Snohomish County Conservation and Natural Resource Director Tom Teigen and Energy and Sustainability leader Molly Beeman discussed their vision for their portion of the budget for the coming year. They will continue to focus on effective management and working toward land conservation. They also discussed the challenges faced by the Forest Service and DNR due to illicit activities in their forest areas, and the need for a committee, perhaps formed from an existing standing committee, to monitor the implementation of the new urban tree canopy policy.
Tom explained that the county had not taken the 1% increase allowed by law for the past eight years. However, this year, the county decided to take the 1% increase and add an additional 3%. Tom clarified that this increase would only apply to the 5.4% of the county's general fund, which is a small portion of the overall taxes. Tom highlighted the efficiency and effectiveness of the park management. They sponsor numerous ways and events to engage the public. He mentioned the concerns around surface water and the potential impacts of funding cuts on projects. Tom expressed gratitude for the support from the League of Women Voters and other community groups. He hopes to hire more Park Rangers and encourages a biannual budget.
Molly then shared a PowerPoint on the Community-wide Climate Resiliency Plan Project, the Land Conservation Strategy Plan, the LIDAC (Low Income and Disadvantage Community) Data Project, the Climate Action Advisory Committee, and the Interdepartmental Climate Resiliency Committee. She also mentioned the upcoming Earth Day event in April and the Energy Smart Loan Program. Other states and counties look to the waste saving measures at our county’s Earth Day event as an inspiration. One outcome of the Climate Resiliency Plan Project is a map to determine needs and strengths within the county. Most of Molly’s staff operates under grants.
Molly indicated that she would soon be able to share the criteria now used for prioritizing land conservation. Right now, all is still in draft. Kate asked about the possibility of more “community forests” rather than simply “working forests.” She invited Tom and Molly to visit a potential one in Darrington. You can find a recording of the guest speakers on our YouTube page
here.
Chair Joan Smith led the remaining portions of the meeting. She commented on the successful holiday gathering at Adopt-a-Stream. She praised members who took the time to comment on the amendment to the Comprehensive Plan 2024 Critical Areas that would have severely impacted wetlands and riparian zones. The Council decision was delayed. Regular general meetings have proven successful with members.
Transportation – Steve Trautwein prepared a written report that focused on Washington State Ferries (WSF). Steve shared a five-point proposal by Josh Farley to Governor Ferguson from the article (Josh Farley, “How to Right the Ship”, The Seattle Times, January 12, 2025) :
- Preserve the current fleet.
- Prepare for the best (electrification), but expect the worst (high bids).
- Boost pay below decks.
- Elevate the WSF chief to the governor’s cabinet.
- Lay the groundwork for more “mosquitoes.” “Mosquitoes” are small, often independent boat connections, such as may run to Blake Island or Hat Island. They have small capacities and varied schedules.
Urban Tree Canopy/ Legacy Forests – Kate Lunceford
- Efforts to preserve the County’s Legacy forests are supported with the election of Dave Upthegrove, who has paused harvests by DNR. Kate emphasized this is a pause.
- Kate will attempt to organize a new committee to take on the work of implementing the Urban Tree Canopy policy. Joan suggested some link for a League webpage, getting a list of collaborators and generating a fixed meeting time.
- Edmonds Marsh Advocates – Marjie Fields reported recent efforts to protest the wetland amendment.
- Sierra Club – Nancy Johnson has had ongoing seminars on “Kicking Gas” to initiate individual actions toward electrification.
Joan asked for additional speaker ideas. Molly Beeman suggested Jay Tavares Brown, who manages the Healthy Forest program in the County. Julie Martinson had emailed a suggestion of the environmental reporter, Eliza Aronson for
The Herald. Joan recommended Malcolm Gladwell’s newest book,
Revenge of the Tipping Point and also
Co-intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick.
This article and summary were assisted by ZOOM AI!
NEXT MEETING: February 21, 10:00 A.M. by ZOOM. Guest speaker will be Kristin Kelly of Futurewise, who will share the upcoming and ongoing issues for planning and development in our county.
This article was updated on 2/3/25 to correct that the shared five point proposal on Washington State Ferries came from an article addressed to the Governor, rather than from the Governor's office.