November 2, 2004

Environmental Watch: Norton-Arnold & Co. hires two

Peterson

Coston

Todd Peterson has 20 years' experience in multi-party planning and negotiations. He is part of Norton-Arnold's team that is leading workshops in British Columbia for representatives of First Nations and other stakeholders to develop a salmon recovery program.

Heather Coston leads the company's Portland office. Coston has six years of experience in urban planning and transit-oriented development and worked at Clark County's public transit agency as a community outreach specialist.

BGI hosts 'humane capitalism' talk Friday

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Sustainable enterprise expert Thomas Gladwin speaks on the role of business in "humane capitalism" on Friday at IslandWood from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The professor and author says sustainable development today hinges on ecology, efficiency and the "greening of the rich" more than it does on sociology, justice and advancement of the poor.

Gladwin says social sustainability is necessary for environmental sustainability and will speak on poverty, unemployment, disease and the changes that will be required so humans can sustain themselves. Admission is free.

For directions, call (206) 855-4300 or visit wwww.islandwood.org. It is hosted by the Bainbridge Graduate Institute as part of a lecture series on sustainable business.

Off-leash area for Pike/Pine park?

SEATTLE — Bids for construction at Boren Pike Pine Park came in $150,000 over budget in May, so some community members propose a dog off-leash area in part of the park. Seattle Parks and Recreation will host a public meeting on the proposal Nov. 9 at the Northwest School Theater, 1415 Summit Ave., from 7 to 9 p.m.

Landscape architecture firm Nakano Associates developed a concept plan that Parks used to prepare construction documents. There has been $825,000 allocated by the 2000 Pro Parks Levy, which will fund more than 100 projects around the city such as athletic fields and playgrounds. For more information, contact project manager Lynn Sullivan at (206) 733-9105 or lynn.sullivan@seattle.gov.

$46K in SEED money goes to 11 groups

OLYMPIA — Eleven organizations will receive $46,000 in SEEDs, or Small Environmental Education Dividends, for projects to educate people on how to protect and restore marine life in Puget Sound by improving water quality.

Puget Sound Action Team will distribute these awards through May 2005: Surfrider Foundation, $4,100; Audubon Washington, $4,500; Langley Middle School, $4,500; Whidbey Island Conservation District, $4,500; Maxwelton Salmon Adventure, $4,500; Bainbridge Island School District, $3,100; Indochinese Cultural and Service Center, $4,500; Friends of the San Juans, $3,500; Snohomish County, $4,500; city of Bellingham, $4,000; Nisqually River Foundation, $4,100.

Action Team is a partnership of state, local, federal and tribal organizations. For more information, see http://www.psat.wa.gov/Programs/Education.htm

HDR/EES to head study on lead plumbing

BELLEVUE — The American Water Works Association Research Foundation contracted the Seattle-based consulting firm HDR/EES to head a three-year research study of lead-bearing plumbing parts.

Utilities are required to control lead and copper corrosion by treating water, educating the public and replacing service lines. Treating corrosion in ways that comply with the rule is one of the research topics.

The goal is to find out how much lead is contributed to drinking water by service lines, utility-owned devices and plumbing fixtures. That information will be used to write guidelines for regulators, manufacturers and suppliers of water system and consumer plumbing parts. There are 21 utilities helping support the study.

DNR adds 120 rare plants to state guide

OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Natural Resources added 120 new species to the 160 already named in its publication, Field Guide to Washington's Rare Plants. The DNR's Washington Natural Heritage Program produced the guide with funds from the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. It is to help botanists, ecologists, naturalists, planners and land managers identify rare plants.

More than 400 plant species are of conservation concern in the state of Washington. Species descriptions help identify species and their habitats, and indicate potential management issues. Habitats, ecology and distribution of the species are covered in the guide, which is posted at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/fguide/htm/fgmain.htm. A complete list of rare plants in Washington is at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/lists/plantrnk.html.

Thea Foss pollution persists, sources sought

TACOMA — Cleaned parts of the Thea Foss Waterway are still contaminated, and the city of Tacoma and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are looking for sources.

Manson Construction was doing cleanup work and construction in the southern part of the Superfund site next to an area cleaned by utility companies Puget Sound Energy and PacifiCorp.

Inspectors from the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the contractors, who used barriers to contain debris and oily sheens. But recent sediment samples from the capped area show traces of an oily sheen and combustion-related polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. Contaminants could have come from stormwater pipes or migrated through the cap.

The city is developing a plan to find the source of the recontamination and how to prevent it from reoccuring. For more information, visit http://www.cityoftacoma.org/fosscleanup.

Is butterfly bush a noxious weed?

SEATTLE — Gardeners like butterfly bush because it attracts butterflies, but the long lilac-colored flower clusters are starting to invade river banks and forests, crowding out native species. The state noxious weed control board hears a proposal to list the non-native ornamental plant as a Class C Noxious Weed at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, 990 S.W. Rock Creek Dr. in Stevenson on Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m.

Like Scotch broom and other noxious weeds, butterfly bush competes with tree seedlings. It can dominate riverbanks and gravel bars in ways that make it hard for native trees and shrubs to grow. Infestations can be found along the Snoqualmie, Cedar, Green and White rivers. Butterfly bush is becoming a problem in forested natural areas such as Taylor Mountain Forest and Sugarloaf Mountain. Some infestations cover several acres, but there are still areas where it has just begun to invade and can be stopped.

Send written comments on the proposal to list butterfly bush as a noxious weed by Nov. 9 to Executive Director Steve McGonigal, Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board, P.O. Box 42560, Olympia WA 98504. Fax to (360)-902-2094 or e-mail SmcGonigal@agr.wa.gov. For more information, contact noxious weed program manager Steven Burke at (206) 205-6927 or steve-j.burke@metrokc.gov.