Work is set to begin this summer to restore salmon habitat in Illabot Creek, a tributary to the Skagit River.
Once a winding, multi-channeled creek, Illabot was straightened and diked in 1970 when a bridge crossing was constructed on Rockport-Cascade Road. Straightening the creek degraded salmon habitat by creating a steeper gradient, reducing channel area and habitat complexity.
Illabot Creek is a highly productive tributary to the upper Skagit River, supporting chinook, chum, coho and pink salmon, native char and steelhead trout. Much of the watershed already has been protected or restored, but this half-mile reach on the historic alluvial fan remains heavily degraded.
The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC), the natural resources extension of the Swinomish and Sauk-Suiattle tribes, plans to restore Illabot Creek to its historic channel by removing dikes downstream of the road and excavating to encourage new channels to develop.
“Not only will the restoration improve channel complexity and instream habitat conditions, but it also will restore connectivity within the floodplain and increase the number and surface area of channels as Illabot Creek migrates over time,” said Devin Smith, senior restoration ecologist with SRSC.
Future restoration plans include installing two new bridges and removing dikes upstream of the road.
Dan Bates / Herald file photo, 2009 Rob Fuller (left) and Andrew Eaton, both of Marysville, cast for sturgeon from the dock at Ebey Waterfront Park in Marysville in October 2009. Marysville has received a federal grant to help fund cleanup near the park.
Marysville is one of eight communities in the region receiving a grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to assist with the Ebey waterfront marina land cleanup.
The $200,000 cleanup grant would be used to remediate the contaminated ground on the city-owned marina property at 1326 First St., just west of Ebey Waterfront Park.
The marina property contains waterfront chemicals and pollutants common to timber industry and marine operations that have existed since the late 1800s. Grant funds also will be used to conduct groundwater monitoring and support community involvement activities.
The grants help revitalize former industrial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use.
The EPA previously awarded the city a grant in May 2009 to clean up the Crown Pacific mill site at 60 State Ave. on the waterfront just east of State Avenue. The grant will be issued on Oct. 1, but hiring a consultant to develop a cleanup plan that meets approval of the state Department of Ecology and the EPA means that it could be 2015 before actual work starts, city officials said.
Long-term plans as identified in the city’s 2009 Downtown Master Plan would see Ebey waterfront redeveloped with trails, apartments or condominiums and some commercial development.
No specific plans have been decided for the marina site.
Now comes our season of daylight low tides, and the pleasure of beach walks. Volunteer naturalists with the Seattle Aquarium have kicked off a season of naturalist-led walks on beaches all over Puget Sound, beginning over Memorial Day weekend.
Alan Berner / The Seattle Times A -3.3 low tide draws beach explorers to Constellation Park in West Seattle on Saturday for one of the lowest of the year.
As spring waxes to summer, our season of daylight low tides is under way, revealing wonders of Puget Sound right at our feet.
Volunteer naturalists from the Seattle Aquarium over the Memorial Day weekend kicked off a series of low-tide beach walks offered all over the Puget Sound area. The walks will continue through July, and some of the best low tides are yet to come.
On Sunday, the Sound waters slid down the clean, gray sand at the aquatic reserve at the Constellation Park Marine Reserve at Alki. Clams jetted their silvery squirts, and jet-black crows strutted the tide flats, probing for tasty morsels. The pearly light and hush-shush of the tide made this stretch of beach feel far away from the bustle of Alki’s commercial strip, just around the point.
The signature scent of low tide — tangy saltwater and algae — and a cooling breeze off the water beckoned visitors to come under the spell of another world: the intertidal zone, usually out of our reach, but right there to explore during a -3.6 low tide.
Sea stars clung fiercely to the rocks, their soda-pop purple color contrasting with the bright-red shells of rock crabs. Their diminutive size belies pincer power 10 times the might of Dungeness crabs.
The smooth, curved gray collars of moon snail shell egg casings lay amid jade-green eel grass and heaps of nubby, bronze algae aptly named Turkish towel for its pot-scrubber texture.
