Unfolding in our community is an inspirational story of how a handful of public-school science teachers trumped public controversy with a genuinely good idea that has captured the support of state, county and local politicians and government leaders.
The “idea” put a positive spin on the extremely controversial decision to locate a billion-dollar wastewater treatment plant north of Woodinville in south Snohomish County. Months and months of public discussion ensued — much of it reaching vitriolic proportions similar to that surrounding the final run-up to next month’s presidential election.
Quietly working on the sidelines, and independent but parallel to the decision-making process, was a group of farsighted educators — including Aaron Feik, John Schmied, Mike Reed, Marie Hartford, Brian Healy, Nancy Bernard and Chuck Collins. They methodically put together a bold plan based on how “mitigation fees” could be channeled for environmental education purposes.
Finally, last week, these members of the nonprofit Friends of the Hidden River unveiled the practical outcome of a long period of dedicated energy and determination spent assembling a plan to provide a regional center to attract the study of the natural sciences in an exceptional outdoor classroom — the 70 acres of natural habitat surrounding the underground Brightwater treatment plant.
The occasion was the celebration of a reclamation project involving 160 elementary and junior-high students and teachers, who spent their day going station to station to observe plant growth, water conditions, bird habitat, soil conditions and dense forest prevalent throughout this unique classroom. Stakeholders observing closely were former governor Gary Locke, the state’s ”first gentleman” Mike Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims and State Representative Al O’Brien.
Students conducted important soil and water testing and forest studies to evaluate how restoration efforts at the Brightwater site are affecting the health of the ecosystem. They carefully planted 500 native plants at various locations across the site.
In the next two years, visiting students of science projects will prepare for the time when indoor laboratories will be completed and equipped within the Regional Community Environmental Education Center, already designed through a legislative grant and due to get under construction next year.
The teachers convinced the state to provide a million dollars toward this building. King County devoted $8 million of mitigation dollars for the habitat and the community center and the “Friends” are hot on the trail in Olympia for $1.1 million to outfit the environmental center. In the interim, a total of 2,000 square feet of indoor space will be remodeled for an interim outreach center.
This new center is the result of a unique partnership forged by Feik, Schmied and company — state, county, private sources, nine school districts and even Cascadia Community College and University of Washington, Bothell. Stay tuned. This will become another community gem before you know it.
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Community-based scholarships available to 2009 graduating high-school seniors and offered through the Northshore Scholarship Foundation are now posted to the foundation’s Web site. The address is HYPERLINK “http://www.ns-scholarship.org” www.ns-scholarship.org with application forms available only on the Web site.
The foundation and its sponsors — the Rotary clubs of Woodinville and Northshore and the Kiwanis Club of Northshore — will have 74 scholarships available in a wide assortment of educational fields. The total value is $154,075.
John Hughes was owner-publisher of the Northshore Citizen from 1961 to 1988 and is active in local nonprofit organizations.
