On March 29th, 2017, about one hundred participants spanning academia, nonprofits, government, health, funders, business, and community-based organizations gathered for a day-long convening to explore how a more robust and strategic regional collaboration among public and private partners c
-
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY
-
On May 2nd the American Farmland Trust speaker series on farms and food will continue with "Re-Imagining Local Grains." The talk will be given by Dr. Steve Jones, a professor, wheat breeder, and Director of the WSU Bread Lab.
When: Monday, May 2nd from 6 to 8pm.
Where: Stone Way Cafe (3510 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA)
Regional Challenges: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
(Example of a "high-complexity" street with greenery and a variety of facades. Photo Source: Tony Webster from San Francisco, CA.)
Regional Challenges: HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY
-
By Nancy Rottle
(Photo Source: King County Sheriff's Office)Filed under: COMMUNITYRegional Challenges: -
The City Project is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, California that works on equal access to parks and green space, transportation, and related issues at the intersection of social justice, sustainable regional planning, and smart growth. The State of California requires county and city general plans as well as proposed new development projects to address environmental justice matters.
Regional Challenges: HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
By Sarah Titcomb
(Photo Source: SMacAfee)Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -
By Sarah Titcomb
Urban sprawl follows a predictable pattern. As populations rise, the pressure to expand developed areas outside of the congested urban core and into the seemingly empty rural areas, also grows. In a dramatic role reversal earlier this week, 150 acres that had been previously platted and permitted for subdivision in Arlington, was actually developed into a farm.
Regional Challenges: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL EQUITY -
Regional Challenges:
-
By Rachel Gregg
Regional Challenges: CLIMATE CHANGE -
Regional Challenges:
-
Within the Central Puget Sound Region lies Kitsap County, where ROSS’s efforts are heavily focused. And this November, the area is putting on a number of events that relate directly to open space and the five regional challenges.
Celebrate the Return of Salmon
The first will be held on Saturday, November 14 on Chico Creek. Participants will be able to watch and learn about migrating salmon – a topic greatly linked to the region’s biodiversity. The event is free and will be held at two different locations.
Regional Challenges: -
By Sarah Titcomb & Andrea Mojzak
Around the world, September 18 marked PARK(ing) day. This is an international event where residents, artists, planners, architects, and designers work together to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into small urban parks and open spaces. And here in the Puget Sound region, we couldn't help but participate.
Regional Challenges: -
Are you or the other members of your organization looking to connect with others passionate about the Green-Duwamish watershed? Consider volunteering at the Duwamish Alive! restoration event on April 18th to join the hundreds of volunteers cleaning up over a dozen sites throughout the area.
Filed under: COMMUNITY, DISASTER MITIGATIONRegional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, HUMAN HEALTH -
The Kitsap Forest & Bay Project is a landscape-level effort to conserve up to 6,700 acres of forest, wetlands and shoreline surrounding Port Gamble Bay in north Kitsap County. The Project is a once-in-history opportunity to help sustain our region's quality of life, environmental health, and economic vitality. It has the potential to shape the future of the entire Kitsap Peninsula and has been championed by a broad coalition of partners including Kitsap County, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Suquamish Tribe, Great Peninsula Conservancy, Forterra, Pope Resources and the community at large.
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
We are Excited to Introduce the New ROSS Team!
The beginning of this year saw transitions in the ROSS team, as long-time staff have moved onto new, exciting opportunities and new staff was welcomed to the team.
After much anticipation, we are proud to announce Ikuno Masterson as the new ROSS Senior Planner. Ikuno has been involved in both public and private sector planning in the region for over 25 years. She has dedicated her career to integrating the built environment with the natural environment and is looking forward to continuing to do so through her leadership on the ROSS.
Continue reading for an brief introduction to the rest of the team!
Regional Challenges: -
Martha Kongsgaard, ROSS Executive Committee Member and Chair of the Puget Sound Partnership, recently co-authored a guest opinion piece in the Seattle Times about Orca whales and salmon with Ken Balcomb, Executive Director of the Center for Whale Research, and David Troutt, the Director of the Nisqually Indian Tribe Natural Resources. Continue reading to learn more about this article and the difficulty of steward the survival of two endangered species, when one eats the other.
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY -
Did you know the 8th Annual South Sound Sustainability Expo is happening this weekend? This event is a great opportunity to connect with private and public organizations whose work support environmentally sustainable practices. Learn more about the event here.
Regional Challenges: CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH -
The Washington State Legislature is considering a $50 million budget proposal to fund projects following the Floodplains by Design approach. If approved, we could see more of our local river communities taking this ecosystems approach to floodplain management. We recommend you read two local sucess stories for projects completed in Pierce and King County.
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, HUMAN HEALTH -
We are delighted to share with you a new study that looks at the contribution of outdoor recreation to Washington’s economy. Here are some of the results:
Regional Challenges: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH -
It seems like a perennial challenge to create well-utilized open space in urban settings! Many cities suffer from a lack of trees and green spaces. The street grid imposes limits on developing new open space. These challenges are even more profound in dense urban neighborhoods, like Seattle's First Hill.
