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Upcoming Events
Duwamish Alive! Saving Our Salmon, Saves Our Orca – October 18th
Join Duwamish Alive! this Fall as our salmon are returning in our Duwamish River and Longfellow Creek. Volunteers will be restoring native habitat on in multiple urban parks and open spaces by removing invasive weeds, planting native plants, removing debris and learning about healthy habitat and what they can do in their daily lives to help. The popular river kayak cleanup is also included in the event. This is a family friendly event, all ages welcomed and encouraged. Tools and instruction provided.
- Saturday, October 18th, 10 am- 2 pm at multiple Local Sites within the Green-Duwamish Watershed
To volunteer, visit www.DuwamishAlive.org to see the different volunteer opportunities and register for the site of your choice, or email info@duwamishalive.org.
Salmon Saturday Family Festival! ¡Festival Familiar del Sábado del Salmón! – October 18th
Join City of Tukwila for a fun afternoon exploring the Duwamish River! This is a Bilingual event: Spanish speakers at every station! Evento bilingüe: ¡hispanohablantes en cada estación! View the website to learn more.
- Saturday, October 18th, 1-4 pm at the Tukwila Community Center
Volunteer with Green Tukwila
Join Green Tukwila staff and Forest Stewards as they roll up theirr sleeves to restore Tukwila’s natural spaces. Together we’ll remove invasive plants, plant young trees and native shrubs, and give a boost to our urban forests and watershed.
No experience? No problem! City of Tukwila willl provide all the tools, gloves, and training you need—just bring a water bottle, sturdy shoes, and your best smile. Come dig in and grow the forest of tomorrow with us! View the website to learn about volunteer opportunities.
Partner Updates
Salmon SEEson is Here!
Prime viewing season is right now! Salmon are currently spread out through the Green/Duwamish Watershed. Visit the Salmon SEEson website to learn more about viewing locations near you.
Pictured: Chinook and pink salmon at Kanaskat-Palmer State Park (October 3, 2025).
Learn more about celebrating salmon season in the recent King County Flood Control District blog post, "Celebrate Salmon Season in King County: Protecting a Northwest Icon".
Vashon Salmon Watchers Program Begins Again
September 30th marked the start of the Vashon Salmon watchers program which will run until December 31. This is the 10th year that Vashon Nature Center has run this program where volunteers are assigned to a spot or reach on local creeks where they count and identify salmon and redds during the spawning season. This year they honor their oldest Salmon watch volunteer, Yvonne Kuperbug (pictured). Yvonne is 99 years old and still has a spot to watch on Shinglemill Creek with her friend Jane Neubauer. Yvonne was one of the founders and first participants in this program even before Vashon Nature Center took on the coordination of it. Thank you Yvonne for your long dedication to salmon on Vashon! Read a short summary of salmon watch data and view the publications page to learn more.
State Awards Grants for Projects to Recovery Salmon Habitat
The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board and Puget Sound Partnership today announced the award of more than $61 million in grants to 155 projects across the state aimed at restoring salmon habitat. “These grants fund important work,” said Jeff Breckel, chair of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. “They are funding organizations to undo the damage we have done to our rivers, bays and shorelines in the past and helping us make our waterways more hospitable to salmon.”
Puget Sound Partnership Salmon Recovery Hub Updates
The Puget Sound Partnership has made some exciting updates to their Salmon Recovery Hub, visitors will now be able to:
- View legislative tracker on the landing page; and
- View the new addendum explorer and the LE strategies tool on the recovery plans page.
Explore the updated webpage!
Don’t Get Caught Off Guard this Flood Season
With 6 main rivers and several tributaries, flooding is the most common natural disaster in King County. If you live, work, play, or commute through King County, don’t get caught off guard! Just a few inches of floodwater can cause damage to your home and unsafe driving conditions. Learn more about flood risk reduction efforts in a discussion with County Flood Warning Center staff.
City of Kent and Renton Waste Reduction Assistance for Businesses
Cities of Kent and Renton have again been awarded full grant funding of $100,000 to provide recycling and composting technical assistance to local businesses. Working with Cascadia Consulting, the cities are offering free onsite support, starter supplies, and staff training in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese to help businesses reduce waste, lower garbage bills, and comply with new state organics management laws. Outreach is tailored for both small businesses with minimal weekly recyclables and larger businesses that generate significant amounts of organic material. By encouraging participation, the program supports cost savings, environmental protection, and long-term compliance with Washington's waste reduction requirements.
Septic System Maintenance Rebate Programs
Do you own a septic system and live in King County? King County’s septic system rebate program is offering up to $500 for income-eligible residents to have their septic system inspected, pumped, or have riser(s) installed. The rebate is available throughout all of King County (not just unincorporated areas), however there is an income eligibility requirement for properties outside of Vashon-Maury Island and the Poverty Bay Shellfish Protection District in South King County. Businesses are eligible if they are a small business (the simple definition is in the application).
The rebate program website has an eligibility map where you can add an address to and find out what rebates are available for your property.
Grant Announcements
Streamflow Restoration Projects to Receive $40 million in Funding. Applicants can Begin Preparing Now for the 2026 Competitive Grant Cycle
Funding guidelines have been updated and published and are available now. The changes include updated scoring criteria to reflect lessons learned as well as new and emerging priorities. Those eligible to receive Streamflow Restoration Competitive Grants include Tribal governments, public entities and non-profit organizations. The grants can fund a range of water supply projects focused on improving streamflows.
To support potential applicants as they prepare their project ideas, Ecology will offer virtual applicant workshops November 4 this year and January 22, 2026. These workshops will be designed to provide potential applicants information on the funding opportunity, including funding guidelines, eligibility requirements, application requirements and how projects will be evaluated.
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