The effects of climate change are already here, and our farmers are experiencing them first-hand. 

To help prepare our agriculture community for the future impact, we partnered with local farmers to craft the Agriculture Resilience Plan. We celebrated the completion of the plan in 2019, and this year, we moved on to the groundwork.

Bennett LaFond, our new Agriculture and Floodplains Resilience project manager, continued the work with our partners to identify prospective projects and funding sources, and compile them into a package to display to potential funders and legislators. Our partners include technical staff from fish, farm, and flood management organizations. Not only do they represent stakeholders across the county, but their different backgrounds work together to develop collaborative solutions for our floodplain.

On our side of the project package, our team has been working with Drainage District 13 to create a plan that will improve both the habitat and drainage conditions for Swans Trail Slough and the nearby farmland. The stream, which connects to Snohomish River, naturally collects drainage from the uplands. Due to changing weather patterns, the drainage infrastructure must be upgraded to withstand future flooding events. 

Swans Trail Slough is also a habitat for salmon, which have been noted to enter the agriculture drainage system. Not only is this harmful for the fish, but it can cause permitting issues for the local farmers. Our team has begun developing plans for a separate agricultural drainage system from a flood storage zone that will double as fish habitat. This solution will not only benefit the salmon population, but it will also make maintenance easier for the farmers. As a conservation district, we look forward to putting our skills at work on this multi-benefit project.

For more information on the project package developed with our partners, as well as the estimated positive impact they will have on the region, you can watch a virtual tour. 

Aside from the project package, we began developing project concepts to attenuate peak stormwater flows in Stanwood, a manure pipeline system to reduce nutrient runoff and decrease fuel consumption related to manure management in Silvana, and a series of combined flood protection and fish habitat multi-benefit projects in the Sultan area. 

While 2020 was a year in stasis for many of us, it was also a year of careful and strategic planning. Now, it’s time for action. The effects of climate change are already here, and we will continue as a community to preserve, and enhance, our ability to adapt and live sustainably in the Puget Sound region.

Imagine a farm growing hay between rows of cider apples. A food forest at a church packed with fruit and nut trees, berries, herbs, and vegetables. A public trail weaving between native plants, hazelnuts, currants, and blueberries. These are snapshots of just a few of the latest projects implemented through our agroforestry program.

Agroforestry is a land management system that combines agronomy, forestry, and ecology. By integrating perennial trees and shrubs with annual crops and/or livestock, or cultivating non-timber forest crops on forest land, landowners can diversify their income and create a symbiotic relationship that has a wide range of benefits. The habitat created for beneficial insects promotes pollination and natural pest control. Trees provide shade for livestock that, in turn, provide manure for fertilizer. Plant diversity increases soil microbe diversity which improves soil health. 

Our resident Agroforester, Carrie Brausieck, has been researching agroforestry, providing education, and implementing projects in the region for over five years. Much of her work aligns with our Agriculture Resilience Plan to create resilient, sustainable farmlands in Snohomish County.

“We’re the only organization in the state that has an agroforestry program and a person on staff with an agroforestry title,” Carrie said. “Our program is leading the way for this innovative land use within our county and throughout the state.”

In the past couple of years, interest in agroforestry has increased significantly.

“Governments, organizations, and funders want to invest in land uses that offer multiple benefits, like food and habitat, as well as solutions to climate change like extreme weather adaptation and carbon sequestration,” Carrie explained.

Rising awareness has provided more opportunities for partnerships and our agroforestry program has thrived over the past year.

At the start of 2021, we collaborated with the City of Snohomish to install a harvestable riparian forest buffer at Pilchuck Julia Landing. The native vegetation planted adjacent to the river, layered with fruit and nut-producing trees and shrubs along the trail, allows the public to interact with, harvest from, and appreciate this space in a new way.

Further up the river, we partnered with Raising Cane Ranch to secure a grant from the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. This project is studying the economic and ecological impacts of converting a hay crop into an alley cropping system of cider apples and hay. In September, we conducted a farm tour to showcase agroforestry practices and the research model being used by Washington State University to collect data.