Regional Challenges: -
The ROSS Team recently gathered with our Executive Committee to update them on our activities and the milestones we have achieved over the past six-months. We are always eager to meet with our leaders and partners, and the evening's meeting did not disappoint.
Regional Challenges: -
We highly recommend you read this thoughtful – and visually stunning – article about the impact of climate change on our beloved Mt. Rainier. From glacier melt to habitat shifts, the challenges of data prediction to the tension between human intervention, policy and practice, this article reveals the complexity of a changing climate on an iconic landscape.
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE -
At our recent ROSS Project Leadership Team meeting we asked our participating partners what the most important developments in open space have been for their organizations in 2014 and what they are looking forward to in 2015. We were excited and inspired by the great strides that have been made to protect and enhance open space in the Central Puget Sound and beyond over the last year. We know that the efforts mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg for these organizations and the region. While there is much more work to do to ensure and protect open space, we are delighted to celebrate these great achievements and look towards the future. Join us!
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
Have you seen this inspiring video from Green Duwamish/Central Puget Sound's Salmon Conservation and Restoration efforts? Watch "Green the Green" and be prepared to tap some deep local pride in this incredible green landscape we call home. A celebration of our open space benefits and a beautiful, compelling call to action, this 3 minute video reminds us of the important efforts we must invest in to clean and protect our watershed to maintain our rich cultural and natural heritage.
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
We are delighted to share the great efforts of the Mountains to Sound Greenway, Stewardship Partners and their Snoqualmie Valley partners for their visionary planning in the watershed. This beautiful "report card" reflects the thoughtful work they are doing to create a robust watershed plan to protect and enhance their forests, farms and rural lands that make up 96% of their land and provide essential ecosystem services for the entire Puget Sound region.
Filed under: AESTHETIC, AIR, COMMUNITY, CULTURAL, DISASTER MITIGATION, EDUCATION, FOOD, MATERIALS, PLAY, SHELTER, TRANSPORT, WATER, WORKRegional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
Ryan Mello, Executive Director of the Pierce Conservation District and Tacoma City Councilman is our first guest contributor in a series that highlights 2014 successes in open space and visions for 2015. Among other things the PCD has more than 60 years of history of providing agricultural assistance in the Puyallup watershed – one of the biggest producers of food in our region.
Regional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, SOCIAL EQUITY -
Everyone can get excited about building new parks, but the formation of Seattle Parks District indicates that our region realizes the importance of maintaining the legacy of green space we’ve already invested in. This complements government agencies like Metro Parks Tacoma and donation-based partnerships like King County Parks Foundation in providing a more reliable stream of resources so managers of park systems can be more effective in maintaining existing assets or building anew. The ROSS is working with partners across the region to enhance our collective impact to ensure the portfolio of our investments in open space enhance nature’s benefits.
Regional Challenges: SOCIAL EQUITY -
It has been a busy summer for us here at the ROSS. Not only have we been hard at work on our open space services work and entering into an agreement with King County and the City of Seattle for the Green-Duwamish WOSS you may have read about earlier this month, we’ve also been developing a new website.
Filed under: AESTHETIC, AIR, COMMUNITY, CULTURAL, DISASTER MITIGATION, EDUCATION, ENERGY, FOOD, HEALTH, MATERIALS, PLAY, SHELTER, TRANSPORT, WASTE, WATER, WORKRegional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
Monday, September 9, marked a seminal moment in open space planning, as King County and the City of Seattle, in the presence of community groups, natural resource agencies and local news media, announced plans to develop a Green/Duwamish Watershed Strategy.
Filed under: AESTHETIC, AIR, COMMUNITY, CULTURAL, DISASTER MITIGATION, EDUCATION, ENERGY, FOOD, HEALTH, MATERIALS, PLAY, SHELTER, TRANSPORT, WASTE, WATER, WORKRegional Challenges: BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, SOCIAL EQUITY -
Our June 11th Executive Committee meeting concluded with a tour of The Bullitt Center and our first “Open Space Social” to provide a networking opportunity for colleagues from around the region. It was a fun, festive event – stay tuned for information on future Open Space Socials in the future. We plan to host more of them!
Filed under: COMMUNITYRegional Challenges: -
It has been an exciting several months for those of us involved in developing the Puyallup-White Watershed Open Space Strategy (WOSS). Thanks to the collaborative approach and broad participation from many of you, a vision is beginning to take shape. The WOSS process is emerging as a possible springboard for a Big Idea that has lived in the watershed for years: a coalition of organizations, businesses and agencies coordinating across a broad range of projects to ensure the watershed as an ecosystem is healthy and continues to deliver the broad range of benefits to the region.
Regional Challenges: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -
ROSS is in the planning stages of work for its next Watershed Open Space Strategy: the Snohomish. And thanks to the pioneering work of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and a number of other ROSS partners, there is already a solid foundation of watershed-scale planning to build from.
Regional Challenges: