March 28, 2006

Environmental Watch: New biologist joins David Evans

BELLEVUE — Kirk W. Moughamer has joined the Bellevue office of David Evans and Associates, a land-use planning and engineering company based in Portland.

A former wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service, Moughamer will be doing GIS mapping and wetlands identification. He has also worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Parks Service. Moughamer has an undergraduate degree in environmental resource management from Penn State University.

Shockey/Brent adds two planners

EVERETT — Rapid growth has spurred the Everett-based management consulting firm of Shockey/Brent to hire two associate planners.

Mark McDonough, who will be doing environmental research for the firm, has completed internships with the cities of Tacoma, Lakewood and Normandy Park, focusing on sustainable development. He has a bachelor's degree in urban studies from the University of Washington.

Brittney Baldwin will join the marketing department. She has an undergraduate degree in environmental planning and policy from Western Washington University. She previously worked in Antarctica, doing wildlife surveys and aquatic analysis for scientific research teams.

Ray Cole coming to Seattle April 10

SEATTLE — Sustainable building expert Ray Cole will speak at the Seattle Central Library on Monday, April 10, as part of a lecture series hosted by the Cascadia Green Building Council.

Cole is a co-founder of the Green Building Challenge, an international effort to track the performance of green buildings. He also heads the Environmental Research Group at the University of British Columbia School of Architecture, where he has taught for 28 years.

Cole will speak at the Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For more info call (206) 223-2028 or visit http://www.cascadiagbc.org.

Ecology tightens water standards

OLYMPIA — The Washington state Department of Ecology is beefing up water quality standards in response to a ruling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that said Ecology is not doing enough to protect salmon and bull trout.

Some species of these fish are protected under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Ecology's revisions to its 2003 standards will mean stricter oversight of the temperature and oxygen levels in streams where the fish migrate or spawn. The changes will affect major rivers that drain into Puget Sound, including the Nooksack, Skagit, Stillaguamish, Snohomish, Puyallup and Nisqually.

Groups get $487,000 for education

OLYMPIA — The Puget Sound Action Team, a government partnership focused on cleaning up Puget Sound, has announced its 2006 grant recipients. Fifteen organizations will receive grants totaling $487,000 to educate the public about the Sound.

Grantees include the Kitsap Home Builders Foundation ($40,000), which will educate builders on sustainable building technologies; Seattle Aquarium ($23,000), to train volunteers about beach ecology; North Peninsula Building Association, to create a green building program; and the Friends of the San Juans ($36,925), to educate shoreline landowners about habitat restoration.

Port of Tacoma terminal using biodiesel

TACOMA — Last week, Husky Terminal & Stevedoring began using 20 percent biodiesel fuel, combined with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, in all of its diesel-operated vehicles and container handling equipment.

That fuel combination can reduce sulfur oxide emissions by 99 percent, according to Cindy Lin, who manages environmental compliance for the Port of Tacoma.

NEBC seminar on government contracts

PORTLAND — The Northwest Environmental Business Council is hosting a seminar for people who want to get government contracts but don't know where to start.

Michael Bowen of the Government Contract Assistance Program will talk about how to register a business with the federal government and develop a marketing strategy.

The seminar, which costs $25 and includes breakfast, will be held on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 a.m. at the Governor Hotel, 614 S.W. 11th Ave. in Portland. For more info, contact Linda@nebc.org or call (800) 985-6322.

Changes for Pierce County Parks staff

LAKEWOOD — After 28 years as park superintendent, Skip Ferrucci is moving into a new position at the Pierce County Parks Department.

Ferrucci will be in charge of land acquisition and resource management for the Pierce County Parks Department, which has more than 3,000 acres of property and millions of dollars in capital construction projects.

Park Supervisor Kent Baskett will be interim superintendent until a new superintendent is hired.

Suncadia going for the green

Suncadia’s 6,300-acre resort is under construction near Roslyn.

SEATTLE — Developers of Suncadia, a 6,300-acre resort outside of Roslyn, are trying to achieve a three-star rating for the project from Built Green, a program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.

Suncadia is owned by subsidiaries of Jeld-Wen, PacTrust and Lowe Enterprises. It will include a resort village, three golf courses, a lodge, a sports center, shops, galleries, restaurants, a spa and more than 40 miles of trails. For more information, see http://www.suncadia.com.

Built Green rates projects based on environmentally sustainable criteria. For more information, see http://www.builtgreen.net.