Food forests have also garnered a lot of attention this year, thanks to an article in the Everett Herald. We’ve begun planting a two-acre urban food forest in partnership with Seed2Fork Farm, with some assistance from Farmer Frog. Carrie is also collaborating with Snohomish County PUD to help create a community food forest at their Woods Creek Hydro Project site.

Regionally, we’re collaborating with WSU Extension Forestry and Whidbey Island and Skagit Conservation Districts to study agroforestry plantings on saturated farmlands around North Puget Sound. This work was made possible thanks to a Specialty Crop Block grant from the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Carrie was also invited to speak at a regional agroforestry conference in early 2021 and presented our work on harvestable riparian buffers to agroforestry professionals along the entire west coast, from Canada to California.

“Carrie has been a driving force in bringing agroforestry to light in the PNW,” said Agriculture Program Director Bobbi Lindemulder. “Although it's not a new practice, there just isn't a lot of research done on implementation in our area. This is an exciting time for us looking for alternatives for sustainability and resilience for our farming community.”

Our program will continue to be at the cutting edge of agroforestry this year. The Agroforestry Northwest workgroup, co-founded by Carrie, will provide a professional network for agroforestry professionals around the state and connect landowners to resources for agroforestry design, implementation, and management. Carrie, and several of her partners from the workgroup, will also co-lead an agroforestry/forestry track at this year’s annual Washington Association of District Employees (WADE) conference.

“Snohomish Conservation District is at the tip of the spear in regional agroforestry efforts,” Carrie said. “We’ve really only scratched the surface with these innovative practices. The future is bright with possibilities for this program.”

It’s no surprise that we get a lot of rain—the Pacific Northwest is a temperate rainforest, after all. How we manage that rain once it hits the ground is important, especially in our region, where we’re experiencing rapid growth. In many places, the pervious soil of forests, farms, and undeveloped land is being replaced with impervious surfaces like roofs, roads, and parking lots, which can lead to increased flooding and water pollution.

Traditional stormwater management focuses on simply capturing water through drains and catch basins. However, green stormwater infrastructure such as rain gardens and bioswales capture rain and allow it to soak slowly into the ground. These stormwater technologies not only reduce flooding and erosion, they also filter water and allow it to percolate into the soil, recharging groundwater.

In 2021 we continued to be at the cutting edge of green stormwater infrastructure, promoting and implementing these innovative vegetated systems. Our Community Conservation team installed 14 rain gardens, six of which were clustered in an Edmonds neighborhood. These rain gardens are located just blocks away from a 1,000 square-foot bioswale that we constructed in 2020. Both projects were completed in partnership with the City of Edmonds.

Our largest project this year was a 1,500 square-foot bioswale that we installed for North Creek Christian Fellowship. The church’s drainage ditch wasn’t functioning properly and, as a result, stormwater was flooding the parking lot, walkways, and retention pond. Our Community Conservation crew re-excavated the ditch, regraded the culverts, and added engineered soils and native vegetation. 

“This was one of the largest per square footage green stormwater infrastructures we’ve installed,” said David Jackson, Community Conservation Program Manager. “It’s about 12 times as large as our average residential rain garden. This bioswale will be able to capture and filter a significant amount of stormwater.”

One of our partners, Seed2Fork, has acquired North Creek Christian Fellowship’s church building and is retrofitting it to create an education center. As part of our agroforestry program, we’re working with Seed2Fork to plant a two-acre urban food forest. The bioswale and food forest will provide excellent opportunities to showcase real life examples of sustainable farming and green infrastructure.

“I’m incredibly proud of what our staff has accomplished, working through another year of the pandemic and record-breaking summer heat and winter rain,” said David. “They’ve done an amazing job.”

In 2021, our involvement in stormwater innovations went beyond green infrastructure projects. We also completed The Puget Sound Urban Tree Canopy and Stormwater Management Handbook and its corresponding Technical Report in cooperation with King Conservation District and Brandy Reed, the district manager of Whatcom Conservation District. Read more about this here.

We’re looking forward to another exciting year of stormwater innovations!

