Ten years, one name change and thousands of planted trees later, the Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington is ready to take on new projects.
Founded in 2008 as the Vancouver Watershed Alliance, the group focused almost exclusively on the quality of water within Vancouver’s city limits. Since then, it’s broadened to encompass environmental projects all over Clark County, including private property restoration, film series and multiple pilot programs.
“It grew and evolved,” said Geri Krominga, a founding member of the alliance’s board of directors. “We started (our) focus in the city of Vancouver, on Burnt Bridge Creek. Now, they’re trying to get more of a regional look and involvement so that we’re not just restricted to Burnt Bridge Creek.”
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the group raised $1,800 in online donations Sept. 20 as part of its #GiveMore24 campaign.
The alliance also threw a celebration at Hopworks Urban Brewery Vancouver on Sept. 19, said Executive Director Sunrise O’Mahoney, where about 60 people swapped stories and tried a new beer that was brewed for the occasion.
“We had a really good, diverse group of people that have been involved over the last 10 years,” O’Mahoney said.
Upon its founding, the main goal of the alliance was to partner with the city to improve the habitat along Burnt Bridge Creek through stewardship and tree planting. The group would also give out “micro-grants” to neighborhood associations to help alleviate small problems — providing solutions such as dog waste stations, cigarette butt receptacles and invasive tree removal, O’Mahoney said.
“That really was our core mission, was working on those type of projects,” she said. “Then fast forward more to where we are in the last couple of years, we’ve really expanded that mission.”
The four staffers at the alliance, along with hundreds of volunteers, still focus on stewardship, planting and cleanup programs. The alliance offers $22,500 annually in neighborhood micro-grants. But it also provides outreach and education, a free film series at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library and reimbursements of up to $1,600 to homeowners who make habitat improvements to their land along the Washougal River.
The alliance is also looking to launch new programs modeled after those troubleshooted in other parts of the state.
One such program is the Don’t Drip and Drive campaign started in King County. The campaign couples public awareness about leaky vehicles with leak-check events, in which drivers can get their vehicles checked and receive a discount on leak-plugging repairs from participating mechanics.
“We’re working with the program that originally did this, and now we’re creating a model that hopefully will be used around the state,” O’Mahoney said. Part of the program will involve collecting data on the types of leaks that appear in different vehicles, which will help guide a statewide toolkit on how and when to check your car.
“It’s something very new, and I’m really excited to be able to help with this,” she said.
Another program in the works is the Backyard Habitat pilot, in which an alliance staffer will visit homes within 200 feet of Burnt Bridge Creek to offer a free consultation on how to create a habitat-friendly property. They will work with the homeowner to create a planting plan and walk them through the steps of building a more environmentally-friendly backyard.
It’s part of the alliance’s expanded mission to partner with the public and private sectors.
“We have a lot that we do. Our original core was around tree planting on the ground — in the dirt planting trees. We love that and we do that,” O’Mahoney said, adding that storm water runoff is equally important in maintaining watershed health.
“Really looking at the holistic clean water — what can we do? Anything from not washing your car in the street to planting trees,” she said.
Every year, the watershed alliance participates in Make A Difference Day, when it gathers volunteers to plant native flora in local green spaces.
This year’s Make a Difference Day will start at 9 a.m. Oct. 27 at Leverich Park’s shelter. For more information, visit TheWatershedAlliance.org/?Portfolio=Make-A-Difference-Day.