Everywhere was the sound of children’s laughter as they peeked under rocks and into tide pools. Oliver Straley’s eyes got big as Craig “Mac” MacGowan, a retired Seattle teacher, put a nudibranch in Straley’s wetted palm.
He gently touched the shell-less mollusk with a wetted finger, then carefully replaced it on the clean, gray sand. “It was sort of slimy,” said Straley, 9. “Gooey and soft. It was cool!”
His sister Georgia, 10, was just as enthralled. “We saw sun stars and clam shells and moon snails,” she said. “I like finding different stuff that I wouldn’t normally see.”
That went for the adults, too.
“This place is so rich in life,” MacGowan said. “And we didn’t even touch a fraction of it. This is a rocky beach. But there’s also sand, mud, all of it’s different. There are more different types of animals on these beaches than there are people in Seattle. No matter where you go, it’s all good, you just have to get out and look at it.”
Volunteer naturalist Rebecca Gamboa said she has been leading walks on Seattle beaches for years, partly just to make sure she gets outside herself.
“We’ve had people come on walks say they’ve lived here 25 years and didn’t even know this existed,” Gamboa said. “I’ve met third- and fourth-graders who say it’s their first time at the beach.
“It’s a huge opportunity to see a whole new world.”
Low-tide walks with naturalists
Free beach walks occur during low tides throughout June and July at Richmond Beach Park, Carkeek Park, Golden Gardens Park, Constellation Park/South Alki, Lincoln Park, Seahurst Park and Des Moines Beach Park, and even Blake Island.
Look for trained, volunteer beach naturalists courtesy of the Seattle Aquarium in red hats at the beaches.
BUSINESS JOURNAL PHOTO | Karen D The reception desk at the Tulalip Resort and Casino, with Shaelei Lucas (left) and Laureen Guzman. Twenty percent of the resort’s business – excluding the casino – comes out of Canada, but most of the casino business comes from Marysville, Everett and Seattle, areas that still have access to the Tulalip, albeit a route that could be clogged with traffic now.
Rachel Lerman, Puget Sound Business Journal
The Tulalip Resort and Casino and The Outlet Shoppes at Burlington, two of the biggest tourism and retail destinations in northwestern Washington, scrambled to spread the word of alternate driving routes and hoped for the best as they headed into the Memorial Day weekend knowing I-5 had been severed by the Skagit River bridge collapse.
“It’s gonna impact us to a degree out of Canada for sure,” said Ken Kettler, president and chief operating officer of the Tulalip Resort and Casino.
Kettler said 20 percent of the resort’s business – excluding the casino – comes out of Canada, but most of the casino business comes from Marysville, Everett and Seattle, areas that still have access to the Tulalip, albeit a route that could be clogged with traffic now.
The resort is using social media to make sure people have directions for alternate routes, Kettler said, and it may have to increase marketing in areas to the south if the northward impact grows bigger than they expect.
At The Outlet Shoppes at Burlington, Memorial Day is the kickoff to the summer shopping season, and the first of three major sales during the summer.
Mall managers are working with the Mt. Vernon Chamber of Commerce to help inform and reassure potential customers. Canadians should know that they can drive to the mall without passing the bridge collapse, which is south of the mall, said Gina Slechta, vice president of marketing for Horizon Group Properties, which owns the mall. And people in Mt. Vernon and surrounding areas can take alternate routes, Slechta said.
Festival provides access to recreation, history and music
By Gale Fiege, the Herald
DARRINGTON — People headed out to the woods or the North Cascades for Memorial Day weekend are encouraged to stop by Darrington Day.
The free annual event celebrates the area’s history, culture and outdoor activities with live music, tours and exhibits. Darrington Day is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Make your first stop at the information booth in front of the Darrington IGA grocery store, 1090 Seeman St., just off Highway 530. There, you can pick up maps, schedules and information about hiking trails.