If you’re driving along State Route 530 towards Darrington, you might overlook a quiet creek nestled beneath the mountains. Don’t let its small stature fool you, however. Ashton Creek holds something of immense value: cold water. 

Ashton Creek flows from the slope of Whitehorse Mountain, carrying the chill of snowmelt, until the water eventually meets the North Fork Stillaguamish River. 

Water temperatures are a matter of life and death for aquatic species. As water becomes warmer, it contains less dissolved oxygen, which salmon and other fish need to survive. Keeping waterbodies like Ashton Creek shaded with buffers of native trees and shrubs is critical for maintaining cool temperatures. 

In 2021, our Habitat Restoration team had the opportunity to restore one of these buffers, thanks to the willingness of a landowner living along Ashton Creek. While much of the property was filled with native plants, the area along the creek had been taken over by Himalayan and evergreen blackberry bushes. 

“I've always enjoyed nature, and on the back side of the property the native growth is pretty much untouched, and it's beautiful,” said the landowner, Alex*. “I wanted to restore the stream area as close to that untouched beauty as possible.”

The team set to work removing the blackberries and planted a 100-foot riparian buffer filled with a small army of hardy Western red cedar, Douglas fir, and other native trees. While they’re relatively small now, these plants will shade out invasives and the hot sun as they grow, slowly returning the land to a place where fish and wildlife can thrive. The team also installed a livestock exclusion fence so that Alex can host his daughter’s horses when needed, without worrying about them entering the buffer area or the creek.

Before, Alex couldn't see past the tangle of blackberry bushes. Now, he sits "mesmerized for hours" watching the salmon run the stream and spawn.

Riparian buffers like the one in this project have a long list of benefits, besides keeping water cool. They absorb rainwater and release it slowly, which reduces flooding and provides additional water flow to rivers like the North Fork and other waterways where fish seek refuge during the summer months.

The trees and shrubs planted in riparian buffers also create habitat for wildlife, filter contaminants, and prevent erosion. Degraded water quality can have lasting consequences that stretch far past the small freshwater streams that wind down the mountains and across the floodplains. The salmon living in these waters— Chinook, steelhead and bull trout— are crucial for iconic marine animals like the Southern Resident Killer Whale.

Over the last five years, our Habitat Restoration team has planted over 30 acres of riparian habitat throughout the North Fork Stillaguamish River. Most of the projects, like Alex’s, are 100-foot riparian buffers made possible through state and federal funding, along with landowner cooperation.

In 2021, we installed 35 acres of habitat and maintained 68 acres throughout Snohomish County and Camano Island.  We work hard to support our home’s diverse habitats alongside our project partners and the community.

We’re a part of a strong network including organizations like the Stillaguamish Tribe, Sound Salmon Solutions, Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Washington State Department of Ecology, the Recreation and Conservation Office and Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Tulalip Tribes, and Wild Fish Conservancy, all working to restore and protect our local waterways. 

Each riparian restoration project helps lead to a healthier Puget Sound. Much of our work, however, can only be accomplished through partnerships with landowners who choose to be part of this effort.

“To undertake a riparian buffer takes time and patience,” Alex said. “The reward will be for the generations after me.”

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under two assistance agreements: one agreement to the Washington State Department of Ecology and one agreement to the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Salmon Recovery Funding Board. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

*Note: We have not included the landowner’s actual name, due to their request to remain anonymous.

Haystack Creek, with its plentiful vegetation and woody debris, has enough organic matter to delight any fish looking to spawn. Tony Peterson, who lives just outside of the city of Sultan, has always loved this creek bordering his farmland where he has a small cattle operation. 

But over the years, several metal culverts underneath the gravel driveways leading to his property started to collapse from years of pressure. One culvert, rumored to be a chimney from a local school, wasn’t serving any purpose at all.

As a result, Haystack Creek began to flood Tony’s property and the neighboring public road, and very few fish were able to make their way through. 

It was time for change, so Tony turned to us for help.

Our Habitat & Floodplains Team thought of an innovative solution to reduce flooding and improve passage for salmon: bridges instead of culverts.

