King County’s Park and Trail Ambassadors Program – and the Adopt-a-Park or -Trail Programs – allow the local community to enjoy the outdoors while serving, maintaining and stewarding their own Big Backyard. Maintaining a network of 200 parks, 175 miles of regional trails, 215 miles of backcountry trails, and 28,000 acres of open space is a big challenge, and community volunteers help King County preserve these lands for visitors today and into the future. King County Parks receives on average 8,000 volunteers per year and, together, they donate more than 55,000 volunteer… Read More

Crossposted from Noxious Weeds Blog Although it is perhaps one of the prettiest noxious weeds, purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is widely recognized throughout North America as a highly invasive and damaging weed in wetlands and along shorelines. Vigorous perennial roots and rhizomes, combined with incredibly prolific seed production, result in one of the most successful invasive plants we have on this continent. Unfortunately, dense populations of purple loosestrife significantly reduce the habitat quality of wetlands and shorelines for waterfowl, amphibians, fish and other critters. Purple loosestrife does not play well with other plants and… Read More

Crossposted from Public Health Insider By Meredith Li-Vollmer Temperatures this week are expected to rise into the low 90s, with some humidity. To my friends in Los Angeles and New Mexico, that’s scarcely hot enough to raise an eyebrow. But here in King County, most people don’t have air conditioning, so our local emergency departments see an uptick of people with serious health problems on days like this. Common ailments include heart problems, stroke, and kidney failure, as well as heat stroke. Many people don’t know that they are at risk for… Read More

Bring your low-backed chairs, blankets and snacks – and enjoy a relaxed evening in the park! King County Parks is hosting a variety of Big Backyard Movie Nights throughout the summer. The movies will be projected onto a 40-foot-tall inflatable movie screen, so invite your friends, teammates and family! Movies start after sunset. Parks kicked off the movie series with the showing of Karate Kid on Saturday, July 7 at Ravensdale Park, and will have many more throughout the summer. Check out @iheartkcparks’ Events page on Facebook for more information!

Crossposted from Tails from RASKC Eggsy is a 12-year-old male cat; a domestic short hair (ID #A557387). This affectionate lovebug would be thrilled to cuddle up in your calm and quiet home. He was brought to the shelter by a Good Samaritan in early May 2018. Eggsy longs for a slow-paced home environment, where he can enjoy gradually get to know you and enjoy petting. When he feels truly settled, it’s likely that Eggsy might knead or “make muffins” for you. Eggsy’s personality color is BLUE. This sweetie would do best in… Read More