Plant the Forest!

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Endangered Southern Resident killer whales depend on salmon as a critical prey resource from watersheds in Puget Sound and beyond. Salmon use the Sammamish River as a migratory corridor. Improving the water quality in the river will help both struggling salmon populations and orcas. Join us to prepare a new planting site at the former Wayne Golf Course. Vegetation will help shade and cool and clean a small stream emptying into the Sammamish River. Healthy riparian forests control erosion of riverbanks and host insects’ young salmon need early in life. The former Wayne Golf Course features nearly a mile of shoreline and is the largest City of Bothell Park.

No experience is necessary, and all ages are welcome! Bring your friends and family for a fun and educational day in the great outdoors. We’ll provide all the necessary planting materials and yummy snacks! Our activity will consist of planting trees and clearing out any invasive plant species.

Salmon Viewing and Restoration Tour

View Whale Scout’s Bear Creek restoration site and look for salmon! Join us for a walking tour exploring the habitat of naturally spawning fish. If these salmon successfully spawn, their offspring will potentially become food for endangered Southern Resident orcas!

Whale Scout will offer information about the restoration project on Bear Creek, salmon life cycle, and much more!

Please note, this is a private homesite. We will limit participants. Please sign up to reserve your spot. Since parking is limited onsite, we will park at PCC on Avondale Road in Redmond and walk about 10 minutes to the site. Please email with accessibility concerns.

Those 15 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Release forms will be required for all participants. A youth waiver is attached for those 16+ without a parent.

This is a free event. Salmon sightings obviously cannot be promised, as they are wild creatures operating under their own free-will 🙂

Naturaleza Nativa en Parques Públicos

  • Para celebrar el inicio del mes de la herencia hispana Whale Scout está organizando un recorrido por el antiguo Wayne campo de golf. 
  • Únase a nosotros en Septiembre 15th a las 5:30 para conocer más de la historia y proyectos actuales del antiguo campo de golf. 
  •  Conozca como la restauración de la ribereña conduce a unas orcas más saludables

Volunteer Watering Party!

Join Whale Scout to help keep the newly planted trees and shrubs at the former Wayne Golf Course alive and thriving! This future riparian forest will help shade and cool and clean water in the Sammamish River which salmon use to migrate from spawning streams and back from the ocean. Healthy riparian forests control erosion of river banks and host insects young salmon need early in life. The former Wayne Golf Course features nearly a mile of shoreline and is the largest City of Bothell park. These events will take place on the west side or “front nine.” 

To efficiently water plants, there are two sessions, 9 – 11 pm and 11am – 1pm. You can select one or both when you sign up. Those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, under 18 need a signed release form by a parent. Meet at the clubhouse parking area (16721 96th Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011). Please sign up. A confirmation email will be sent to you 2-3 days prior to the event.

Important – this activity will require lifting and carrying buckets of water weighting approximately 25 pounds over uneven terrain. If you would like to participate in other activities, sign up for the June 10th event where a variety of weeding will be offered.

This project is a partnership with the City of Bothell with funds provided by a donation from the Trammell Crow Company.

Volunteer Watering Party!

Join Whale Scout to help keep the newly planted trees and shrubs at the former Wayne Golf Course alive and thriving! This future riparian forest will help shade and cool and clean water in the Sammamish River which salmon use to migrate from spawning streams and back from the ocean. Healthy riparian forests control erosion of river banks and host insects young salmon need early in life. The former Wayne Golf Course features nearly a mile of shoreline and is the largest City of Bothell park. These events will take place on the west side or “front nine.” 

To efficiently water plants, there are two sessions, 9 – 11 pm and 11am – 1pm. You can select one or both when you sign up. Those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, under 18 need a signed release form by a parent. Meet at the clubhouse parking area (16721 96th Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011). Please sign up. A confirmation email will be sent to you 2-3 days prior to the event.

Important – this activity will require lifting and carrying buckets of water weighting approximately 25 pounds over uneven terrain. If you would like to participate in other activities, sign up for the June 10th event where a variety of weeding will be offered.

This project is a partnership with the City of Bothell with funds provided by a donation from the Trammell Crow Company.

Volunteer Watering Party!

Join Whale Scout to help keep the newly planted trees and shrubs at the former Wayne Golf Course alive and thriving! This future riparian forest will help shade and cool and clean water in the Sammamish River which salmon use to migrate from spawning streams and back from the ocean. Healthy riparian forests control erosion of river banks and host insects young salmon need early in life. The former Wayne Golf Course features nearly a mile of shoreline and is the largest City of Bothell park. These events will take place on the west side or “front nine.” 