“These bridges allow a greater capacity of water to flow and more daylight to reach the stream than the culverts did while also ensuring a much safer passage for salmon,” said Senior Habitat Project Manager, Carson Moscoso, who managed the Haystack Creek project. 

And it worked: the project increased salmon habitat by 2.6 miles. 

Tony can now enjoy watching salmon move effortlessly under his bridges along Haystack Creek without worrying about what the next rain will bring.

Restoring Haystack Creek also increased the benefits of previous restoration projects downstream. If you follow its meandering path, you’ll find that it drains into Tychman Slough and eventually makes its way to the Skykomish River. In 2016, we partnered with Sound Salmon Solutions to install salmon-friendly plantings along six acres of old agricultural land along the slough.

The plantings help create a corridor of the three important C’s for salmon habitat: cool, clean, and clear water. Sound Salmon Solutions replaced invasive blackberry bushes with native vegetation, providings shading to keep the water temperature from rising to dangerous levels for salmon while also helping filter out pollution before it can enter the stream. The roots of native vegetation and woody debris slow the flow of water which provides vital refuge for juvenile salmon and keeps sediment in place, leaving the water clear.

“The habitat benefits from the planting project will increase now that connectivity on Haystack Creek has improved due to the bridge project at Tony's,” Carson said.

We can’t forget about the importance of these waterways—Haystack Creek is just one part of a much larger network of waterways that provide habitat for salmon and every bit counts for salmon recovery efforts. As flooding events rise due to upland development and changing climatic conditions, habitat for refuge during flooding events, such as Tychman Slough, are especially important for salmon survival at the early stages of life.

This multi-beneficial project restored salmon habitat while also improving public road access during flood events, and reducing public and private costs of repetitive flood damage. Our district led the design, permitting, and construction of the culverts, but we enlisted the help of several partners to make this project a reality. Thank you to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Family Forest Fish Passage Program, Washington State Conservation Commission, Department of Ecology, and Floodplains by Design for their work on this project. 

As one of the fastest growing areas in the country, Snohomish County continues to lose more agricultural land to development each year. hat’s why we’ve been working alongside Washington Farmland Trust and Forterra to protect farms through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program in the Stillaguamish River Valley. 

In 2021, the program celebrated the successful enrollment of 257 acres of farmland as agricultural conservation easements.

An agricultural conservation easement permanently protects a farm from future development while keeping it available for agricultural use. Under the conservation easement, the family can continue to farm the land or sell it to other farmers in the future.

Eric Schuh, Senior Resource Planner at Snohomish Conservation District, has acted as lead on the project over the past four years.

“Keeping agricultural lands intact and actively being farmed provides not only locally produced food for the public,” says Eric, “it also provides habitat for wildlife, protection from future flooding, and preserves the rural characteristics of our river valleys that so many of us enjoy.” 

Eric received the Washington State Conservation Commission’s Special Recognition Award, partially due to what he’s been able to accomplish through the project.

We are grateful for our partners who made protection of this farmland possible: Washington State Department of Ecology’s Floodplains by Design Program, Washington State Conservation Commission, Stillaguamish Tribe, Snohomish County Conservation Futures Program,  Washington Farmland Trust, and Forterra. 

We’re also grateful to the farmers who work so hard to provide healthy, local food, and for permanently protecting these natural resources.

Our roots began with farmers back in 1941 and our priority to maintain viable agriculture continues today.

Many farmers start with a dream and a willingness to work hard. However, transforming those dreams into a successful reality is often a challenge. That’s one of the reasons why Cultivating Success, a program that provides new farmers with education on production and marketing from experts in the field, is so important. In 2021, 83 people and a total of 47 farms participated in the program.

The 12-week series is sponsored by our district and the Snohomish County Farm Bureau and is facilitated by WSU Snohomish County Extension Agricultural Program Coordinator, Kate Ryan.

“For those who are new to farming—whether they’re 20-somethings or starting a second career—the one thing they have in common is a lack of knowledge about what it takes to keep from going under,” said Kate. “Often folks don’t realize that you have to treat it like a business, just like opening a retail shop or a restaurant.”

