If you are looking for a fun and rewarding team-building activity, how about boosting esprit de corps by helping King County plant a million trees?  

As part of the County’s “1 Million Trees” initiative, King County Parks is currently signing up volunteers for tree planting events this fall and winter on many of its properties. Planting a million trees by 2020 is a target action in King County’s 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan. 

“Whether pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, cleaning contaminants from the air and water, preventing flooding, providing shade or reducing stress, trees just make life better,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said. “Tree-planting is one of the most direct, impactful things we can do to combat climate change and improve the health of natural habitats and neighborhoods across King County.” 

A number of King County employee teams have already been out planting trees as part of the campaign. Check out this time-lapse video to see employees from the Department of Natural Resources and Parks in action earlier this month. 

Please consider assembling a team and maybe set up a friendly competition with the group across the cube wall or worksite, or gather some family and friends together. You can attend a pre-scheduled planting event or possibly set up an event for your team by contacting Parks Volunteer Coordinator Tina Miller. When you attend a tree-planting event, our volunteer coordinators teach you everything you need to know about planting a tree in one of our parks and maximizing its chance to survive. They also take care of all the tools, gloves and trees. All you need are clothes that can get dirty (and stay dry and warm, depending on weather), and closed-toed shoes. 

Please note participation must be worked out with your supervisor, and employees are not compensated nor receive overtime for volunteering. 

And if you can’t plant, you can still be involved in the 1 Million Trees campaign by donating to the King County Parks Foundation. Funding will go to purchasing, planting and stewarding of trees. 

Let’s get growing! 

Pictured: King County Office of Emergency Management Director Walt Hubbard welcomes participants and introduces professionals from National Weather Service, Puget Sound Energy, Public Health, and King County departments.

More than 100 regional stakeholders gathered together October 12 for our 6th Annual Winter Weather Seminar. Facing another La Nina forecast, NWS Seattle’s Ted Buehner said we can expect cooler and wetter than average conditions this winter season. Already we’ve seen snowfall at low elevations and stage 2 flooding in some areas. Professional experts assured participants we are ready for whatever Mother Nature sends our way.   

The event also provided an opportunity to reflect on past events and lessons learned. Of note was praise from King County Road Services for a collective response to a road washout that isolated a community in the Duvall area, and required quick coordination with King County Emergency Management, Roads, and the Sheriff’s Office.   

Our annual Winter Weather Seminars are important for bringing together frontline agencies to share information and resources as we plan for the impacts of winter weather. Together, we enhance each other’s ability to respond to and recover from our most hazardous season.