What an incredible turnout for our first Community Envisioned Deschutes Estuary workshop. The Intro Session drew 60 people out last Tuesday night! Squaxin Island Tribal Chairman Kris Peters delivered a welcoming address in which he highlighted the history of the Squaxin people at the Deschutes estuary and Budd Inlet, known as Steh-Chass. He also spoke of the importance of building a reciprocal relationship with the environment and keeping ecological relations at the forefront of our estuary restoration.Tessa Gardner-Brown, project manager for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project with consulting firm Floyd|Snider, gave an overview of the physical restoration work being planned and answered questions about the design work. Sue Patnude, DERT co-founder, facilitated discussion on how people want to define a sense of place in a restored Deschutes estuary. Carrie Ziegler, local artist, took graphic notes over the course of the night. These notes will be displayed at subsequent workshops to highlight the development of our conversation throughout the series.

Here are some of our key insights from the discussion:

• Reinvigorating access to nature downtown, Deschutes estuary as a "third space".
• Redefining the urban experience. A walkable, livable cityscape. New urbanism.
• Recreation on and around the Deschutes waters, trail systems connecting Budd Inlet with Brewery Park & eventually the headwaters.
• Art & educational opportunities as interactive elements of the estuary, including field trips, signage, murals, citizen science, and community stewardship events.
• Transforming our Lake relations to Estuary relations. Ex: Lake Fair --> Festial of the Steh-Chass. Art scene transformations, including Procession of the Species and Arts Walk.
• Connecting with ecological processes of the estuary through programming and educational elements.
• Connecting with the history of place and people's relations, especially building up community understanding of the Squaxin Island Tribe as part of the Steh-Chass landscape.
• Estuary as a sacred space.
• Developing community as part of the environment, meaningful collaboration to strengthen cohabitation. Taking ownership of relationship to the Deschutes waters, becoming a watershed community.

We are so grateful to all who came to participate and we look forward to continuing the conversation in the coming months. We've got an incredible lineup of knowledgable and deeply engaged speakers coming to join us. Plus it's free and there's pizza. See you next Tuesday!

Didn't make it to the first event?

We'll be sharing the recordings on our website soon!

If you enjoy the work DERT does to engage our community in the health of the Deschutes estuary and watershed, please consider donating today!

Outgoing Governor Jay Inslee included $25.5 million for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project in the state budget he proposed to the Legislature for the upcoming biennium. The money, which is in the Capital Budget, would fully fund the design and permitting necessary over the next two years to keep the Project on schedule for start of construction in 2027. Supporters of DERT should please contact their legislators, let them know of the critical importance of this funding, and ask for their support.

Looking for more ways to engage in the health of Puget Sound? DERT is excited to offer this citizen science Microplastics Sampling event! Mark your calendars for March 1, from 12-2pm at Squaxin Park. Limited spots will be available, so look out for sign-ups to open up in February.

Why Microplastics?

Microplastics are an emerging contaminant of concern that are linked to numerous human and environmental health problems. Understanding where microplastic contamination occurs and at what levels can help guide policymakers to take action in critical areas. Learn more from our partners, Puget Soundkeeper.

Meet Our New Team Members

Do you have watershed news to share?

Send it to us at info@deschutesestuary.org

DERT'S mission is to realize a fully restored Deschutes Estuary that reflects and respects the history and culture of the south Salish Sea, and advocate for a community managed Deschutes watershed that provides for all inhabitants for generations to come.

SQUAXIN ISLAND TRIBE

COMMUNITY SUSTAINING FUND



CLIMATE COMMITMENT ACT

THE FREAS FOUNDATION

ROSE FOUNDATION

FOR COMMUNITIES & ENVIRONMENT

THE RUSSELL FAMILY FOUNDATION



AMAZON SMILE

INSPIRE OLYMPIA

PUGET SOUNDKEEPER

NISQUALLY INDIAN TRIBE



WA STATE COMBINED FUND DRIVE

THE PARC FOUNDATION

THE MARIA RUTH FUND

Support for Deschutes Restoration and Community Engagement and the Microplastics Sampling Event was provided by the Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund, a grantmaking fund enabled by Waste Action Project and other Clean Water Act advocates’ program to protect the health of Puget Sound and its residents by enforcing federal water quality laws against serious violators. The Fund’s goal is to mitigate past pollution runoff by supporting community-based efforts to protect or improve the water quality of Puget Sound. The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment administers the Fund to enable community-based watershed stewardship in close nexus with the specifics of the enabling settlements.