Happy Winter Solstice! 

It is time for the light to return and the days to get a little longer. With this change of season, DERT is changing too. In October of 2022, Department of Enterprise Services acknowledged that the most sensible path forward for Capitol Lake is to remove the 5th Avenue dam and restore the tidal exchange in our naturally occurring Deschutes estuary. This is a milestone that DERT and our partners have been striving towards for over a decade. 

So while you may know us as the “estuary people”, and we love that nickname, we are planning to expand our programming to more areas within our Waterkeeper Alliance jurisdiction; perhaps, “watershed people”? The expansion stems from our core belief that intersectionality must be incorporated before any restoration project can come to fruition. We cannot facilitate the process of a healthy estuary and improvement of Budd Inlet water quality without inclusive community involvement.

Expansion includes establishing, with the aid of the Rose Foundation, a youth watershed council for ages 16-21 who will advise DERT on ongoing outreach efforts, events, and water quality monitoring. With their help, we will organize more kayak patrols, community forums, and estuary tours for those living in the Deschutes watershed. It’s our hope that our newfound reach through the watershed and inlets to gather a community voice will propel us forward.   

Stayed tuned in January for more information about the council and the Rose grant! We made a strong case for the Deschutes estuary to be fully restored and we were heard, loud and clear. What else can we do, together, for our watershed? 

Cheers and happy holidays,

Jae Harris-Townsend

Outreach Coordinator

Please consider donating to DERT today. 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 removal of the 5th Avenue Dam to restore our urban estuary.

Dave Peeler, current DERT board member and past president of the board, was recently honored by the Washington Section of the American Water Resources Association at a luncheon during the national Association’s annual conference held in Renton, WA.

Dave, who has worked on water resources issues since he graduated from the University of Washington and obtained his first professional job with the WA Dept. of Ecology in 1975, was named an “Outstanding Water Resources Professional for his work to protect and restore the water and fisheries resources of Washington”.

The award carries with it a donation to a nonprofit organization of Dave’s choice, which he designated as DERT.

We are looking for a Special Projects Intern! Our internship is flexible: spend your winter quarter supporting DERT's mission while working on projects designed with you in mind.

Please apply on handshake by January 1st. Internship is scheduled to begin on January 9th and will end on March 20th, with an opportunity for extension based on intern's goals and performance.

You must be currently enrolled in a college or university. Review the full description on our website.

NEWS IN THE WATERSHED

Do you have watershed news to share?

Send it to Jae, our Outreach Coordinator, at harris-townsend@deschutesestuary.org

Interested in volunteering with DERT? Now is your chance to learn about our winter and spring volunteer opportunities!

Join us January 16th at 5:30 PM for a brief volunteer informational session.

We are looking for content creators, pollution reporters, public speakers, wordpress lovers, and more!

Address: 209 5th Avenue SE (above Buck's Spices)

Please RSVP to let us know you're coming:

Say YEStuary with these fantastic designs! Get yours today in four easy steps:

T-shirts* are available for a $20 minimum donation and hats (black or red) are available for a $15 minimum donation.

1. Email our Outreach Coordinator, Jae, with your size or hat color. They will verify that we have your size/color available. Email Jae at harris-townsend@deschutesestuary.org
2. Make your donation to DERT  
3. Jae will verify your donation and arrange for pick up.
4. March on down to pick up your merch!

*We are currently out of size large T-shirts. Small, medium, XL, and 2XL may be available.

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. This page contains a list of who to call to report a pollution source - click the organization name to be directed to their site.

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.