Happy November!

November is traditionally a time of giving thanks, with large and small gatherings of family and friends for meals and celebration.

This November DERT is celebrating several things. First and foremost is a very successful annual dinner auction and fundraiser, which we held at Octapas Cafe on October 26. We had a full house of around 75 people who enjoyed the food and drink, and the music supplied by local act "Out on a Limb". The live and silent auctions generated over $8000 in funds for DERT and its activities. Thanks to the generosity of our friends and supporters, we will be entering the new year on solid financial footing. So we’re sending out a big THANK YOU for that.

We are also thankful that the restoration project for the Deschutes River and Estuary continues to move forward. The state, the Squaxin Tribe, and local governments—including the Port of Olympia and LOTT--have approved the Interlocal Agreement (ILA) that spells out which governments will own and maintain different components of the restored Estuary, and how those governments will share the costs of future dredging to maintain the Deschutes River channel and Budd Bay. This is an important milestone in meeting the timeline for the entire project, and is a big piece of the foundation for future funding efforts.

DES is also meeting with both federal and state officials to educate them about the Deschutes Estuary Project and discuss permitting and funding. During the last week of October, DES staff and Squaxin Tribal leadership met with the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Corps of Engineers and Regional Program Managers for an impromptu tour of the Project site and future elements. The Squaxin Tribal members emphasized the importance of the area to the native people.

We still have a long way to go before finally achieving DERT’s vision of a restored Deschutes River and Estuary, which we have been pushing for since 2009. But we have made amazing progress this year, and are looking forward to continue working with the Squaxin Tribe, DES, and other parties to make the vision a reality.

Thank you to our supporters, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Dave Monthie

Board President

Didn't make it to our Annual Auction & Dinner?

For more information on the ILA, and the Project, please go to the DES website: deschutesestuaryproject.org.

Ann Larson of the Department of Enterprise Services, Squaxin Island Tribal Chairman Kris Peters, and other members of the Squaxin Island Tribe are joined by the Army Corps of Engineers at the Deschutes Estuary restoration site to learn more about the restoration project and discuss their engagement.

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.

Community Envisioned Deschutes Estuary

~ Coming January 2025 ~

How can we prepare to become an estuary city?

Many of you have expressed so much interest and excitement about what DERT is up to next. Thank you! A supportive community to walk into the future with truly keeps us going. We are excited to kick-off 2025 with an 8-part workshop series, Community Envisioned Deschutes Estuary (CEDE). The CEDE program is geared towards bringing our community in to start thinking about our next steps as we return to being the home of the Deschutes Estuary. We will focus on a variety of themes and bring in partners and stakeholders across a wide range of disciplines and sectors to strategize around education, stewardship, pollution, culture, development, recreation, and more. Please look out for more info from us in the coming months.

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

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

Support for Deschutes Restoration and Community Engagement 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.