Big Turnout for Sustainable Works Shoreline Energy Efficiency Kick-Off

Wednesday Night was the Sustainable Works 
Energy Efficiency "Kick-off" event at Shoreline City Hall.

City Council chambers were packed with interested citizens
looking for information on the energy audits
Shoreline Solar Project's Larry Owens and Maryn Wynne co-hosted.

Richard Wells and Kelli Stickney are organizers of the
Shoreline Sustainable Works Energy Efficiency Project

Organizers Kelli Stickney and Richard Wells reported nearly 90 enthusiastic attendees and 23 participants signed up for an "energy audit". 


The event was hosted by partners, City of Shoreline, Shoreline Solar Project and Sustainable Shoreline Education Association.  Mayor Keith McGlashan welcomed the attendees. Citizens were enthusiastic about getting information and asking questions about the audit process from local contractors.

Ridgecrest resident Jesse Salomon talks to SW Energy Auditors.
Energy Auditing devices displayed on table.

Sustainable Works is seeking to sign up 500 property owners for the audits and potentially hundreds of

Maryn Wynne is Shoreline Solar Project Executive Director

"energy retrofits", which will save potentially over 300,000 of carbon from being emitted into our atmosphere.  This will create many local family wage jobs and bring over $1.2 million of investment to the Shoreline area. Sustainable Works is working with ARRA stimulus funding to make affordable audits and retrofits available to Shoreline residents. They have already completed 100's of these projects for homeowners in Edmonds, Lynwood, Seattle and Spokane. 


Energy Audits only cost $95. This discounted cost is underwritten by SW with the ARRA Grants.

Larry Owens is Shoreline Solar Project President

Shoreline Solar Project co-hosted the event and introduced the speakers, including the Sustainable Works Executive Director, and two local homeowners who gave testimonials about the retrofits and audits they experienced. 

Shoreline Solar Project has held the Highly successful Shoreline Solar Fest every summer since 2004 and is responsible for two solar installations at two public schools in Shoreline, Meridian Park and Parkwood Elementary Schools. They also worked with the City of Shoreline to implement its solar installations at the new City Hall. This year is will be held at Shoreline Community College.

Sustainable Works Project Kick-off TONITE!

Energy Efficiency and Conservation are the low hanging fruits for fighting climate change and reducing our carbon footprints.

Have you been thinking this is such a good idea, but not sure how to get started? Here's how you can get involved and get your own home retrofitted, affordably and easily.

TONITE is the Kick-off for the Shoreline Sustainable Works Shoreline
Community Energy Efficiency Project

Where: Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Ave N.
When: Wednesday, March 30th
Time: 6:30-8pm

Sustainable Works is a non-profit contractor. They have the tools and personnel to help you audit your home's efficiency and then help you retrofit it to make it more comfortable and fit for the energy needs of the 21st century. With stimulus funding from the federal government, they are making these retrofits and audits easily available to all people in the Shoreline Area.

This is a great investment for our community! Let's really get growing in a sustainable way Shoreline!

Join us and our project partners the City of Shoreline, Sustainable Shoreline, and Solar Shoreline to learn about how SustainableWorks can help you access stimulus funds to make energy efficiency home improvements like insulation, furnaces, air sealing and hot water heaters.
To RSVP or for more information, please call 206-575-2252 or email info@sustainableworks.com
http://www.sustainableworks.com/homepage/slot3

Bird Banding - A Personal Account

Chris Southwick - Recording BC Chickadee

Chris Southwick is a local expert and bird banding volunteer. 

Junco is banded and recorded in the birdbook
ph credit - Chris Southwick

© Neil D. Scott

Hairy Woodpecker- Cornell Lab

Townsends Warbler - photo credit Linda Stein

She is implementing "citizen bird science" in her own backyard. She can do this project because of her expert knowledge and a special permit from USGS (United States Geological Survey).  This project is also part of the SSEA Shoreline Community Backyard Habitat Project. It is meant to determine the habits of local bird populations.

Wilsons Warbler - ph credit Chris Southwick

She is a board member of the Puget Sound Bird Observatory and participant in Sustainable Shoreline Education Association's Shoreline Community Backyard Wildlife Project, and WOWTA Tour.


This last weekend was the Great Backyard Bird Count, a nationwide project to count as many birds as possible by volunteers and millions of birds were counted.


If you're wondering about how the birds stay warm enough in this icy weather, Chris has a little advice to help them. 

 I put out extra suet, a hand warmer on the hummingbird feeder, and scattered some extra seed on the ground for the ground feeders.

