Heritage and Culture Bill to Be Considered in State Leg

4Culture has a Story about a possible solution for funding the Arts, Culture and Heritage Programs in our WA State. 


The public arts, culture and heritage agency has been a proponent of new funding mechanisms for our state.  The funding mechanism that has been in place for decades is reaching a deadline. That is the so called "hotel/motel" tax.  


Communities and non-profits have been able to access these funds for decades to preserve their cultural heritage and promote tourism and arts programs. These programs have provided millions of dollars to local economies as shown in a recent study by the UW.


Can we afford NOT to fund these programs?


(see previous article in Of Paramount Importance Blog
http://ofparamount.blogspot.com/2011/01/arts-fund-study-shows-huge-economic.html)


An advocacy program has also sprung up to promote the solution. It's called Advocate 4Culture.
Over 700 organizations and individuals have joined forces to promote the solution. 
http://www.advocate4culture.org/


4Culture is an Public Development Authority that promotes cultural and heritage programs in the region.

Ronald School built in 1912
4Culture has funded grant
programs that have benefitted
this historic building and the
Shoreline Historical Museum

Blog4Culture

   Advancing Conversation About Culture in King County, Washington

HB 1997 proposes future funding for 4Culture as part of king county’s economic development strategy

Feb 18th, 2011 by Sara Edwards

As many of our constituents are well aware,  the state credit on lodging taxes that support 4Culture’s programs will sunset for cultural use in 2012, and would result in a 90% cut in 4Culture’s funding and programs as early as next year. In September 2010, 4Culture’s board renewed their commitment to resolving this funding crisis, by passing Resolution 2010-02 which makes “securing the use of future lodging tax revenues for arts and heritage” among their highest priorities.

The Board has been working with King County leadership and the state legislature toward this end. Today, a bill dropped in the House, HB 1997, that will secure the future for 4Culture’s arts, heritage, and preservation funding programs.

HB 1997, was drafted by King County leadership in conversation with key support from key legislative champions in the House and Senate. The lead sponsor is Representative Orwall. The bill proposes to secure existing visitor taxes and direct them toward economic development activities: arts & heritage, tourism-related facilities, such as the convention center, community development activities, low-income housing developments, and revitalization of the historic Pioneer Square district and culturally rich International District.)

King County’s press release on HB  1997

Public hearing(s) for this bill should be scheduled in the next few days, and may occur mid-next week. We will post updates on hearings, as they are scheduled.

2nd Annual WOWTA TOUR - Mark your Calendar

Last years tour was a huge hit! Mark your calendar for this year's event Saturday, July 9th.

Shoreline’s Second Annual “Where Our WIldlife Is” Backyard Habitat Tour (WOWTA)

by Jennifer Rotermund, Habitat Steward and WOWTA PR Manager

As Spring quickly approaches and we watch the trees budding, my mind can’t help but begin to dream of the long, warm days of summer and all the little weekend getaways I like to schedule for myself. Since those beautiful days will be here quicker than we can all imagine, I encourage everyone to take a moment right now to add Saturday, July 9, to your 2011 summer schedule. That’s the date of Shoreline’s Second Annual “Where Our Wild Things Are” Backyard Habit Tour - or “WOWTA.”

Flicker peaking out of nest hole
photo cr - Michael Oxman

WOWTA is a truly cooperative venture.  It is sponsored by Sustainable Shoreline through its WIldlife Habitat Project, partially funded by an environmental mini-grant from The City of Shoreline, and run entirely by a very fun and dedicated volunteer team of local NWF Wildlife Habitat Stewards. In fact, it was the WOWTA Tour that helped Shoreline secure the final number of necessary certifications of Backyard Wildlife Habitats to become a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat - one of only 48 like it in the country. This tremendous accomplishment is being celebrated at the Krukeberg Garden on Sunday, June 19th.

Last year’s WOWTA Tour was “wildly” successful and this year’s tour is shaping up to be even more fun and exciting. All of the Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitats selected to be in the tour are located in different Shoreline neighborhoods each year in order to celebrate each neighborhood’s accomplishments in the area of habitat creation and to make it easy for Shoreline residents to attend. In the mean time, look for the WOWTA Team to show up at various events around Shoreline, getting the word out about the tour, and come talk to us. Did you attend last year’s tour? Would you like to submit your Certified Backyard Habitat for participation in this year’s or a future year’s tour? Want to know how to certify your own yard as a Wildlife Habitat? We’d love to hear from you and welcome your ideas or questions.

If you’d like to know more about what’s being done to protect the wildlife in Shoreline, the WOWTA Backyard Habitat Tour will show you just how that’s being accomplished - one backyard at a time! So, stay tuned for  more information and make sure to join us for Shoreline’s WOWTA Backyard Habitat Tour on Saturday July 9, 2011. 