Kari Parks was a 2021 program graduate and owns Flourish Organic Farms. Like many of her fellow farmers, figuring out how to build a profitable, sustainable business has been a journey. She imagined turning the small vegetable patch on her five acres into a flower farm, but she wasn’t sure where to begin, or whether her idea was even viable. (Read more of Kari’s story here.)

“Not only did Cultivating Success provide information I needed to get started, but now I know how to access ongoing education,” said Kari. “It was empowering. Afterwards, I was like, ‘This is not just a pipedream. I’ve got this.’”

Kari found out about Cultivating Success from our Agriculture Program Director, Bobbi Lindemulder, who worked with Kari for almost a year to develop a farm plan that eventually became a blueprint for the business. As a farmer herself, Bobbi has been a long-time advocate for the program and helps teach some of the classes.

"It’s so valuable that Cultivating Success gives students a chance to hear directly from the farmers about their real-world successes and failures,” said Bobbi. “Because of this program, these new farmers can set up their business based on critical tidbits of information about what actually works and what doesn't."

One of the resources Kari learned about through Cultivating Success was the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which helps cover the cost of conservation practices. Kari secured cost-share funding to help pay for a high tunnel greenhouse that will allow Flourish Organic Farms to extend their growing season, making it possible to plant earlier in the spring and harvest later into the fall. In addition, it will shield flowers from excessive rainfall and heat and reduce evaporation, which saves water and improves irrigation efficiency.

Like many things, Cultivating Success has changed over the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The classes, once held in person, have now shifted online for the time being. Initially, Kate had her doubts about the effectiveness of this format.

“I had always thought there was no replacement for the face-to-face networking you get from coming together each week. But shifting the classes online because of Covid has actually been a complete boost to this program,” she said.

People who’ve been wanting to participate for years but couldn’t make it to classes in Everett are finally able to attend in the comfort of their own home. As a result, the program has had more people sign up than ever before.

One of the other effects of the pandemic has been on our understanding of the importance of local farming.  

“We’ve seen that the supply chain can snap in an instant,” said Kate. “If we’d kept more of our production based domestically, we wouldn’t feel those repercussions nearly so much. We have a dearth of farmers and we need people to replace them.”

Last fall, Kate visited Kari on her flower farm. “Kate has so much knowledge based on her own experiences and working with other farmers,” said Kari. “She reinforced a lot of what we’re doing and gave us suggestions on how we could troubleshoot our challenges. It was really encouraging.”

Going the extra mile to visit a student’s farm is not unusual for Kate. "She’s a big part of the success behind Cultivating Success,” said Bobbi. “She’s driven to make sure the students' needs are met and her connections throughout the community allow us to bring farmers with practical experience to help teach this program."

Kate is quick to share the credit for the program’s achievements. “I could not do this without Snohomish Conservation District. It’s not just the financial support, it’s the time and moral support I get from Bobbi,” she said. “We flat out would not be able to continue without that. I’m eternally grateful.”

We’ve been working with farmers for over 80 years and Cultivating Success has helped hundreds of new farms grow and thrive. Farmers like Kari are doing what they can to spread the word.

“Now that I’ve learned about so many great resources, I do my best to let other farmers know about them,” said Kari. “This program has helped us live up to our name: Flourish Organic Farms. We want to help other local businesses flourish also.”

Photos by Molly Vaden Photography

When Snohomish Conservation District was established in 1941, we primarily worked with farmers and rural landowners. Our role has evolved alongside our changing landscape. Today, our work encompasses all aspects of natural resource management in rural and urban environments and is more important now than ever.

As a non-regulatory, special purpose district, the Snohomish Conservation District has a unique niche in the community. We offer expertise, education, and resources that empower the community to take voluntary actions that conserve our natural resources. In turn, we have made tremendous strides in protecting natural resources in Snohomish and Island Counties.

In 2021, we celebrated our 80th year with a surge of activity:

• Providing technical and financial assistance to 46 commercial farms 

• Securing conservation easements on 351 acres of farmland 

• Conducting 310 in-person site visits with landowners 

• Planting 20,590 trees, plants, and shrubs on 35 acres

• Providing forest management guidance for 700 acres to 31 forest landowners

• Engaging 1,136 youth and 1,416 adults at in-person and virtual educational events

• Creating 13,795 gallons of rainwater storage

• Installing 70 raised garden beds and supporting our local food system

• Organizing our ever-popular native plant sale

• Opening eight miles of fish habitat

Our Board of Supervisors and staff of thirty work every day to empower residents in stewarding our land, water, forests, and wildlife. This work is not for the light-hearted – it is challenging to protect the natural resources we have and restore those we have lost. There are competing demands that must be balanced. Our engineers, resource planners, project managers, restoration specialists, field crews, outreach coordinators, administrative specialists, and environmental educators are committed to this work because we believe a healthy environment is necessary for a healthy society.

We face challenges including increased summer droughts and winter floods that impact our local farms and communities, degraded water quality that leads to closed shellfish beds and coho salmon die-off, loss of habitat that contributes to declines in native plants and wildlife, air quality concerns that directly impact human health, increased risks of wildfire and disease in our forests, and the need to recover our salmon runs that are below 10 percent of their historic population levels.

Addressing these challenges takes enormous effort and must include collaborative partnerships with multiple organizations, agencies, tribes, and residents. Protecting, conserving, and restoring our natural environment employs hundreds of individuals across our region, with thousands more volunteer citizens contributing to these efforts. To continue to make progress we must increase our collective capacity and actions. 

With growing pressures, now is not the time to let up. We will strive to increase our impact through engagement with residents and in cooperation and coordination with our partners. Working together we can create positive change.

We’re called the Evergreen State for a reason— more than half of Washington is forested. Small forest landowners can play a vital role as stewards of this critical resource and they now have access to education and technical assistance from professional foresters, thanks to the Regional Forestry Pilot Program.

Developed by Puget Sound Conservation Districts and the Puget Sound National Estuary Program, the pilot program uses a cluster model that allows nine conservation districts to share foresters that they may have otherwise been unable to afford to hire themselves. Stacey Dixon, the same forester who provides technical assistance to landowners in Snohomish County and Camano Island, also supports Whidbey Island.

“I help people access educational opportunities and stewardship services so that they feel more confident managing their lands,” Stacey said.

One of the biggest threats to forest land is conversion to non-forest uses, resulting in habitat loss and a reduction in critical environmental functions, such as stormwater capture and filtration. While there are programs that provide landowners with incentives to preserve forests, they can be difficult to navigate.

“Creating healthy forests takes management and action,” Stacey said. “This pilot program helps direct people through the process."

While developing the program, the regional foresters completed a prioritization process to identify at-risk forest land and target outreach in these areas to raise awareness of the services available to forest landowners. Our district participated in developing the engagement strategy and Emma Kilgore, our Regional Graphic Designer and Media Specialist, led the content creation. The content was also added to the Washington State Conservation Commission’s marketing toolkit so that districts across the state could incorporate it into their programs and services.

The program had three milestones to reach by November 2022, but those were already surpassed by the end of 2021. Nearly 200 landowners owning a total of over 2,900 acres of forest land have received technical assistance and education. The regional foresters are creating a forestry forum for other conservation districts within the Center of Technical Development to further expand the program. Stacey is also collaborating with our agroforester, Carrie Brausieck, and foresters from across the Puget Sound region to create a joint forestry and agroforestry track at the Washington Association of District Employees Conference. 

Though funding for the Regional Forestry Pilot Program currently ends in December 2022, “It feels like it’s solidifying into something more permanent,” Stacey said. “We’re working on building out this network to expand to other conservation districts in the region, and hopefully establish a permanent regional program.”

Until then, the regional foresters will continue to connect with landowners to encourage long-term management decisions that improve forest land retention, health, and vitality in the Puget Sound region. 

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC-01J22301 through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

For the past four years, we’ve joined conservation districts across the state in hosting an Orca Recovery Day event to raise awareness about the challenges facing our Southern Resident Killer Whales. 

