Crossposted from Headwaters It’s cold and dark when we head to the beach. The mussels in the trunk have been on the road and on ice all day. This morning, ecotoxicologist and shellfish chauffeur Jennifer Lanksbury picked them up from a partner in Penn Cove and now we’re squeezed between two deadlines: these native bay mussels (Mytilus trossulus) can only be out of the water for 12 hours, and they must go back in at exactly the right moment. The mollusks are key players in the Mussel Watch program, a regional effort led… Read More

Crossposted from the Noxious Weeds Blog “What do you say when the [Noxious Weed] work feels futile?” This was a question that came to us earlier this season from Andrew Munson, a Noxious Weed coordinator over in San Juan County. It wasn’t a rhetorical question — he was genuinely wondering how other weed professionals handle the hard stuff: the Sisyphean [no end in sight] reputation of Noxious Weed control, the thankless days, the public skepticism, the physical toll, the moments that make you ask what’s the point? We felt it. Because we’ve… Read More

Crossposted from Headwaters Oh, October. The crisp breeze hinting at cooler days to come. The stunning displays of fall foliage. The shifting, softening sunlight. If you love this time of year, you’re not alone: toxic algae do, too, and typically peak in our lakes this month! Fortunately, the Science Section has a team of lake scientists who work with other King County agencies and local communities to help keep people and pets safe from toxic algae. Together we monitor, test, and respond to algae incidents so everyone can enjoy our lakes safely all year long. Read… Read More

Crossposted from Keeping King County Green The ubiquity of plastic and the efforts to manage it sustainably is a difficult challenge for farmers to tackle. From greenhouse film to packaging materials, plastic is everywhere, and while these materials are crucial for farm operations, options for conveniently disposing of plastic products are limited. Plastic materials used on farms are typically shut out of recycling streams due to contamination from soil and plant matter, leaving farmers with few choices other than to dispose of them in landfills or let them pile up on their… Read More

Crossposted from the Executive Climate Office In the summer of 2024, King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties announced we’d received a $50 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lower greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and construction throughout the region. At the time, King County shared that the Executive Climate Office (ECO), using funding from that grant, would partner with local governments in an effort to reduce climate-warming pollution while ensuring access to healthy heating on cold days and cooling on hot ones. A year later, that work is well… Read More

Crossposted from King County Executive Climate Office newsletter King County’s Community Climate Resilience (CCR) Grant Program funds community-based projects that support frontline communities, with a special focus on areas specified in the Strategic Climate Action Plan. That includes food systems—and a food sovereignty project was on display (and on the menu!) at an event this month. The African Young Dreamers Empowerment Program Intl. (AYDEPI) held their 3rd annual “Beauty of our African Roots” event at Family Life Center in Federal Way! The youth-led cultural celebration featured music and dance, community voices and poetry, fashion,… Read More

Hot weather is forecast for the next few days in our region, and a Heat Advisory will be in effect for King County from noon Tuesday to 10 p.m. Wednesday. As some of our work needs to be performed outdoors, we want to ensure that employees and supervisors take care of themselves and one another as temperatures rise.  In extreme heat, Executive Branch departments should evaluate planned field work to determine if this work can be postponed to when temperatures are cooler, where possible. If work must be performed, departments should attempt to… Read More