Great Backyard Bird Count Starts TODAY!

February 18, 2011


Calling All Citizen Ornithologists! You can make a big difference by participating this weekend. 

Warbler
photo credit- Chris Southwick

The Great Backyard Bird Count is underway.

American Widgeons at Greenlake
photo credit- Janet Way

It is a yearly "citizen science" event sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The information gathered during this event is valuable to Ornithology Science.


Here's how to join the fun:


Go to the GBHBC site - 
https://secure3.birds.cornell.edu//Page.aspx?pid=2110&srctid=1&erid=6140651


1. Count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. Count longer if you want to!

2. Tally the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. Optional: Print your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February.

3. Enter your checklists on the website at www.birdcount.org. You submit tallies for each day and for each new location where you count. The deadline to enter your checklists is March 1. 

Golden Crowned Kinglet
photo credit - Michael Oxman

Fascinating-New Spider Species Found on Foster Island

 How amazing the natural world is!  

According to Crosscut Blog a brand new species of spider has been identified on Seattle's Foster Island by a scientist and arachnid expert at the Burke Museum on UW Campus.
(This is the string of islands next to the 520 Bridge and is actually part of the WA Park Arboretum).
http://crosscut.com/2011/02/18/mossback/20641/A-new-spider-species-discovered-in-Seattle-/

This discovery is significant of course, not only as an incredible scientific discovery but because of the upcoming expansion of the 520 Bridge. The extensive environmental process which is needed to undertake this expansion includes cataloguing the wildlife on Foster island and the Arboretum, which of course includes wetlands and salmonid habitat.

"..........it was a female crab spider of the genus Philodromus, and one of the "Philodromus imbecillus" group (about 10 closely related species, of which only one, Philodromus insperatus, is known from Washington)."

                   Rod Crawford

                 Nature never stops   surprising: Scientists believe a new species of crab spider has been found on Foster Island.

WA Park Arboretum Arial Map

A new spider species discovered in Seattle?

http://crosscut.com/2011/02/18/mossback/20641/A-new-spider-species-discovered-in-Seattle-/

It's amazing what we still don't know about where we live, as new finds by scientists and amateurs are helping to rewrite textbooks. A recent discovery in the Arboretum is a case in point, but hardly unique.

By Knute Berger

It's the 21st Century. The days of naturalists likeDavid Douglas and Archibald Menzies wandering the Pacific Northwest and finding discoveries new to science at every turn are long over, aren't they? Surely we know every nook and cranny of this place by now. 

And yet. ...

On a recent tour of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, we came to the office of Rod Crawford. The Burke, I was told, is not known for its bug collection (mammals, fish, birds, yes), but Crawford is their spider man (technically, their Curatorial Associate of Arachnida). His office door is shut, no light shines from beneath the door. Our guide gently knocks and we hear a shuffling from inside. I am reluctant to enter, being close to arachnophobic. The door opens and a man stands there, eyes blinking like a mole, looking a bit like a character played by Wallace Shawn. He works in the dark to provide a nocturnal environment for some of his specimens, which can be heard scuttling in the background.

King Conservation District ONLINE Election- Starts TODAY

The KCD Election online voting is beginning today, 2/15 and runs through 3/15.

The King Conservation District 2011 Election

The King Conservation District (King CD) is holding a public election for the Board of Supervisor position #2. This election features new, convenient and secure on-line voting. Voters may vote from their home, business or other computer locations.*

For information on King CD's mission, programs and services click here.
For information on King CD's Board of Supervisors click here.

1. When is the election?

• On-line voting:February 15 (starting at 9 am) - March 15 (ending at 9 pm)
• In-person voting:March 15 9:00 am - 9:00 pm (one day only)

2. Who can vote? 
You must be registered to vote in King County (excluding residents of cities that are not members of the King Conservation District: Enumclaw, Federal Way, Milton, Pacific and Skykomish). View voter eligibility map.

3. How do I vote on-line?On-line voting requires a voter to have access to an email account and internet connectivity. Note that more than one voter can use the same email address.

You will be required to complete a two-step process:

Step 1 - Confirm Voter Eligibility:  Submit a signed affidavit by email (scanned copy), fax or US mail. We suggest voter applications submitted by US mail should be postmarked no later than March 11.

Lobby Day - Over 500 Attend

Environmental Lobby Day 2011 was a huge success by any measure.  

People For Puget Sound's Kathy Fletcher Addresses
the crowd in the "Church of the Environment"
at opening of the 19th Annual Environmental Lobby Day

People for Puget Sound Director Kathy Fletcher opened the day's activities at the United Churches site where activists gathered and signed in to take their messages to their legislators. Over 500 activists attended.

