Washington shellfish growers receive funding from the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) program’s Shellfish Growers Resiliency Fund, investments in new and more sustainable solutions to common aquaculture practices.
Earth Day was born out of a movement to improve the lives of people and nature, inspiring sweeping legislative action and investments. Today, federal infrastructure funding and WA Climate Commitment Act are a continuation of this movement, investments making a tangible impact locally. As an example, Washington’s historic funding of the Floodplains by Design program is contributing to nature-based floodplain management across the state to reduce flood risk, protect communities and protect salmon habitat. These state and federal dollars are just the start of local climate action that will improve the daily lives and the future of all Washingtonians.
Meet DeAnne Hamilton: Learn how the general manager of Tacoma’s KBTC Public Television and TNC in Washington trustee, uses the power of storytelling to engage people in conservation and create a better future for the next generation.
Nestled in the cliffs in Moses Coulee is an import desert water sources that every springs attracts thousands of Pacific Tree frogs. I came to Whisper Lake for a night concert. It was anything but quiet. The chorus of frogs was soothing, calming—the quintessential sound of spring.
The Cle Elum Wildlife Project is improving our understanding of how wildlife use and move through protected forest landscapes, providing us with an opportunity to test how forest management practices impact wildlife and building an evidence base for permanent protection.
In the forests along Cle Elum ridge above the town of Roslyn, heavy machinery has chewed through small trees and underbrush, grinding the shrubbery into chips in seconds, all in the name of forest health and reduced risk of wildfire.
Grinding and chipping the trees into smaller pieces increases the surface area, and once those smaller chips are on the ground and in contact with the soil, they can break down faster and quickly reduce the fire hazards on the landscape.
Kyle Smith is the Forest Manager for The Nature Conservancy of Washington where he leads a team of professional foresters who conduct forest management and river restoration projects across 80,000 acres in Washington. Kyle’s current areas of management include the Ellsworth Creek Preserve in Southwest Washington, the Hoh River Recreation Area and Conservation Area, the Clearwater Forest Reserve in the Olympic Peninsula, and the Central Cascades Forest in Eastern Washington.
