Conservation Corner

As Conservation Chair, as well as Editor of the Kingfisher, I get to
represent Kitsap Audubon on the West Sound Conservation Council and the Washington State Audubon Conservation Council. I’m also involved in Kitsap Conservation Voters and the Hood Canal Sierra Club
group. It’s exciting to have a ringside seat when our state and county lawmakers address environmental issues and priorities. It’s a special privilege to connect with environmental champions like Senator Phil Rockefeller, who has had a leading role in advancing our environmental agenda. Because of leaders like him, the environmental community has batted pretty close to 1,000 in each of the last two state legislative sessions. The article on page 4 provides an overview and scorecard on how we fared with this year’s “Priorities for a Healthy Washington.”

Great Peninsula Future Festival: You might wonder why we are giving so much attention to this August
event. Kitsap Audubon Society and West Sound Conservation Council, as well as Stillwaters and Kitsap Conservation Voters, are among the many community organizations represented on the planning council
for this nonprofit educational event. The theme is sustainability. We believe we must change our unsustainable culture of consumption and waste. The Great Peninsula Future Festival will combine family fun, good food and entertainment with interactive exhibits on green products and technology. We hope families come for the fun and leave with a better understanding of how their daily lifestyle choices affect the environment.

Re-Leaf For Stormwater Management
There’s an old saying: “If you’re digging yourself into a hole, the first step is to stop digging.” The Evergreen Cities Bill introduced in this session of the State legislature is aimed at reversing the loss of our urban forests.

The Evergreen State is losing trees at an alarming rate. Aerial photos of Silverdale show the area has lost 50% of its trees in the last 30 years. Yet, the lessons of the recent fl ash floods seem clear. A combination of clear-cutting and replacing trees with impervious surfaces—roofs and pavement--has magnified the severity of fl ash flooding and increased the stormwater runoff that has been identified as the number one source of pollution in Puget Sound. Satellite images of Puget Sound, spanning a 24-year period, show a dramatic decline in tree cover and its replacement with impervious surfaces. Based on this study, the loss of trees increased stormwater runoff by 35%. Replacing this lost stormwater retention capacity with reservoirs and other engineering systems along the eastern edge of Puget Sound would cost $2.4 billion. The lost tree canopy would have removed 35 million pounds of pollutants from the atmosphere annually, at a value of $95 million.

The Evergreen Cities Bill will provide funding and encourage partnerships to help local governments update tree ordinances and management plans to grow healthy trees and urban forests. The bill will
establish statewide performance standards for the retention of our urban canopy, guaranteeing the esthetic and economic benefits of healthy trees in our communities Washington is expected to add another 2.3 million people by 2030. We need to take steps now to ensure that the Evergreen State continues to have Evergreen Cities. --Gene Bullock

Redefining the "Good Life"  (download a copy here)

Redefining the “Good Life”

With so many grim predictions about global warming, dwindling oil and environmental calamity, it’s easy to feel hopeless. But a growing number of families are choosing action over denial and despair. Instead of accepting the gloomy predictions, they’re taking stock of their daily choices and finding inventive ways to minimize waste.

Some changes are easy, such as switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs and bringing durable shopping bags from home. Some take a little more effort, such as turning down the thermostat and wearing a sweater instead of keeping all rooms a cozy 70-plus degrees. But there is no shortage of resourcefulness among those who are serious about reducing their impact on the environment.

The boldest are downsizing to smaller, more energy efficient homes. Many are installing solar panels and buying hybrid cars. Not everyone is able to go to these lengths; but there is a growing desire to move beyond the culture of consumption and waste.

Ray and Charlotte Garrido have converted their VW beetle to run on 99% biodiesel. They feed their table scraps to the chickens, which supply them with eggs and fertilizer for the garden. They use a battery powered lawn mower--and sheep-- to keep grass cropped short. And they telecommute at least one day a week.

Lillian Crawford says she nags her husband when he leaves lights on and has switched to a kitty litter that doesn’t require strip mining and can be used as mulch. She also reuses the blank sides of copier paper for scratch notes and routine copying.

Chris Christensen goes to the “Catalog Choice” website www.catalogchoice.org to tell mailers to stop sending her catalogues. She says it gave her a sense of triumphal accomplishment to list 27 catalogues she does not want in her mailbox.

It is easy being “green” if you put your mind to it, says Mary Hrudkaj. “Once it becomes a part of your life you don't have to think about it. You just do it.” An avid birdwatcher, Mary now limits most of her birding to local areas. Her parents lived through the Great Depression and World War II, so she grew up with reminders not to waste. The depression-era adage was, “use it up, wear it out or do without.” In a pre-disposable era families handed clothing down to younger siblings, cousins and friends and people saved jars to store odds and ends.

