KCD’s Advisory Committee is a body of elected officials and senior staff from cities, King County, local nonprofit organizations, and local residents for the purpose of aligning our projects with the conservation needs of the communities we serve. Each August, KCD hosts our Advisory Committee members on a tour of some of our most impactful community stewardship projects to better connect them with our work on the ground. This year, the committee members who braved the heat explored our project impacts at three different sites in south King County.
Members of our Forestry Team led the tour through the restoration of Hilltop Park, a volunteer and intern-led initiative that is part of our Green Cities Partnership with the city of Burien. The Forestry Team highlighted the significance of using restoration to expand urban green space and forest canopy cover for cities like Burien. Their guest speaker, a restoration volunteer for Hilltop Park, discussed her contributions to the project, as well as the important role of engaging community members to make local restoration efforts possible.
Our Education Team showed the tour around Namaste Community Garden in Tukwila and discussed educational workshops KCD has done for gardeners with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Recent workshops at Namaste Garden have been tailored to feedback from community gardeners to focus on their primary concerns for managing their plots. A guest speaker from IRC also told the tour about KCD’s support for New Roots Seattle, which is a program dedicated to connecting refugee and immigrant communities with sustainable food systems.
Our Riparian Team showcased a three-year-old shoreline restoration site on a section of the Duwamish River in Tukwila. Three landowners collaborated with KCD on this ambitious project to restore 250 feet of shoreline in 2022. The impacts of the bank restoration were readily apparent compared to sections of the riverbank that have not been restored, which emphasized the importance of cooperation between neighbors to prevent erosion along the river’s bank.
Thank you to our Advisory Committee members who came out for the tour to get a better look at what we do to connect King County’s communities to steward their natural resources. Together, we work with community members for a greener, more resilient, and sustainable King County.
