As the tide of 2023 begins to recede and we can evaluate all that has been left on its shore, and notice what it carried away as well, we as a community and DERT as an organization have an incredible amount to be thankful for! Though there is plenty of work to be done, we wanted to take some time to reflect with you on where we have been and where we are going.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in our success, even tangentially. It is our honor to serve the human, and more than human inhabitants of our region and to continue to help engage and educate our community on the vital resource that shapes the place we live, water.

If you would like to make a final 2023 contribution to DERT to support our work in the new year, click here to visit our donation page.

Read ahead for our year in review and a glance into the future. Thank you for following along on this journey, and we'll see you all in the new year.

Happy Holidays!

A YEAR IN REVIEW

The Department of Enterprise Services' decision (Sept., 2022) that the Estuary Alternative was the best ecological, cultural, and social option for the long term management of the Capitol Lake, certainly helped us see 2023 through rose colored glasses! But what have we done to build off of that amazing win for our region?

In 2023, DERT....

• Held 4 community forums to engage and educate our community around issues important to the Deschutes Watershed (WRIA 13) and the estuary.

• Tabled at more than a dozen events.

• Developed an informational StoryMap that geospatially introduces people to the issues at play in the estuary, how we all benefit from a restored estuary, and what to expect from the process. (Debuting soon on our website).

In 2023, DERT...

• Hired a new Operations Manager, Casey Allen, and a new Outreach and DEI Coordinator, Caroline Slagle.

• Strengthened our relationship with partner organizations and built new relationships (in large part thanks to Caroline Slagle).

• Held a highly successful fundraiser at Octapas and surpassed our fundraising goal.

In 2023, DERT...

• Held 3 microplastics training/sampling events, helping to shed light and provide data on the scourge of microplastics in our region.

• Filed or signed onto more than 10 comments or letters to state agencies regarding water resources, environmental health and remediation, and species and habitat preservation/ restoration. 

In 2023, we also lost our Board Vice President, Bob Jensen. As such, we would like to take a moment to remember Bob and give our heartfelt thank you to him and his family for a lifetime of support for this incredible place we call home.

Bob served as Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Ecology from 1971 to 1981. During his career, Bob devoted his service to promoting and defending the Shoreline Management Act of 1971. From 1992-2004, he served as a member of the Shorelines and Pollution Control Hearings Board of the State. In addition, Bob devoted considerable effort over his career working to return the Nisqually Delta to its natural condition.

Bob was dedicated to his passions, and he made a lasting impact on the environment and those around him.

You are part of the vision and hard work that guarantees the Deschutes River WILL meet Puget Sound without a barrier. Together, we will continue to advocate for the restoration of our urban estuary. Please consider donating to DERT today.

We can all have a hand in deciding what elements are included in this hugely impactful restoration project in the heart of our city. Let's open our minds to possibilities that we may not even be aware of yet and critically evaluate the paths ahead of us, asking “Will my grandkids benefit from this? Will theirs’?”

In 2024, DERT plans to...

• Hold 6 community forums every other month from February through December.

• Hold a Design Charrette for the greater estuary restoration and park design process.

• Work with local educational partners to expand understanding of Cultural Ecosystem Restoration within both the youth community and the community at large

• Collaborate with the Squaxin Island Tribe to help put on the 2024 Festival of the Steh-Chass.

In 2024, DERT plans to...

• Rollout our Deschutes Watershed Student Ambassador Program

• Add a rotating The Evergreen State College Board of Directors position along with other positions to invest in having a diverse, equitable, and inclusive board that reflects our community on the horizon.

In 2024, DERT plans to...

• Continue to hold decision makers to the best available science and have our voices, and the voices of our community, heard via letters and comments in response to environmental rule making and intentions.

• Hold at least 4 microplastics training/sampling events (Stay tuned if you are interested!) and provide other opportunities for community science,

• Participate in Water Lobbying Day on Feb. 1st with regional partners.

