with…?" pull down A-Z menu that gives information on what to do with items ranging from animal waste to vehicles. See http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/.

REI gives $10,000 for new rest stop

TACOMA — A 3.5-acre wetland is being created along the Pierce County Foothills Trail corridor between Orting and South Prairie. The wetland will bridge a 3.3-mile link in an 11-mile paved trail between McMillin and South Prairie. It is set to be finished this fall.

Volunteers will plant 40,000 native wetland species at the site on Saturday. The county was required to create the wetland in order to mitigate the trail's environmental impacts. Recreational Equipment Inc. gave a $10,000 grant to construct a rest stop overlooking the wetland.

The rest stop will have a 500-square-foot asphalt pad, a picnic table, park bench, barbecue pit and bike rack.

Columbia River channel work starts

PORTLAND — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently announced completion of the first ecosystem restoration project associated with the Columbia River Channel Improvement.

Construction at Lord-Walker Island, near Longview, involved excavation of 620 cubic yards of sand from the downstream end of Lord Island. New conditions will provide habitat for juvenile salmon as they migrate to the ocean.

Larson Marine Services of Portland won a $5,199 contract to do the work last month.

Work at Lord-Walker Island is the first construction on the $134 million project, which aims to improve the deep-draft transport of goods on the authorized Columbia River navigation channel as well as restore ecosystems for fish and wildlife.

Oregon and Washington have committed $55.4 million to the project. Additional environmental work will take place next summer. Efforts to deepen the navigation channel are set to start in summer 2005.

Tribe wants more study of Post Falls dams

OST FALLS, Idaho (AP) — The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is digging in its heels in its demand for an analysis of how much usable land was lost when the free-flowing Spokane River was dammed up at Post Falls by Avista Utilities.

Tribal and utility officials agreed that the tribe is not advocating removal of the dam, which manipulates water levels in Lake Coeur d'Alene to provide power generation. But it is contemplating seeking federally authorized payments for lands flooded by dams.

The tribe owns the bottom third of the lake.

Bruce Howard, relicensing manager for Avista, said there have been various studies of the dam's impact, but he said Avista felt the free-flowing river scenario was unrealistic and chose not to include it as a dam-operation choice on its license application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The application is due by July, and Avista is trying to complete a draft by January for a three-month review so there is still time to make any changes before the submission deadline. The utility has been working with the tribe and all other interested parties to put together an application that all can agree on.

But the dispute over the free-flowing river analysis could thwart the tribe's signing on to any analysis.