October 12, 2004

Environmental Watch: Young joins DEA as environmental planner

Young

BELLINGHAM — David Evans and Associates hired Sara K. Young as an environmental planner in its Bellingham office. Young's experience is in wetland delineation, hydric soil evaluations and ecological surveys. She studied wetlands in Washington and California's coastal, inland and desert ecosystems.

Young has managed a residential development in Palmdale, Calif., a mining site outside of Primm, Nev., and an 18-mile toll road construction project in Orange County, Calif.

Adolfson hires senior scientist Parry

Parry

PORTLAND — Adolfson Associates added senior scientist Betsy Parry to its Portland office. Parry has 15 years of experience developing natural resource plans, and evaluating fish and wildlife habitat.

Parry also managed transportation projects involving wetlands, cultural resources and endangered species. She has expertise in plant community ecology in wetlands and uplands. Parry has also worked on public hearings and community outreach.

Adolfson is an environmental consulting firm specializing in natural resource management. It has offices in Seattle and Portland.

Hart Crowser names new principal

SEATTLE — Hart Crowser promoted Julie Wukelic to senior principal. During Wukelic's 15 years at the firm, she has managed environmental work for the development of Benaroya Hall, Niketown and most recently the city of Bremerton's new conference center. Wukelic works with Northwest property owners on environmental due diligence for property transactions.

Hart Crowser is a 150-person environmental and engineering consulting firm headquartered in Seattle. It has other offices in Edmonds, Portland, Anchorage, Denver and Cherry Hill, N.J. Hart Crowser specializes in environmental and geotechnical engineering, natural resources and remediation technologies.

Park commissioners meet Oct. 14

SEATTLE — The Seattle Board of Park Commissioners holds its next meeting Oct. 14 in the Park Board Room at 100 Dexter Ave. N. at 6 p.m. Topics include:

• A proposal to move Sadako Peace Sculpture from Peace Park in the University District to Green Lake Park. Staff recommend keeping the statue where it is.

• Beach fires. At designated areas at Golden Gardens and Alki beaches, beach fires are permitted.

• Capehart housing/Navy privatization at Discovery Park.

The seven-member citizen board advises the Parks and Recreation superintendent, the mayor and the city council. For more information, contact Sandy Brooks at (206) 684-5066 or sandy.brooks@seattle.gov.

Apprentice electricians get solar training

RENTON — A 9-kilowatt solar electric system was recently installed at a Renton training facility for apprentice electrians. The Puget Sound Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee's center is located at 550 S.W. Seventh St. It trains 2,000 journey-level electricians each year.

Training director Bill Bowser said a continuing education class on solar electric system installation has consistently been full. He said the center plans to add 4 to 5 kilowatts to its solar system each year, with the help of apprenticing electricians. More electricians will then be qualified to design and install solar power systems. For more information, see http://www.psejatc.org.

Rains halt work on $3.8M salmon project

PORTLAND — Heavy rains stopped construction work on a $3.8 million salmon habitat project on the lower Columbia River in August, but work will resume in July 2005.

At Crims Island, which is 48 miles downriver from Portland in Columbia County, Ore., 76 acres of tidal marsh and 115 acres of forest will be restored. Part of the plan calls for excavation of two feet of soil from an area dominated with reed canary grass.

Tidal marsh restoration will create rearing and foraging habitat for juvenile fall chinook, chum and coho salmon. Snake River sockeye, steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout will benefit from restored links in the Columbia River's estuarine food web, as will waterfowl, bald eagles, Columbian white-tailed deer and migratory songbirds.

The project will be a three-year effort by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bonneville Power Administration, American Rivers and the Columbia Land Trust. Fish and Wildlife's Charles Stenvall said, "We have never tried anything of this size and scope before. Work at Crims Island will influence design of restoration projects on other refuge islands."

Columbia River power options: Oct. 21-22

SEATTLE — The Seminar Group will host a conference on the Columbia River's power on Oct. 21 and 22 at the Westin in Seattle. The conference considers the next phase of development of electrical power in the Columbia River basin. Policymakers are looking for new ways to manage the region's resources, as there are limits to how much power the river can provide.

Lawyers, utilities executives, and power and transmissions developers are invited to participate. For more information or to register, call (206) 463-4400 or (800) 574-4852. The Seminar Group is based in Vashon.

New ocean and health research to start here

SEATTLE — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said new research studies will start in Seattle on how oceans can impact human health.

Dr. Usha Varanasi, director of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, will lead new research. As part of the Oceans and Human Health Initiative set up by Congress last year, scientists will study how humans impact the ocean health and how oceans influence human health.

Teams will study ways biotoxins and chemicals in seafood impact human health. A goal is to understand key stressors and forecast health threats from contaminated seafood.

Other groups that will work on ocean and health research are the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, S.C., and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laborator in Ann Arbor, Mich. They will study beach safety, seafood quality, coastal pollution, marine toxins and pathogens. Each research center will receive $2 million in the first year.