This past year, we partnered with the City of Mountlake Terrace to celebrate our most successful event so far with over 110 participants, including nearly 30 school-age youth! 

While it’s been a long two years of waiting to gather again in person, passion about protecting our orcas is still strong.

One of the main activities was a nature walk at Lake Ballinger Park to connect people with their surrounding natural environment. The site, a former golf course turned city park and senior center, is a beautiful destination for many residents.

Sara Rocero, our Community Engagement project coordinator, led the walk and taught the group about native plants, invasive plants, owl pellets, habitat required for wildlife, and our impact on waterways.

Our Youth Education team led several activities for the kids, including a scavenger hunt and a lesson on salmon, led by Mikaela Montanari and Valeria Lujan. Valeria also demonstrated a water quality test and explained the different ways we can measure the health of a waterway.

Regionally, conservation districts and partner organizations hosted 85 Orca Recovery Day events where they collected a total of nearly 30,000 pounds of trash and planted over 13,000 native plants.

Our district led the website development and management for coordinating the regional events and contributed social media and graphic design support. With the region’s collective campaigning efforts, we reached over one million people throughout the Puget Sound region.

We’re looking forward to next year’s Orca Recovery Day event and another opportunity to work with fellow conservation districts and community members to protect our Southern Resident Killer Whales!

Studies have proven what many of us have suspected for a long time: planting trees in urban areas measurably improves quality of life and overall health of the residents living in those spaces. However, these trees have another secret benefit. Urban trees can also play a vital role in addressing stormwater problems. 

The Puget Sound region has become one of the fastest growing areas in terms of growth and development. The expansion of impervious surfaces, such as streets and roofs, has increased stormwater runoff volumes, which can lead to flooding, erosion, and water pollution. Planting trees in urban areas can reduce stormwater volume and filter water, while also providing wildlife habitat, shade, and improved air quality.

However, urban city planning, management policies, and implementation practices rarely embrace trees as a part of the stormwater solution. We want that to change!

In 2021, we completed The Puget Sound Urban Tree Canopy and Stormwater Management Handbook and its corresponding Technical Report in cooperation with King Conservation District. The goal of the Handbook is to promote tree planting and tree retention as a green stormwater infrastructure strategy.  

The Handbook includes information, incentives, tools, and other resources related to the many benefits of urban trees. It will help to support collaboration between urban forestry and stormwater management professionals and promote engagement with policy makers and implementers, builders and developers, and property owners.

We’ve also taken over management of the Urban Tree and Forest Canopy Cover Toolkit grant from King Conservation District and are leading the project in partnership with Whatcom Conservation District, cities, state agencies, and nonprofit partners. This web-based toolkit—to be completed in 2022—will help municipalities develop policies and implement community investment programs to enhance tree cover for stormwater management and habitat restoration, and to address equity disparities related to urban tree cover.

Envirothon is North America’s largest high school environmental education competition. Through this innovative program, students from the US, Canada, and China compete in the areas of aquatic ecology, forestry, soils, wildlife, and current environmental issues at the local, state, and national level. They prepare by engaging in STEM (Science Technology Environment and Math) activities, experiential learning, and hands-on outdoor experiences.

The Snohomish Conservation District has mentored local Envirothon high school teams for a number of years. Through this program, students develop critical thinking skills around complex environmental issues, find ways to take action in their communities through conservation projects, and get a taste of what it takes to have a career in fields related to the environment, natural resources, and conservation.  

In a typical year, regional Envirothon competitions are in March, and the statewide competition is in June. Then, during the summer months, state competition winners travel to compete in a national competition. In March 2020, the regional competition was canceled, due to the onset of COVID restrictions and school closures.

In the fall of 2020, the state-wide committee decided to pivot to a virtual competition at the state level. Conservation districts across Washington, including Snohomish, found creative ways to reach students.

A series called “Meet the Professionals” stemmed from this new virtual-learning era. By inviting professionals, we were still able to provide training to the students. The series also aligned with the Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) "Careers in STEM," which is a requirement for teachers to cover in high school.  Meet the Professionals gave students the opportunity to learn about different careers and to envision themselves working in that field. 

