City of Tukwila seeking public input on Stormwater Management Action Plan by June 10th

Tukwila is expecting significant growth as our regions grows, which will place more pressures on the urban streams and our Green-Duwamish River.  They are in the process of planning for this growth and the impacts to the watershed.  The City needs your help to prioritize one of Tukwila’s watershed sub-basins where the  Stormwater Management Action Plan, or SMAP , will plan for targeted stormwater actions to reduce pollution and improve overall water quality. What is a basin? Tukwila is defining  it as all the land within City of Tukwila that drains into one body of water.  This is your opportunity to provide the city with your input.  This not only affects water quality but wildlife, fish and communities that live within these basins.  Please participate by using the following link:  Watershed Prioritization and Stormwater Planning

Thank you to all our volunteers who work to improve the health of our Green-Duwamish Watershed!  

There are opportunities throughout the year with our partners to continue the good work. Join us at one of our  partner’s events by clicking their link for further information

Delridge Neighborhood Development Association, Seattle

Heron’s Nest,  Seattle with Shared Spaces Foundation

North Wind’s Weir, Tukwila with King County Dept Natural Lands & Water  for volunteer schedule email info@duwamishalive.org

Riverview Park, Kent  with Green River Coalition and Kent Parks

Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group     

Duwamish Hill Preserve, Tukwila with Tukwila Parks,

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance 

 Duwamish Longhouse, Seattle  with the Duwamish Tribe

Green Seattle Partnership, Seattle with Seattle Parks

King County Parks 

Duwamish Alive Coalition: Stewards of the River, Patheresa Wells, South Seattle Emerald  4/22/2022

Rescuing Roxhill Bog …. Why it matters, What has been accomplished so far.

As one of the last remaining ancient peat bogs (over 10,000 years old) in Seattle, Roxhill Bog has a unique ecosystem and is the headwaters of Longfellow Creek, which runs 3.5 miles through West Seattle before it reaches Elliot Bay.  Roxhill Bog plays an important part of the creek’s watershed, as the drainage basin for sixty surrounding acres, collecting sediments and pollutants from rain and storm water run off. Plants absorb some pollutants while the spongy peat soil helps filter sediments, essential for providing healthy water quality. Longfellow Creek is one of Seattle’s few salmon spawning creeks.

Climate change and urbanization has impacted the health of Roxhill Bog, reducing the amounts of water flowing into the wetland to maintain its healthy ecosystem.  Water that would normally flow into the bog has been diverted into storm drainage systems while climate change has increased summer temperatures and reduced rainfall causing the peat to dry and degrade.  Visit our Roxhill Bog page for additional information and to get updates on the restoration project.

Discover the Green-Duwamish – Take the Journey

The Green-Duwamish Watershed is one of the most interesting places to explore, grounding us with a sense of place.  Take the journey visiting interesting  locations that tell the unique story of this area, its geology, history, ecology, and its peoples over time.   Walk on land that held a 3,000 year old Duwamish Village then visit a Longhouse, experience salmon returning to their home to spawn along with other wildlife,  visit innovative projects addressing our environmental challenges, stand on a rock cropping older than Mt. Rainier and the area that made Seattle and this region what it is today.

Download your guidebook for journey information on locations, fun activities, an eco-pledge raffle, and to experience our river in a new and deeper way.   All locations offer easy walking, most are ada accessible.  This is a great activity to complement classroom learning.  Remember to take something to write with and extra paper.  The leaf activity requires thin paper, a crayon and your imagination – be inspired!

(The guidebook is formatted for 5 sheets, both sides of 8.5 x 11 paper and can be printed in either color or black & white.  The booklet is designed to fold in half so each page is a half sheet of 5.5 x 8.5.  If your printer offers the option of “flipping” of the page, choose “short end”.)

Download your    2022 Green Duwamish Journey Guide Book 

To help with online learning, Nature Vision is offering free, at home study packets for grades K – 12 which complement the Green-Duwamish Journey experience and align with grade appropriate curriculum covering:  Ecological Impacts, Water Quality, Human Systems, Invasive Plants, Ecosystems, Watersheds, and Humans & Water. Each packet includes both a teacher and parent/caregiver overview and daily student science lessons which connect to our watershed’s and community’s health.  To download:

 Free     Nature Vision Student Packets (K – 12)