Sunday Banding -
Last Sunday banding was at Site#1--CHSO.  The day was dry and still and started out at 30 degrees.  We had to wait about 40 minutes until it became warm enough to band; then we only opened two nets for another hour. Then we opened the third one. We kept a very close watch on the nets all day, and no bird stayed in the nets longer than five minutes.  That means we probably scared some away--we never did get any Spotted Towhees [SPTO's], and only two Song Sparrow [SOSP's].

But, we bagged some really neat birds!  We caught a Second Year [SY] Hairy Woodpecker [HAWO]--Ben  has the scars to prove it.  A gorgeous male Townsend's Warbler[TOWA], a Pine Siskin [PISI], and two Yellow Rumped Warblers,[YRWA] Audubon, one a male, rounded out the extra good birds.
Total:  42 birds!

29 new:

"Mist Nets" erected temporarily to capture
birds for banding. The birds are only
held for a few minutes and then released.

        6 Black-capped Chickadees [BCCH]
        2 Chestnut-backed Chickadees [CBCH]
        1 Bewick's Wren [BEWR]
      14 Oregon Juncos's [ORJU]
        1 Red-breasted Nuthatch [RBNU]
        1 SOSP
        1 TOWA
        1 HAWO
        2 YRWA
13 recaps
        6 BCCH
        3 CBCH
        1 BEWR (twice)
        1 ORJU
        1 SOSP
        1 RBNU

Not bad!  and Mary took some pictures that I'll share when she sends them to me.

Thanks for the help from the volunteers:
Ben Vang-Johnson, Jason Minne, Mark Colombino, Mary Huff, and Susan Ford.
I thought we worked well together.

We also had two copies of the Tabulated Pyle.  I know I really like using it!  Now I don't have to use my "cheat-sheet" note cards.  The Tabular Pyle really lays out the comparisons in such easily and quickly read columns.


Christine Southwick

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. 

Shoreline's Backyard Wildlife Goal Achievement!

Congratulations to the Shoreline Community Backyard Wildlife Project for achieving their ambitious goal! 

They have been officially "Certified" by the 
National Wildlife Federation as a 
Backyard Wildlife Community! 

Boni Biery is the Director of Sustainable Shoreline's
Community Backyard Wildlife Project

“Now that we are certified we will continue our work to conserve the biodiversity of Shoreline.  If you would like to help and/or certify your own habitat just let us” Biery said.  She can be reached at birdsbeesfishtrees@gmail.com

Sustainable Shoreline Education Association 

is the sponsor of this project. The Goal was to certify a required number of households, businesses, schools and parks and become the largest community in WA state to have done so thus far. 

 http://www.sustainableshoreline.org/WildlifeProjects.html 

Our Goals for Shoreline

is to satisfy National Wildlife Federation’s Community Certification requirements
We have NOW certified -

200 homes

6 public space /businesses

5 schools

• 2 public projects

The Mission -

Preserve, restore & create sustainable habitat to benefit & protect wildlife and ourselves
Build a stronger sense of community by inspiring neighborhood stewardship and pride

Requirements of NWF for habitats.

White Crowned Sparrow at Feeder
photo credit Linda Stein

1) Food: 
Seeds, berries, nectar, pollen from plants, trees and/or a bird feeder
2) Water:

Warbler at Birdbath
Photo Credit-Chris Southwick

A birdbath, shallow pond, stream, wetland or lakeshore
3) Shelter:

Wood Ducks at Th Cr Par #6
photo credit-Don McCall

Dense vegetation or rock and/or brush pile
4) Place to rear young:
Trees, shrubs, ponds, nesting boxes

Barred Owl in Th Cr Par #1
Photo Credit-Kelly Dole

There were many elements of the project and goals met along the way.


This summer the WOWTA (Where Our Wild Things Are) project, which featured a Garden Tour was "wildly" successful with hundreds of visitors attending. 

http://www.wowta.org/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122319594458891&ref=ts

Other elements of the project were -
• Champion Tree ID project
• Parks Restorations - Bruggers Bog and Ronald Bog planting projects
• Bird houses
• Bird Banding


The Leasership Team included -
Wendy Dipeso, Janet Way, Babrara Guthrie,
Christine Southwick, Bill Bear, Afia Menke
And many more.... 

Signs provided by NWF to yards and parks that are certified.

We will update you all on what's next for this project soon. 
Way To Go SSEA! 

Where Our Wild Things Are (WOWTA) Shoreline Habitat Tour

Shoreline's Backyard Habitat Project is sponsoring the WOWTA Garden Tour this weekend

  (Saturday, July 10th).  This project is sponsored by Sustainable Shoreline Education Association

and partially funded by a grant from the Shoreline Environmental Mini-Grants program.

photo credit-Janet Way

Here is an article courtesy of Shoreline Area News about the project. 