To efficiently water plants, there are two sessions, 9 – 11 pm and 11am – 1pm. You can select one or both when you sign up. Those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, under 18 need a signed release form by a parent. Meet at the clubhouse parking area (16721 96th Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011). Please sign up. A confirmation email will be sent to you 2-3 days prior to the event.

Important – this activity will require lifting and carrying buckets of water weighting approximately 25 pounds over uneven terrain. If you would like to participate in other activities, sign up for the June 10th event where a variety of weeding will be offered.

This project is a partnership with the City of Bothell with funds provided by a donation from the Trammell Crow Company.

Prepare a New Planting Site: help salmon, orcas

Endangered Southern Resident killer whales depend on salmon as a critical prey resource from watersheds in Puget Sound and beyond. Salmon use the Sammamish River as a migratory corridor. Improving the water quality in the river will help both struggling salmon populations and orcas. Join us to prepare a new planting site at the former Wayne Golf Course. Vegetation will help shade and cool and clean a small stream emptying into the Sammamish River. Healthy riparian forests control erosion of river banks and host insects young salmon need early in life. The former Wayne Golf Course features nearly a mile of shoreline and is the largest City of Bothell park. Activities will take place on the west side or “front nine.” 

Consider signing up your household for a fun, educational, family outing. Those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, under 18 need a signed release form by a parent. Meet at the clubhouse parking area (16721 96th Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011). Please sign up. A confirmation email will be sent to you 2-3 days prior to the event.

June is Orca Action Month! Celebrate with Special Events

Orca Action Month in June is a chance to celebrate one of the region’s most iconic wildlife species, but also an opportunity to take action to protect them and our shared waters. Join us for a month of educational and celebratory events to raise awareness of the threats facing the Southern Resident orca population and what we can do to protect them.

This year we’ll commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act with some success stories from the past half century and honor some legendary Southern Resident orcas who leave behind “Lasting Legacies”.

In-person, family friendly, and free events to kick off Orca Action Month will be held in Seattle, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Langley on Whidbey Island, and Sidney, British Columbia. A hybrid in-person/virtual event will be held 3 – 5 pm, with keynote speakers Florian Graner of Sealife Productions joining from the Whidbey Island event and Jay Julius of Se’si’le and the Lummi Nation joining from the San Juan Island event!

What: Orca Action Month Kick-Off Events on Sunday, June 4

When: Sunday, June 4th

Where:

  • Seattle: 1 – 4 pm, El Centro de la Raza, 2534 16th Ave S., Seattle, WA 
  • San Juan Island: 1 – 5 pm, beginning at San Juan County Courthouse lawn and ending at San Juan Island Grange. 350 Court St # 7, Friday Harbor, WA 
  • Whidbey Island: 3 – 5 pm, Langley Whale Center, 105 Anthes Ave., Langley, WA 
  • Sidney, British Columbia: 11 am – 3 pm, Beacon Park, 9801 Seaport Pl, Sidney, Canada
  • Virtual Event: 3 – 5 pm, register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xCB9NeZpSYyfZ5f3BpgnHg 

Seattle

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  • Free community event with face painting, orca coloring, music, speakers, chalk artist, and educational booths.
  • Music by Erika Lundahl and Right as Rain.
  •  Storytelling by Nora Nickum, author of Superpod, Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales, Chris Morgan of The Wild Podcast (invited).
  •  Speakers: Ken Workman, Duwamish Tribal Councilmember, Jourdan Imani Keith, Seattle Civic Poet and Tammy J Morales, Seattle Councilmember (invited).

San Juan Island

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  • Free community event includes storytelling and refreshments.
  • Meet at San Juan County Courthouse for a parade to celebrate the Southern Resident orcas with life size dorsal fins. Parade through town, ending at San Juan Island Grange. If you want to sign-up to carry an orca fin in the parade, or if you have any questions, email Lovel Pratt, lovel@sanjuans.org.
  • Features keynote speaker Jay Julius of Se’Si’Le and the Lummi Nation at the San Juan Island Grange. This presentation will also be part of the virtual event.

Whidbey Island

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  • Event at Langley Whale Center, includes free admission and refreshments.
  • Features keynote speaker Florian Graner of Sealife Productions. This presentation will also be part of the virtual event.

Sidney, British Columbia

Event Information

  • A free community event to celebrate Ocean Week Canada and Orca Action Month.
  • