Seven small farms in Snohomish County are participating in an art project to showcase what it's like to grow local food amid today's challenges.

Photo courtesy of KING.

This Snohomish Conservation District project is the first of its kind at Jackson High School. It’s designed to open the door for future classes to carry further down the path of storm water pollution solutions, and environmental improvement for our community.

Photo courtesy of Everett Public Schools.

It took 16 volunteers, 2,430 cubic feet of donated dirt and a busy Saturday afternoon to get the garden beds ready for the season.

There’s much more work to do, but 15 plots at Eagle Ridge Community Garden — the first in Lake Stevens — are prepped for seeds and sprouts.

Photo courtesy of the Everett Herald / Kevin Clark.

The city of Mill Creek hopes a simple device called a “beaver deceiver” can help keep 35th Avenue Southeast above water after heavy rains.

Photo courtesy of the Everett Herald / Andy Bronson.

Alderwood Early Childhood Center students and their parents from came out April 27 to plant about 75 trees and shrubs on the Lynnwood campus. Volunteers earlier cleared the area of invasive plants, including holly and blackberry. The project also had help from the Snohomish Conservation District, Champion Tree Care and Edmonds Co-Op Preschool.

Contributed photo.

Before starting his volunteer work with the conservation district, Jim Weisenbach said he found animals more interesting than plants. Now, he loves identifying, growing and learning about local flora.

“The native wildlife needs the native plants,” he said. “You can’t have one without the other.”

Photo courtesy of the Everett Herald / Dan Bates.

The Washington State Conservation Commission toured the fast-growing north Puget Sound area last week, and farmer Dan Bartelheimer had something to tell it.

“This agricultural land needs to be protected and kept intact,” said Bartelheimer, president of the Snohomish County Farm Bureau.

The simple message won’t be easy to carry out. The county’s agricultural sector has been losing ground to private development and government projects. The first stop on the commission’s tour was a former dairy that will become a city park.

Snohomish Conservation Districtwas recently awarded the state Auditor’s Stewardship Award for “outstanding accomplishment in the stewardship of public resources.”

Photo courtesy of the Snohomish Conservation District.