Karen Salsbury says she hasn’t bought incandescents in years…except for Christmas lights, a big oops! She has stopped getting a newspaper and shares one at work. She pays bills on line to save paper. She has trained her children to recharge batteries and washes clothes and dishes during off-peak hours. She uses a clothesline when weather permits. She shuns Styrofoam and disposables and takes her own mug when she buys a cup of coffee. She keeps car tire pressures up to help fuel mileage. She also captures the cold water while waiting for hot and uses it for drinking, dogs and plants. She charges her kids ten cents if they leave a light on (“not consistent about it, but it’s always met with grins”). She tries to buy used instead of new. And she reuses lunch bags, zip-locks and yogurt containers for lunches and leftovers.

Sara and Byron Kane try to buy for the long haul and keep appliances and other major purchases as long as possible. “We try to recycle everything we possibly can and keep potentially toxic things out of the
garbage. Batteries, oil and antifreeze all go to the recycle center. We don't use fertilizers on the lawn - it grows fast enough without it. We don't use poisons in the gardens and I clean house with the mildest of products.”

Linda Gabriel keeps her thermostat programmed for 67 degrees when she is home and awake, and 57 degrees when she is away or sleeping. She drives a Prius, but says her next car will be all electric if they are available and affordable. Linda buys clothing and household items at thrift shops whenever she can. “I raised my daughters to shop thrift shops and consignment shops. One just bought me an outfit at a consignment store in Florida. I'll bring it home when I visit them next, rather than having her package and mail it to me.”

Sharon Peterson washes plastic zip-lock bags and water bottles and reuses them. She also does home canning and reuses the jars year after year.

Claudia Kilburn just had vinyl windows installed in their 29-year-old home. “I try to purchase locally grown food and other products. I also try to purchase from locally owned businesses. Sometimes it is not possible, but I do my best (in other words, I have never set foot in the Wal-Mart at Olhava!) I know I could do better, but I am on the right path. If we do all the right things and global warming isn't caused by man then what have we lost?”

With a new baby, Carol Ann Davidson buys used strollers and hand-me-down clothes, and uses mostly compostable diapers. She also uses biodegradable (made from corn starch) trash and doggie waste bags. Other measures include buying organic food from a local farm share and using cloth napkins and rags instead of paper. They grow some of their own food and use soaker hoses and drought tolerant plants.

Jan Meredith has a worm bin. “The worms eat all my vegetable/fruit waste, so I get to harvest a bit of great soil twice yearly.”

Lee Robinson says her biggest energy saver is to ride her bike to work. “It's great exercise, and I don't melt when it rains! My husband has ridden his bike to work in Seattle for all 19 of the years we have lived here.”

Bernie Henzi says they recycle everything they can and that usually means two trips to the transfer station with recyclables versus one trip with garbage (“still too much for me”). They also bought a used Prius, grow vegetables organically, compost and recycle horse manure from five horses.

Beth Wilson says her family has adopted most of the usual energy saving strategies, but she hasn’t found a good alternative to going to work in Tacoma alone in her hybrid car. She limits Christmas gifts to one per person or gifts of donations to social justice agencies and buys all the organic food she can afford. She reuses the blank sides of printer paper and irons gift wrapping paper, as well as recycling ribbons. She uses recycled paper towels and toilet paper.
Lou Richard says he and Sally have lots still to do, but they’re on the way. In addition to buying a hybrid car and recycling, they plan to install solar panels on their roof. They have purchased a second home for their older years, which is currently rented. The new home is half the size and within walking distance of shopping and the ferry.
Chris Christensen says she now washes clothes in cold water and hangs them up to air dry 30% of the time. “We try to not drive our car two days/week. We also find that keeping tire pressure at recommended levels increases mileage by 2-4 miles per gallon. This seems just a little silly, but I have used lots of paper tissues to blot my nose and it finally occurred to me to raid my husband's cloth handkerchief drawer. I now carry a cotton handkerchief with me and have drastically reduced the use of paper tissues in our household. These are all easy things to do, and not in any way a sacrifice.”

Sandy Bullock quips that they have two recycled dogs, one a rescued stray from Mexico and the other from a rescue shelter in Yakima. They now walk their dogs in the neighborhood, rather than driving to a park. Husband Gene buys clothes at the thrift shop. He mows his grass less often, which Sandy says is certainly less “exhausting.” The mower and many items of furniture are from yard sales. The Bullocks have planted nine trees in their yard, including two apple trees, and raise their own vegetables. The Bullocks downsized to a much smaller house and yard when they retired and carpool whenever possible to meetings and Audubon field trips.

Most people want to preserve the environment and natural resources that make Kitsap such a special place to live. But they don’t want to give up anything. It’s easier to make excuses and duck the tough choices.