Several other speakers addressed the crowd including Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, Rep Dave Upthegrove, and Jim Dipeso (REP America).

Stained Glass windows in the United Churches
Sanctuary

This was the 20th Anniversary of the People for Puget Sound organization and Kathy Fletcher's last as Director. She's scheduled to retire this year.  

There are four Priority Bills being promoted by the Environmental Priorities Coalition, which represents

25 organizations that are teaming up to pass important legislation. (See below)

A group of eight citizens from the 32nd Leg District visited their legislators, Ruth Kagi's office, Sen Maralyn Chase and Rep Cindy Ryu.  

32nd District group meets with Rep Cindy Ryu in
a "walking" meeting

Hundreds if citizens attended
 the hearing for the to phase out the
Trans Alta Coal Plant
and overflow crowd filled the
Senate Chambers

It was clear that citizens were very involved with their State Government.

Citizen Lobbyists
Visit Huge tree on Capital Campus

Contact your legislator at this link:



Coal Free Future for Washington 
We aim to protect families in Washington from the state’s single largest source of dangerous air pollution, the TransAlta coal-fired power plant in Centralia.  The legislative package will transition the dirty plant off coal in order to address Washington citizens’ widespread concerns about the health impacts of coal, climate change, and air and water pollution caused by the TransAlta plant.  The legislation will also seek funding to invest in the local community to provide new opportunities forworkers affected by the transition away from coal for a more sustainable and reliable energy future.

Clean Fertilizers, Healthier Lakes and Rivers
Phosphorus from our industries, wastewater plants, septic systems, and even our lawns can cause algae blooms and impact water quality, fish habitat, and recreation in Washington’s lakes and rivers.  Controlling this discharge often takes millions of dollars in wastewater treatment upgrades at our industries and municipal wastewater plants. The Freshwater Pollution Control Act is a common sense and cost effect approach to reduce phosphorus in our waterways by restricting the sale of phosphorus lawn fertilizer in the State of Washington. Our lawns don’t need the extra phosphorus and our lakes and rivers don’t either.

2011 Clean Water Jobs Act
Each year millions of gallons of petroleum pollute our lakes, rivers and marine waters through toxic oil runoff from our roads and cities, a serious threat to our health and environment. Working for Clean Water (the 2011 Clean Water Act) will fund job-creating projects all over the state, by building clean water infrastructure that will clean up our water ways.  Now is the time forthe oil companies, who profit from the pollution, to put Washington back to work and provide a cleaner environment that we’ll be proud of for generations.

Budget Solutions for Our Environment
Our state needs a proactive approach that will improve our economy while maintaining environmental protections. A key element to the long-term economic health of our state is protecting our clean water, clean air and special places. By sustaining core environmental protections, continuing investments in parks and preservation, and requiring companies and others to pay their fair share for the services they receive, we can strike a balance that even in hard times will protect our public health, economic future, and quality of life in Washington.

Intriguing Idea to Consolidate Heritage, Arts and Culture in New State Agency

Crosscut Blog has a fascinating column by Knute Berger that explains a new bill (SB 5768) sponsored by Sens. Mary Margaret Haugen (D-Camano Island), Dan Swecker (R-Rochester), and Rosemary McAuliffe (D-Bothell), which is causing some controversy in Olympia. The bill entitled "Creating the department of heritage, arts, and culture", would bring many of the heritage and cultural functions in the State under one roof. 

But some agencies and offices are raising concerns. Apparently some oxen may be in danger of being gored. The Secretary of State's office is upset, since they run the State Archives, and jurisdiction over that function might be in question. 


But perhaps this would be an efficient and effective way to safeguard our most precious heritage and cultural assets.  These things are very important to promote tourism and bring "outside money" to our region.

An arts and heritage super-agency?

http://crosscut.com/2011/02/14/mossback/20629/An-arts-and-heritage-super-agency-/#end-of-comments

A bill in Olympia would create a Department of Heritage, Arts and Culture, embracing programs from historic preservation to film, archives, and tourism. Is it an idea whose time has come, or will it trigger an ill-timed turf war?

By Knute Berger

A sweeping new proposal in Olympia has left some arts and heritage advocates stunned. A bill (SB 5768) sponsored by Sens. Mary Margaret Haugen (D-Camano Island), Dan Swecker (R-Rochester), and Rosemary McAuliffe (D-Bothell) would consolidate virtually all state heritage functions into a single uber-agency called the Department of Heritage, Arts and Culture, a cabinet-level entity whose head would be appointed by the governor.