As a new initiative for 2022, we look forward to prioritizing recruitment of Envirothon teams from high schools with diverse populations. This initiative encourages youth from a wider range of backgrounds to participate in North America’s largest high school environmental education competition. 

We’re thankful for our partners!  This work cannot be accomplished without a collaborative approach from our many allies in the community who understand the necessity of stewarding the land, water, and forests today and for generations to come. Our partners share our passion and dedication to accomplishing shared goals, whether it be, restoring our waterways, improving habitat for wildlife, promoting locally-grown food, or educating our youth. 

We work with farmers, landowners, and residents on a voluntary basis to provide meaningful land and resource conservation.  We also engage the community throughout the region in natural resource stewardship and educational opportunities.  Our work couldn’t be a reality without the support and engagement of government and tribal staff as well as elected officials, non-profit organizations, schools and universities, businesses,and our citizens and land managers.  All of these stakeholders play a vital role in   making conservation happen on the ground.

As non-regulatory agencies, conservation districts hold a unique role. We work hand-in-hand with federal, state, and local agencies to meet requirements and get results through voluntary action. We value broad, multi-sector partnerships, and in bringing diverse stakeholders to the table. 

If you’re interested in partnering with us in our mission-driven work or collaborating with us on a project, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact our Outreach team at outreach@snohomishcd.org.

In recent years, local interest in community gardens—and the need for them— has increased significantly. Our Urban Agriculture team has been happy to support this growing trend. 

“The momentum we’ve had from existing work is giving us more and more traction by word of mouth,” said Urban Agriculture Coordinator, Joe Crumbley.

We’re working with more cities and non-profits than ever before to install and expand sustainable community gardens. In 2021, Joe distributed 70 raised garden beds and 12,737 vegetable starts to individual homeowners and organizations. 

While our Lawns to Lettuce program still provides technical assistance to individual properties, we’re shifting our focus towards projects that maximize our impact and support those in greatest need.

“It’s a really important goal, particularly because marginalized communities have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19,” Joe said. “These larger installations are a great way to address these problems.”

Renew Church in Lynnwood is a prime example of this. We installed twelve new raised garden beds, including five ADA accessible beds in the church’s community garden. These additions helped increase their capacity from 15 raised garden beds to a total of 27! Our team also installed rain barrels that will provide drip irrigation to several of the beds.

Gardens like these increase food security and give community members the opportunity to get outside and grow healthy food, and they also support food sovereignty. Food sovereignty is a person’s right to culturally-appropriate food and the ability to define their own food and agriculture systems.

“Giving people the chance to grow whatever food they want allows them to retain some of their cultural identity, and in some cases, even their religious traditions,” Community Conservation Program Manager David Jackson said. “It gives them a level of dignity that other food systems may not provide.”

Like many places in Snohomish County, Renew Church is diverse. Their multi-ethnic congregation is composed of cultures spanning the globe and four languages, including Spanish, Russian, Persian, and English. Creating a space where congregation members and the community could grow food that’s important to their culture was one of the church’s priorities.

Over the last few years, our Community Conservation team has provided technical assistance and installed several projects for Renew Church, including a rain garden that captures and filters runoff from their parking lot. 

We also constructed a 1,600-gallon tote system that collects roof runoff and then filters and pumps the water to several of the raised beds for drip irrigation. In addition to their rainwater catchment and irrigation system, the church has their own composting system and uses consistent crop rotation. Some of the food that’s harvested from the garden is donated to their on-site food bank, which provides locally-grown and nutritious food to the greater community.

“This garden is a great representation of sustainable urban agriculture practices,” David said. “We’re proud to have helped Renew with so many of their projects. They encapsulate just about everything our team strives for in a partnership.”

We’re looking forward to more projects like those with Renew Church and building upon the current momentum behind our urban agriculture program. The coming year is “ripe” with multiple grant opportunities that provide education and continue to support food sovereignty and natural resource conservation!