April 5, 2005

Environmental Watch: Ack reappointed as Action Team chair

Ack

"I am directing him to lead our efforts to scale up the state's response to the continuing challenges in the sound," she said. There is a $31.5 million budget proposal for the 2005-2007 Puget Sound Conservation and Recovery plan and $5 million for Hood Canal recovery efforts.

Ack's experience includes work in environmental policy and management in Latin America and the southwestern U.S. He became Action Team chair in 2003.

DNR names Acker south sound manager

OLYMPIA — Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland last week named Randy Acker to manage the Department of Natural Resources' south Puget Sound region. Acker replaces Eric Schroff, who will manage DNR's Pacific Cascade region.

Acker was director of government relations. He started his career here in 1986 as non-partisan staff to the Ways and Means Committee in the Washington House of Representatives. He later worked for the House Appropriations, Capital, and Natural Resources and Parks committees. He was also state forester, representing Washington in the National Association of State Foresters and the Council of Western State Foresters.

Kennedy/Jenks moves Portland office

PORTLAND — Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Engineers & Scientists moved its Portland office from Naito Parkway to the 200 Market Place Building near downtown Portland.

Kennedy/Jenks opened a Portland office 11 years ago with a staff of 10. The group now has 50 employees who were in four separate suites in the same building.

PSE to help county save energy

SEATTLE — King County and Puget Sound Energy have launched a conservation program expected to save the county $200,000 in the program's first year.

Executive Ron Sims last week announced the partnership, saying King County will start conserving in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, and eventually expand countywide.

PSE will pay 25 percent of the first year's salary for a resource conservation manager to get the program running. It will also provide a grant to buy resource-tracking software.

Savings are expected to come from making more efficient use of electricity and natural gas, as well as cutting the amount of solid waste produced and water consumed.

PSE officials say small savings can be achieved with little or no investment in new equipment, and can yield 10 percent to 15 percent cost reductions within three years.

'What Makes it Green?' April 28-29

SEATTLE — AIA Seattle's Committee on the Environment will hold a sustainability event April 28-29 in Seattle to celebrate Earth Day. It takes place in the Bertha Knight Landes Room at City Hall.

On the morning of the 28th there will be an eco-charette led by moderators from the design and building industries. "Exploring Sustainable Design Through Collaboration" will be moderated by Nathan Good, who is involved in AIA and Better Bricks.

Projects submitted to a competition called "What Makes it Green?" will be the topic of the afternoon discussion, and will be critiqued by audience and panel members.

The next day there will be a tour of green projects. Sponsors include the city of Seattle, the Lighting Design Lab and area architecture and engineering companies.

Cost is $100 for AIA members, or $150. Register online at www.aiaseattle.org/wmig2005. For more information, call AIA Seattle at (206) 448-4938.

Ecology funds weed control study

OLYMPIA — The state Department of Ecology awarded a $10,500 grant to the state Department of Agriculture to study ways of controlling yellow flag iris, a noxious weed that invades lake shorelines and high quality wetlands.

The Department of Agriculture will contract with Washington State University to check effectiveness of chemical weed killers on the plant.

They'll also look at how well non-chemical control methods work, like pulling seedlings by hand, digging out mature plants, cutting or mowing.

Agriculture also will come up with a brochure about the yellow flag iris to inform people about ways to control the weed.

The Ecology grant comes from the Aquatic Weeds Management Fund. This fiscal year Ecology offered about $450,000 from this fund to local governments for high priority projects.