Councilmember Nehring's August Newsletter

Snohomish County, Washington sent this bulletin at 08/01/2025 06:00 AM PDT

Dear North County Neighbors,

It’s been a busy and month in Snohomish County filled with community events, important updates, and some exciting conservation work happening in our region. I will highlight these topics and more in this month’s newsletter. Here’s a summary of the update with the full content below:

🧹 70+ volunteers removed 150+ lbs of trash at the Kayak Point youth beach clean-up

🌾 Conservation Futures project to preserve 85 acres of farmland near Port Susan Bay

🏞️ Bipartisan action stops federal land sale proposal, protecting public lands

👮‍️ First class of graduates from new CJTC law enforcement academy in Arlington

🎨 Mark your calendars: Kayak Point Arts Festival debuts Sept. 13, 2025!

Youth Beach Clean-Up

Last month, my office partnered with the WSU Beach Watchers of Snohomish County to host a Youth Beach Clean-Up at Kayak Point Park. The event was a great success, with more than 70 young people and their families volunteering to remove over 150 pounds of trash and debris from our beaches!

In addition to the cleanup, participants learned about the importance of protecting marine life from pollution and plastic waste thanks to educational activities led by the Beach Watchers team. I’m grateful to everyone who took part and especially to WSU Beach Watchers for their continued leadership in environmental stewardship. You can read more about the event in the Lynnwood Times’ coverage at this link.

In The News

Comment: Keep county’s public lands in the public’s hands | Everett Herald – July 5, 2025

Nate Nehring and WSU Beach Watchers to host beach cleanup at Kayak Point | Everett Herald – July 8, 2025

Youth beach cleanup inspires the next generation of environmental stewards | Lynnwood Times – July 12, 2025

Nehring, WSU Beach Watchers lead Kayak Point beach cleanup | SC News – July 14, 2025

Commentary: Keep public lands in public hands | SC News – July 25, 2025

Community Events

Aug. 1-3 – Stanwood-Camano Community Fair

Aug. 2 – Granite Fall Show ‘N Shine Car Show

Aug. 5 - National Night Out

Aug. 6-10 – Darrington RE/Evolution Summer Jam

Aug. 9-10 – Arlington 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

Aug. 16 - Arlington Sky Fest

Aug. 16 – Stanwood Stanfest

Aug. 22-24 – Darrington Annual Summer Park Fair

Conservation Futures Program – Project Spotlight

Over the next few months, I’ll be featuring a Conservation Futures project in each newsletter to highlight this important program which preserves open space, farmland, and forestland across Snohomish County. I have the privilege of serving as Chair of the Conservation Futures Board, which reviews proposals and recommends projects for funding.

This month’s spotlight is a project near the Skagit County border along Pioneer Highway. Sponsored by Forterra NW, the project will preserve approximately 85 acres of agricultural land with frontage on Tom Moore Slough and Port Susan Bay. A conservation easement will protect the land from development and ensure it remains a working farm. I recently visited the site with Forterra and County staff to see the value of this preservation work firsthand.

Federal Land Sale Proposal

Earlier this year, a proposal in Congress sought to sell off significant portions of federally owned land, including Forest Service and BLM-managed areas, as part of the federal budget reconciliation process. While addressing the budget deficit is important, this proposal would have generated only limited, one-time revenue while causing lasting harm to public access and local communities.

Snohomish County contains many federal lands that are critical to our quality of life, economy, and outdoor recreation. Executive Dave Somers and I sent a letter to our Congressional delegation urging them to oppose this proposal and protect our natural resources.

Thanks to a strong bipartisan effort in Congress, the proposal was withdrawn, preserving these vital public lands. You can read more about this issue in a joint op-ed I wrote with Executive Somers here.

Snohomish County Family Day

Last Friday, Snohomish County hosted a Family Day for county employees and their families on the Courthouse Plaza in Everett. County departments set up booths offering games, food, activities, and information about county services. The event supports Snohomish County’s commitment to being a family-friendly employer by providing a fun and educational outing for staff and their loved ones.

At the County Council’s booth, attendees had the chance to “pie” Councilmembers in the face, a highlight that many participants clearly enjoyed!

Thank you to everyone who helped organize this great event and to all the families who joined us for a memorable day.

Law Enforcement Graduation

Tuesday, July 29th marked the graduation of the first class of law enforcement officers from the new Washington State Criminal Justice Training (CJTC) Academy in Arlington. The new training center in Arlington is part of an expansion of the CJTC that the state legislature funded in 2023. The expanded training centers aim to reduce the wait time between officers being hired by local law enforcement agencies and getting on the street in our communities. Having a local training center means our new peace officers and learning near the communities they will be serving after graduation.

Congratulations to the graduates and thank you for stepping up to keep our communities safe. I look forward to seeing the impact of this local training center in the years ahead.

State of Tulalip

On Friday, July 25th, Chairwoman Teri Gobin presented her State of Tulalip at the Marysville-Tulalip Chamber of Commerce meeting. During the speech, Chairwoman Gobin gave an update on capital projects, economic development, and programs happening in and around Tulalip.

I always appreciate the opportunity to learn about what is happening in the region with these updates from our partners. Thank you to Chairwoman Gobin for the great update and to the Chamber for hosting this informative event.

Port Report

Last month, Economic Alliance of Snohomish County hosted the “Port Report,” an update provided by Port of Everett CEO Lisa Lefeber. Lisa gave a great update to attendees about the Port’s development projects and trade initiatives. Following the speech, attendees had the opportunity to tour some of the development zones along the waterfront.

The Port of Everett is a huge economic driver for Snohomish County, and it was great to learn about the status of their ongoing efforts and new projects in the region.

Community Events

Summertime is always busy in Snohomish County with many great community events filling up our weekends. On Saturday, July 19th, Marysville Parks hosted their Summer Splash Family Festival at Delta Park with great entertainment, food, and of course, the spray park. The following weekend, the Silvana Fair hosted animal exhibits, demonstrations and displays, music, food, and so much more.

Coming up, the Evergreen State Fair kicks off on Thursday, August 21st and runs through Labor Day (fair is closed on Wednesday, August 27th). The annual fair includes great carnival rides, concerts on the main stage, delicious food, competitive animal exhibits, contests, rodeo, and other great family entertainment. You can buy tickets and learn more about all of this year’s offerings at www.evergreenfair.org.

Kayak Point Arts Fest

On September 13th, 2025, the Snohomish County Arts Commission is hosting its first-ever Kayak Points Arts Festival at Kayak Point Park. The festival is a free, music-centered event featuring local performers including LAKE, Cumulus, Heavy Bloom, Neon Brass Party, RNNRS, and No Recess. This day-long event is a great family-oriented event that is sure to be a highlight of the summer! You can learn more about the Arts Fest at this link.

Time to Vote!

As a reminder, the Primary Election is Tuesday, August 5th. You still have time to send in your ballot. To ensure your ballot is received by the Auditor’s Office on time, you can use one of the ballot drop boxes located throughout Snohomish County. You can find a full list of drop boxes at this link.

I send out newsletters on a monthly basis to keep you informed about what I am working on and how I am representing the residents of North Snohomish County on the County Council. Please feel free to reach out to me at 425-512-4810 or Nate.Nehring@snoco.org.

Sincerely,

Nate Nehring
Councilman, District 1

Snohomish County Council

3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 609
Everett, Washington 98201

8th floor, Robert J. Drewel Building
Phone: 425-388-3494
E-Mail: Nate.Nehring@snoco.org

Russell Wiita, Legislative Aide