Ask about the opening of the Old Sauk Trail, which offers a 1.3-mile stroll on a wheelchair-accessible trail through the lush forest along the Sauk River. A ribbon-cutting for the new trail is set for 10 a.m. Another ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. celebrates the completion of a refurbished shed that protects five ancient Sauk-Suiattle dugout canoes. The shed is located across the highway from Forest Service’s Darrington Ranger District office, 1405 Emens Ave. N.
History is big in Darrington. People can take the self-guided history and trivia tour around town and see the Forest Fire Lookout display at the Cascade Senior Center, 1115 Darrington St. Watch a slideshow about the Green Mountain Forest Fire Lookout, which is 80 years old this summer. In addition, the Forest Fire Lookout Association plans to display models of lookouts throughout the country and be on hand to talk about restoring the nearby North Mountain Lookout.
Adventure Cascades, a new outdoors guide business along the highway, plans an open house at 1055 Seeman St. People can enter a raffle to win a rafting trip for two. Mountain Loop Books and Coffee, 1085 Darrington St., has author Eric Erickson scheduled until 2 p.m. to sign his book, “Mile Post, a History of the Arlington-Darrington Branch of The Northern Pacific Railway, 1899 to 2009.”
From noon to late in the afternoon, people can enjoy live music in Old School Park, 1026 Alvord St, while browsing booths with work by local artists. Whitehorse Musicians Guild and the Darrington Bluegrass Association offer traditional local bluegrass, and several folk, blues and classic rock bands are scheduled.
Some daredevils are setting the Internet abuzz with breathtaking and death-defying photos taken from the top of some of Seattle’s tallest landmarks.
The most recent one shows a climber perched in the rafters of Safeco Field’s retractable roof, 21 stories above the playing surface. While the photo has just started making the rounds, it was actually posted about 10 months ago on the Reddit account of a user who goes by the handle “shuttersubversive.”
The guy is absolutely fearless, if not nuts. His other accomplishments include scaling the top of Century Link Field, the Space Needle, and the Columbia Tower. He’s also likely the same climber who scaled Seattle’s Great Wheel before it opened last summer.
There’s no confirmation of his identity, but links lead to a blog called “No Promise of Safety,” that identifies him as Joseph Carnavale, a sculptor, photographer and adventurer.
The blog has even more insane pictures of death-defying climbs up various buildings, construction cranes, and other ridiculously tall structures.
It’s clear he’s not the only one making the risky (and highly illegal) climbs. Somebody has to take the pictures. One conquest shows a pair of climbers sitting atop the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
On his Reddit page, the guy says he no longer lives in Seattle, but a lot of people around here sure would like to talk to him.
An unidentified climber sits atop the roof of the Space Needle in Seattle. Photo by Reddit/ShuttersubversiveAn unidentified climber sits atop the roof of Seattle’s Century Link Field Photo by Reddit/Shuttersubversive
An unidentified climber scales Seattle’s Great Wheel. Photo by Reddit/ShuttersubversiveDaredevils sit atop the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in this undated photo posted on Reddit Photo by Reddit/Shuttersubversive
An 80s & 90s Themed Recovery Celebration held at the Don Penoke Hatch Gym, Friday, June 7. Doors open 5:30 p.m., Dinner served at 6, Dances ends at 11 p.m.
24,600 pounds of Chinook have arrived in Seattle.
By GW Rastopsoff | Alaska Native News
05/17/2013 10:15:00
Sea-Tac Airport saw the first planeload of Copper River King Salmon from Cordova this morning [Friday may 17th] . It is the first of four Alaska Airlines flights scheduled to bring the prized Alaska Salmon to Seattle on Friday.
The first flight this morning brought a cargo of 24,600 pounds of Chinook destined for restaurants in the area.
The Copper River is projected to harvest approximately 19,800 King Salmon during the 2013 season, with a total Chinook run of 46,000 according to ADF&G. this is about 23,000 fish lower than the 70,000 fish that is the 14-year average.
