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March 7, 2008
Bothell, WA — Salmon-Safe and its Seattle-based outreach partner The Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS) announced today that the Washington State Department of Ecology headquarters campus, Port of Seattle Parks, and the co-located campus of University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia Community College have become the first urban Washington sites to achieve Salmon-Safe certification.
The certifications mark the expansion of Salmon-Safe in Washington from farms to the city and offer landowners new tools to improve salmon habitat that go above and beyond regulations. The designation was awarded for safeguards each campus deploys to protect water quality and salmon habitat, as well as commitments each organization has made to further reduce its environmental impact over time. Salmon-Safe certification means landowners go above and beyond regulations to adopt significant and specific measures that restore in-stream habitat, conserve water, protect streamside habitat and wetlands on site, reduce erosion and sedimentation, and reduce or eliminate the use of chemical pesticides through integrated pest management. Certification is awarded only after comprehensive on-site assessments by an independent team of environmental science and water quality experts based on Salmon-Safe’s rigorous standards. Salmon Safe is a leading regional eco-label that in 11 years has certified more than 60,000 acres of farm and urban lands in Oregon and Washington. Washington’s Salmon-Safe Corporate and Institutional Campus Initiative was launched in April 2007 by NBIS with support from Puget Sound Partnership.
“Salmon-Safe certification represents precisely the kind of rigorous and science-based yet voluntary approach that will be essential to the recovery of imperiled Puget Sound salmon,” said Puget Sound Partnership Executive Director David Dicks. “These first Seattle urban certifications open the door for other corporate and institutional campuses to adopt Salmon-Safe measures that contribute to the restoration of Puget Sound.” The certifications mark a significant new opportunity for businesses and urban landowners to participate in reducing impacts and restoring the health of Puget Sound’s watersheds. “These ecologically innovative landowners are adopting healthier practices so salmon can spawn and thrive,” said Dan Kent, Salmon-Safe managing director. “We look forward to further expansion of urban campus certifications in Washington.” University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia Community College received certification for their jointly managed 128-acre campus located along North Creek, a tributary to the Sammamish River. “As an educational institution that increasingly is incorporating sustainability in our research and teaching, we were interested in applying the latest watershed protection concepts in our own backyard,” said UW Bothell Chancellor Kenyon S. Chan. “At Cascadia, we want to be out in front, when it comes to the environment,” commented Cascadia Community College President Dr. William Christopher. “Being designated Salmon-Safe helps us show that this campus is doing its part to not only pass-on “green” values to our students, but make sure our true environmental footprint matches those philosophies as well.” Further refining already well-developed environmental management programs, UW Bothell and Cascadia Community College met Salmon-Safe requirements including reducing stormwater runoff from developed parts of the campus, reductions in pesticide and fertilizer use, further water conservation, and commitment to Salmon-Safe design and construction management for planned future campus expansion and development. Salmon-Safe assessment also validated the excellence of the campus’s 58-acre wetland restoration project along North Creek, a fully restored research and teaching site adjacent to the campus that provides potential migration, spawning and rearing habitat for juvenile and adult steelhead and salmon. Mary Rose, NBIS Co-Director states, “The awarding of these first certifications is just the beginning of Washington’s Salmon-Safe Corporate and Institutional Campus Initiative. Today, the Port of Seattle, UW Bothell and Cascadia Community College, and the Washington State Department of Ecology are inspiring concerned business leaders and landowners to follow in their steps to help restore Puget Sound."
Additional Media Contacts: Sandy Howard, Department of Ecology, (360) 407-6408 Charla Skaggs, Port of Seattle, (206) 728-3235
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