Fortunately, more families are rethinking their lifestyles. Instead of defining the “good life” in terms of owning more “stuff,” they’re taking serious steps toward a more sustainable future.

LARGE TREE FOUND NEAR SUQUAMISH A huge Western Red Cedar tree has been discovered in the Cowling Creek watershed by members of the “Friends of Miller Bay”. The tree measures 18 feet around at its base, is estimated to be over 100 feet tall, and is between 300 and 400 years old. For more information, visit their website at: www.friendsofmillerbay.org. Or contact Niki Quester at 360-297-7449 or nquester@earthlink.net

DID YOU KNOW? It is estimated that one acre of trees can absorb four tons of carbon annually. That's the amount of carbon released by burning 1,000 gallons of gasoline. Of the billion pounds of pesticides used each year in the U.S., less than 1% reaches a pest. Every day the earth receives enough solar energy to heat every home in the world for one year. It takes 20 trees to keep one baby in disposable diapers for two years. You use anywhere from 15-25 gallons of water for a bath, but less than 10 gallons during a 5 minute shower (even less by taking a “sea” shower, using a low-flow showerhead!) The average American throws away (landfill!) his/her own weight in packaging every month. (here's one area where it's good to be sub-average!) source for these “Did you Knows?” is Save Our Planet by Diane MacEachern.

The Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife operates several miniature cameras studying the behavior of Bald Eagles and other Washington wildlife species. The most popular of these WildWatch cameras is the EagleCam that allows internet surfers to watch almost-live pictures of a nesting Bald Eagle family. Visit WildWatch to see the EagleCam and other WDFW cameras.

Along the lines of "practicing what we preach", here are nine easy ways to help conserve our natural resources: 

1:  Skip a trip Eliminating one 20 mile trip in a vehicle per week will prevent 1000 tons of pollution from entering the atmosphere and will save gasoline. 

2: Eat less beef If you can avoid only one beef dish per week, it will conserve 40,000 gallons of water & 70 lbs of topsoil. 

3:  Hold the shrimp By passing on the shrimp, you'll help reduce the incidental "by-catch" of sea life by up to 12 lbs that commercial fishing vessels take from our oceans. 

4:  Cut Back on the Junk Mail If 1000 people reduce the junk mail they receive by one half, 170 trees will not have to be cut down. This also will contribute to scaling back on fossil fuel combustion and use of chemicals. 

5: Use compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Fluorescent bulbs use far less energy to produce the same amount of light as standard incandescent bulbs. Replace four incandescents with fluorescents and watch your energy bill decrease!

6:  Adjust your Thermostat Put on a sweatshirt and turn down that thermostat by 3 degrees in winter. Thousands of cubic feet of natural gas conserved will be the result. 

7: Keep Poisons out of your lawn & garden Diazinon (there's that word again!!) and Atrazine are toxic chemicals that are common ingredients in just about every Weed & Feed product on the market. They kill a lot more than dandelions!! Avoid using products with these ingredients. 

8: Water Conservation Installing faucet aerators and efficient, low-flow showerheads can save 8000 gallons of water annually. 

9:  Convince 2 friends to join you Visit www.newdream.org/turnthetide for ideas and tips on conservation. TURN THE TIDE !! By each doing a little now, in the end we all accomplish a lot.

KAS Supports the Clean Water for Salmon Campaign by Bruce Gundersen 

Numerous studies have confirmed that various pesticides adversely affect the endocrine or hormone systems of salmon. The development, behavior, swimming ability, defensive responses, and reproduction of salmon are harmed, and in some cases large fish kills have occurred. The U.S. Geological Survey has found 15 different pesticides in N.W. rivers and streams to be at hazardous levels. KAS has joined with other groups in supporting the Clean Water for Salmon Campaign. The goal is to restrict the use of harmful pesticides and to increase the use of alternative practices so salmon are afforded a safe water source to remain a viable part of our heritage. For further information, visit: www.pesticide.org

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)

America’s last great pristine wilderness area is right now faced with having it’s fate decided by the U.S. Senate. The House of Representatives voted in August to allow drilling for oil and gas in ANWR. The vote of the Senate is now the key. Please urge our Senators to protect ANWR. Contact Sen. Patty Murray (Seattle 206-553-5545 or Wash. DC 202-224-2621) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (Seattle 206-220-6400 or Wash. DC 202-224-3441) and ask that they vote against drilling in this wilderness. Both Senators have their Seattle offices at 915 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98174 and their Washington DC offices in the Russell Senate Bldg., Washington DC 20510.

Let’s all heed the call of our KAS President and become effective advocates for ANWR by joining the Audubon Action Alert at 1-800-659-2622 or email at audubonaction@audubon.org

To Find and Reach Your Legislator Click Here

Kitsap Audubon Society PO Box 961 Poulsbo, Washington 98370