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Stream health is improving throughout King County
Thanks to our team of field scientists, we now have 20 years of data that sends an inspiring message: local streams are getting healthier, and even those most harmed by human activity can improve when we take the right actions.
Twenty-five percent of the 120 streams we monitor have improved while just 3 percent have declined. The improvements are widespread, with 16 of 38 watersheds trending in the right direction. Our scientists are trying to determine the precise causes for the healthier conditions, though it appears that effective growth management may be a key factor in improving urban streams even as the county’s population soared.
Executive Constantine led a media briefing to announce the results of multiple studies. “This progress shows that we can simultaneously accommodate a growing population and restore the natural environment,” he said. “Let these positive trends inspire us to achieve even more for people, fish, and wildlife.”
Read more in the Seattle Times about how recent studies offer hope that streams harmed by human activity can improve if we continue to take action.
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Meet the goats! King County rolls out new electric yard trucks to help reach emissions goals
Reaching King County’s ambitious climate goals could be compared to climbing a mountain in the North Cascades: It requires dedication and endurance, sound decision-making, and know-how. Luckily, we have enlisted a fleet of goats to help us summit the zero emissions mountaintop. These goats, however, are a bit different than the hoofed ruminants that traverse the highest peaks in Washington.
Yard goats, also called yard trucks, are vehicles used by King County’s Solid Waste Division to maneuver transfer trailers around our transfer stations where bigger tractor-trailer trucks can’t go.
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West Point’s odd collection of adorable mischief-makers displays so many careless flushes
Kids and adults alike are constantly flushing the darndest of objects down their toilet bowls. Some of these things – like wipes, napkins, condoms, and tampons – are well known culprits that clog pipes, jam up equipment, and gunk up the flow to our wastewater treatment plants.
But what ends up at our wastewater treatment plants gets way weirder than that. Somehow, random items find their way to the plants leaving our staff to wonder: “What the flush is this doing here?!”
LEGOS, jewelry, rubber duckies, action figures … the list goes on. At West Point Treatment Plant, our staff who must fish this stuff out have assembled a trophy collection of sorts to display the many oddities they’ve found.
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Fall season at Parks
Fall is a great time to visit King County Parks – to see leaves falling, animals preparing for winter, and to experience a quieter season outdoors. We hope you find many reasons to go out and enjoy a park or trail in Your Big Backyard!
It's also time for heavy rains, winds, and cooler temperatures. Please be safe in low temperatures and inclement weather by dressing warmly, bringing the 10 essentials on hikes, and checking the Big Backyard FunFinder for the latest information before heading out on your trip. Any weather impacts and other alerts/closures can be found on the map.
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Recent DNRP social media
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Thank you to our amazing followers
Cue the tears of joy. We can’t believe 5,000 people follow a local government natural resources and parks department. THANK YOU to all our amazing followers who make this social media page such a fun place to interact around all things environment in King County.
If you encounter paywalls or articles requiring a subscription, Seattle Public Library and the King County Library System offer ways to read magazines and newspapers with a library account.
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In reality, we're very fun, relaxed, and easy going
Our field scientists love improving stream bug scores. Streams that were once in very poor health have improved more than previously thought possible, offering hope that even streams most impacted by urban development can get healthier over time.
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