The Copper River fishery began at 7 am on Thursday and remained open for 12 hours. Within 24 hours of the opening, fresh fish made their arrival in the Emerald City. The first of the year Kings are expected to bring about $30 per pound.
It was a former Alaskan fisherman, Jon Rowley, that brought the Copper River King Salmon craze to Seattle back in 1983. It was him and his razzle-dazzle marketing techniques that stirred the fervor for the fresh caught first Alaska Salmon of the year. It has grown larger and larger ever since and is now a much anticipated event in the city and an annual rite of Spring.
The Alaska Airlines pilots carried the first salmon, a 40-pound King to waiting chefs.
Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald Artist Linda Beaumont is reflected in part of her mosaic installation at the new Wetmore Theater Plaza in downtown Everett.
By Theresa Goffredo, The Herald
Wetmore Theater Plaza, the new community space in downtown Everett, is getting its first official event — a summer concert series.
The Sets in the West concerts kick off July 10 with 10 weeks of live music from some top shelf, emerging bands from Seattle, Bellingham and Everett.
The free shows start right after work at 5 p.m. There’s a wine and beer garden and food for anyone who wants to buy a drink or a snack.
Bands include Hot Bodies in Motion, a soul-bluesy band from Seattle, and River Giant, whose lead singer is from Lake Stevens and who play folk Americana stuff, which has been compared to Neil Young.
The city of Everett wanted to have a concert series at the plaza this summer but didn’t have the staff to devote to such an event. So the city asked the Everett Music Initiative to make the series happen.
The Everett Music Initiative started out in 2012 and has successfully brought new bands to downtown Everett. The group’s goal was to bring the local pool of musical talent here because music is a critical cultural element to a thriving downtown, said Ryan Crowther, founder of Everett Music Initiative.
The music initiative has partnered with Experience Everett, the city’s new tourism initiative, and together with support from the city’s cultural arts department, the experiment to bring new music to downtown Everett has been a success.
“They saw a need, took the initiative and brought some very new music to Everett and started gaining really good crowds,” said Carol Thomas, the city’s cultural arts manager. “We asked them to bring their talents to a concert series that would feature new and emerging artists, a genre they know and love.”
The city already sponsors Music at the Marina concert series that kicks off June 27 and those concerts start a little later Thursday evenings. But the new plaza concert series happens right after work for a more “appropriate urban feel so people can get off work and enjoy the music,” Thomas said.
The city also provides a children’s concert series Thursday mornings at Thornton A Sullivan Park at Silver Lake. which kicks off July 11.
In addition to the concert series, Village Theatre’s Kidstage program will be presenting six live theater performances at noon Fridays at the Wetmore Plaza. That series kicks off June 28 with “A Year with Frog and Toad.”
The plaza, situated between the Everett Performing Arts Center and Village Theatre’s Second Stage kids’ theater, can accommodate more than 400 people and, with a packed crowd, can give the downtown that kind of needed energy that comes from community events such as concerts and theater performances, Thomas said.
“The next step after making the plaza is activating it,” Thomas said. “And we are working hard for that.”
The plaza isn’t officially complete. Whidbey Island artist Linda Beaumont continues work on the undulating mosaic wall that anchors the plaza and frames the area into a seated amphitheater.
Beaumont is expected to be working on that mosaic into next year. The piece is handmade and completely original, Thomas said.
“Art takes time,” Thomas said.
But the public doesn’t have to wait to use the plaza. In fact, the city wants people to use the plaza now. And the concert series is a good starting point, said Steve Graham, a member of Everett Music Initiative.
“This is going to be a great chance to showcase some great music, how beautiful downtown Everett and our new Wetmore Plaza (are),” Graham said.
The new Sets in the West series kicks off July 10 and runs through Sept. 11 at Wetmore Theatre Plaza, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. For a complete schedule of bands, go to www.everettmusicinitiative.org.
By GW Rastopsoff | 