NOVEMBER FORUM ON CULTURAL ECOSYSTEMS IN RESTORATION

DERT extends our deepest appreciation to New Traditions for hosting our most recent Community Forum on Cultural Ecosystems in Restoration. A big thank you to Mo Major for leading our November Forum and sharing with our community how mainstream restoration can be improved by including indigenous cultural ecosystems, and thanks to Caroline Slagle for putting the event together.

Cultural Ecosystems are tended environments where the land and the people simultaneously shape each other to mutual benefit. Examples include forest gardens, camas prairies, and estuarine root gardens.

Mo shared his experience as an archeologist in Hawaii and Washington, how mainstream restoration practices often fail to include research or implementation of cultural ecosystems, and what a more inclusive model of stewardship could look like in the future.

As the restoration of the Deschutes Estuary enters the design and permitting phase, what do we as a community want to see included? Are there possibilities that we have yet to consider, especially regarding cultural ecosystem restoration? How do we want to steward, interact with, and experience this vital ecosystem in our community into the future?

We will be holding 6 Forums in 2024, we hope to see you there to consider these questions and many more!

You are part of the vision and hard work that guarantees the Deschutes River WILL meet Puget Sound without a barrier. Together, we will continue to advocate for the restoration of our urban estuary. Please consider donating to DERT today.

At the recent DERT fundraiser auction in October, Board Member Ray Willard generously offered his services as a landscape architect. It was a huge hit, but what exactly is landscape architecture? Will Ray really come out and tend to my rose garden?

Click here to read more about what landscape architecture really means and how it relates to the removal of the 5th Avenue Dam.

DERT signed on to a letter to the Department of Ecology regarding the proposed Phase I and II Municipal Stormwater Permit plans alongside the Puget Soundkeepers Alliance (PSKA).

We continue to work with our regional partners to ensure that Washington's laws and environmental regulations meet the best available science and that all known, available, and reasonable technologies are employed.

The letter addresses issues around 6PPD/Q (6PPD and 6PPD-quinone - (a ubiquitous tire chemical known to significantly increase salmonid mortality), transparency, stormwater control, environmental justice, and other permit improvements.

Thank you to all of the Waterkeepers around the globe, and in Washington, with a special gratitude for the Puget Soundkeepers for putting this letter together. Below are some articles if you are interested in learning more about 6PPD/Q:

EPA article: EPA Grants Tribal Petition to Protect Salmon from Lethal Chemical

Climate justice article: U.S. Fishing Groups Sue Tire Manufacturers Over 6PPD Impacts on Salmon, Steelhead

Scientific article: A ubiquitous tire rubber–derived chemical induces acute mortality in coho salmon

ADDITIONAL GRATITUDES

DERT’s annual fundraiser was a huge success, reaching our goal and netting over $10,000!!! Our sincerest appreciation to Octapas for hosting our event. Octapas has a front row seat to the pending restoration and their support means a lot to DERT, we could not have met our goal without them.

Make sure to drop in for their amazing brunch, lunch, or dinner and support a wonderful local establishment!

Thank you also to Marena Lear and Ale Fleites for providing Music at our event. Marena and Ale serenaded us throughout the evening and added a wonderful ambiance and festivity to the whole event.

NEWS IN THE WATERSHED

Do you have watershed news to share?

Send it to us at olydert@gmail.com

POLLUTION REPORTING RESOURCES

As a community dedicated to protecting the Deschutes watershed and South Puget Sound, we must all keep an eye out for potential pollution incidents when we are out and about.

To report suspected pollution in your community, email olydert@gmail.com.

DERT's South Sound Healthy Watershed Program operates thanks to our sponsoring foundations and donors like you. Did you know that donors are now able to set up automatic recurring monthly donations in any amount? Follow the link to the right to get set up. Thank you for working with us towards a free Deschutes!

Do our emails get lost in your promotion tab? Here is a quick trick to make sure our newsletter goes directly into your primary inbox*. Simply click on the email in your promotions tab, and drag it up and over to your primary tab. Voila! From now on, every DERT email will go directly to your primary tab!

For more information CLICK HERE

*This tip is for those who use Gmail, but it may be applicable to other platforms.