“Where Our Wild Things Are” Habitat Tour Team kicks off this Saturday’s tour

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010

By the WOWTA Team

Shoreline’s 1st Annual “Where Our Wild Things Are” Habitat Tour will be Saturday, July 10 from 10 am - 4 pm. There will be mini-learning experiences at each of the seven habitats on the tour, which are designed to demonstrate how easy and fun it is to create a beautiful sanctuary for wildlife in your own yard.

The tour is free of charge, open to the public and begins at Calvin Presbyterian Church, 18826 3rd Ave NW, Shoreline 98177, where maps and directions for the tour will be available. For more information, visit WOWTA’s website or search WOWTA on Facebook.

Shoreline Cuts Three "Signature" Trees at City's Gateway

Tuesday was a sad day for tree lovers in Shoreline.

We received a call from an neighborhood leader about the  contracted tree crew in the act of cutting down three huge "significant trees" at 15th NE and NE 145th.

Two huge London Plane Trees and one large Douglas Fir were cut and  put into the chipper by "Best Tree Service". One London Plane Tree was in the center median and the other next to it adjacent to the Goodwill Store. These trees were at minimum 40 years old and had provided a beautiful entryway to an otherwise unattractive "gateway" to Shoreline.  The large Douglas Fir was also of similar age, but it had been "limbed up" and was not healthy.

A contingent of citizens gathered next to the one remaining tree scheduled to be cut on the West  side of 15th NE.  They were members of Briarcrest Neighborhood Association, SE Subarea Citizens Advisory Committee, Paramount Park Neighborhood Group, Sustainable Shoreline Education Association, and Sunrise North Condo Association. These groups met with Shoreline City staff on site and asked for explanations on why these trees had been cut without any notice to the community. The citizens also requested staff to look for other alternatives to cutting the last tree. This tree is also a large London Plane tree of the same age. All of these trees were originally planted by King County in the Forward Thrust program in the 1960's and 70's.

Citizens are very concerned about the implications of this incident.  The City had undertaken an extensive planning process in this area called the SE Subarea Plan. The CAC group members stated that tree cutting at this site was never discussed with the committee over that year and a half process. The Council has yet to approve this plan. Gateways were discussed but never tree cutting. Extensive tree planting and existing tree protection ARE part of this citizen plan.

A new "Tree Ordinance" policy is coincidentally working its way through the City process. It is expected to come before the Planning Commission later this year. Staff stated that there was an "Urban Foresty Management Plan" completed in 2003. Shoreline is NOT at this time a "TREE City USA" member. This is the basic program for urban trees run by the Arbor Day Foundation. However, several years ago a past City Council did vote to make Shoreline a part of the Cascade Land Agenda Cities Program. The Council also passed a visionary project called the "Sustainability Strategy" which calls for tree protection and increasing the city's "tree canopy".

Citizens are asking the City for a comprehensive response to this incident with "reparations" which should include the include the following:

• Report and review on policies for street tree removal and retention including community notice

• saving the remaining trees

• extensive replanting and gateway design

• retention of medians and pedestrian safety planning

• pass a comprehensive Tree Ordinance which protects and increases street trees, and includes a new "improved" urban forestry management plan to increase the urban forest canopy

Citizens who are concerned about this incident are encouraged to contact the Shoreline City Council.

PHONE
(206) 801-2213
EMAIL
council@shorelinewa.gov

Benefit Plant Sale for Sustainable Shoreline - Sunday

Native Plant Sale to Benefit Sustainable Shoreline Education Association


Celebrate Mothers Day and buy your favorite "Mom" some beautiful plants to create more Wildlife Habitat in Shoreline and everywhere!


Article courtesy of Shoreline Area News

Garage and Native Plant sale Sunday May 9, 9 am to 3 pm

SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2010

On Sunday, Go Natives will be at the intersection 

of N 188th St and Linden Ave N (one block from 

Fred Meyer's) along with a garage sale; both to 

benefit the Sustainable Shoreline Education 

Association.

Planning that hedge or ‘back 40’ fence with large 

plants is not a problem. There are still lots of 5’ 

tall snowberry, the gorgeous huge boxwoods, 

and lots of serviceberry and red-twig dogwoods.

Also available are some 6’ cedars that were 

used for backdrops at the Islandwood Dinner 

in the Woods that need homes. They are on sale 

for $21 (30% off their $30 price), as well as a few 

vine maples also priced to go at $24. Some are 8’ tall.

For more information, contact Bill Bear.

Photo by Steven H. Robinson