Tips, tricks, and a quick peek into the everyday life of the conservation district.
Our WCC crew recently saw Coho Salmon and Steelhead juveniles in the Skykomish River. Yay for fish and our restoration crew!
Looking to join our team? We’re now hiring for the 2018-2019 crew which begins October 1, 2018.
Read MoreNearly 340 people toured fine examples of how homes and businesses can combine human living and activities with wildlife habitat on Saturday, June 23rd at the annual Camano Island Backyard Wildlife Habitat Garden Tour.
Read MoreThe 2018 Annual Plant Sale is in the record books. Nearly 50,000 plants went out the door and we could not have done it without YOU! Thanks for supporting native plants and better ground! And, volunteers, you rock our world! Thanks!
Read MoreBees, bats, and butterflies, oh my! After reviewing hundreds of entries, the winners of the 2018 Native Plant Sale Pollinator Art Contest have been selected! All entries, including the winning pieces, will be on display at our Annual Native Plant Sale held this Saturday, February 10 at the Evergreen Fairgrounds in Monroe. Come out and take a look, peruse the plants for sale, visit educational booths, and vote on your favorite art piece for the People's Choice Award.
Read MoreThis fall we offered an incentive to encourage landowners on Lake Stevens to plant native plants to protect the lake from runoff. Here's a before and after post to show just how pretty and practical doing so can be!
Read MoreTwo new rain gardens have been installed in Marysville to reduce flooding and runoff to Quilceda Creek in the Snohomish Watershed.
Read MoreMany people forget about fruit trees when they are planning out their yards, but they should not be overlooked. They are so simple, so rewarding, and so beautiful. They represent our most ancient connection to the bounty of nature. They are fun to work on, soothing to look at, and their personalities are all so different.
Read MoreOur largest rain garden has finally been planted. Check out how small it makes our Vet Crew seem.
Read MoreThis Camano Island rain garden is doing triple duty, filtering water from three different sources: rainwater from the sky, runoff from the roof, and surface water from the uphill slope.
Read MoreFirst series of 'Living with Beavers' workshops held and useful for attendees in Tulalip, Stanwood and Monroe.
Read MoreHügelkultur is a German word that means hill or mound. In agriculture and gardening, it means no-dig raised beds constructed from decaying wood debris and other compostable biomass plant materials. They hold moisture, build fertility, maximize surface volume and are great spaces for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs.
Photo credit: www.richsoil.com
Read MoreHere is a unique project to slow upland flow of materials using compost socks.
Read MoreThe shorter days of autumn inspire us to slow down after a busy summer, but accomplishing a few tasks before the rains set in and the winds start to blow will make winter more pleasant and surprise you with a healthy land and soil-scape next spring.
Read MoreThanks to the commitment of the Livingston Bay community members, the new shoreline plants are growing and spreading in the beautiful nearshore environment.
Read MoreThe Snohomish Conservation District gathered dozens of local volunteers last Thursday behind the Stanwood Camano Village to help restore a bare and degraded landscape right in their own backyard. Volunteers included employees from local businesses, including the YMCA, the Everett Clinic, Port Susan Dental Care, Subway, and Process Solutions.
Read MoreHere are more photos of the hard work being done by the Vet Crew, other staff and volunteers at the depave project in Pierce County.
Read MoreIf you live in Monroe, and commute to I-5 and places beyond, you may see an Arco station along your route on the north side of Highway 2. Next to that Arco station are 8 acres of wetlands that the Snohomish Conservation District is helping to restore through a Department of Ecology grant. It is a unique opportunity to be so close to a major roadway making it highly visible. The hope is that this project site will promote public education, a sense of stewardship and a personal connection to the watershed.
Read MoreCamano Island residents gathered on June 22nd to learn about Snohomish Conservation District's work with Island County to replace the Kristoferson Creek culverts at Barnum and Russell Roads. The new crossings are designed to allow passage at all times of the year between Triangle Cove and Kristoferson Creek for the different salmonid species, including endangered Chinook salmon and steelhead.
Island County, Snohomish Conservation District, and local residents and salmon recovery citizen volunteers have known about and tried to replace these two fish passage barriers for over 14 years, but funding, differing approaches, and salmon recovery priorities never aligned before now. In the meantime, however, the Kristoferson family and others have worked to improve the habitat conditions and water quality of Kristoferson Creek.
Construction may begin late this summer if permits are approved and suitable construction bids are received. If not, construction will occur in the summer of 2018. One culvert will be constructed at a time to provide for continual, easy access in and out of the neighborhood, and construction activities are expected to last between four and six weeks. No changes in road design are planned. Once completed, endangered juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead will be able to fully access lower Kristoferson Creek for rearing. Coho and chum salmon will have improved passage to about 1.6 miles of Kristoferson Creek for spawning and rearing.
Questions? Please contact Kristin Marshall, Snohomish Conservation District project manager, at 425-377-7017 or kristin@snohomishcd.org. Comments may also be submitted online at snocd.org/kristoferson_comments. Interested parties may receive emailed construction updates by signing up at snocd.org/kristoferson-creek."
The WCC crew wrapped up their planting season on April 27th! A total of 23,976 plants were installed on 24 acres! The plantings occurred on 14 properties from November to April.
The Snohomish Conservation District and the Veterans Conservation Corps are excited to announce several internship opportunities for United States military veterans. This position will work with landowners on stormwater resource concerns within urban and residential areas of Snohomish County and Camano Island, and occasionally in other parts of the Puget Sound region.
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Snohomish Conservation District | 528 91st Ave NE, Lake Stevens, WA 98258 | 425-335-5634
