National Wildlife Federation’s Chill Out Competition Recognizes Wetlands Restoration

April 10, 2008

Bothell, WA — The co-located campus of Cascadia Community College and UW Bothell is now getting national recognition for its efforts to protect the environment. Fresh off Salmon Safe certification, the joint campus community is proud to announce it just received top honors in the National Wildlife Federation's Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming competition. Cascadia/UW Bothell's campus was the winner in the category of Habitat Restoration, for the campus' 58-acre urban wetlands restoration project. The honor includes $1,000 in prize money.
 

"This is a remarkable achievement," said Cascadia Community College President Bill Christopher. "Being selected as a winner by Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming is a testament to the many talented, caring people who work hard to make Cascadia and the University of Washington Bothell an eco-friendly campus."
 
Adds UW Bothell Chancellor Kenyon Chan, "UW Bothell and Cascadia Community College share a true passion for not only sustaining, but improving our local habitat. We are delighted by this recognition and look forward to continuing to find new and innovative ways to protect our environment."
 
The Cascadia/UW Bothell campus wetlands restoration project is renowned for its scope and success. It is one of the largest urban wetland restorations in the Pacific Northwest. Years of careful maintenance have turned a former farm into a viable ecosystem for fish, birds, insects, and native plants. Ensuring the health of the wetlands is tied to the way the rest of the campus is managed; Pesticides are banned from campus, storm runoff is carefully controlled and filtered, and use of over-polluting landscaping equipment has been curtailed.
 

The Chill Out program is in its second year. Previous winners include schools that have built large solar power instillations, converted to geothermal energy, or taken other dramatic steps to reduce their carbon output.
 

Winners will be officially announced Wednesday, April 16 in a nationwide webcast, broadcast to participating colleges and universities. Cascadia will be hosting a Chill Out viewing party at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday in room 360.

For further media inquiries, please contact:

• Dan Rinder
• Assistant Director of Communications & Marketing
• (425) 352-8256 or drinder@cascadia.edu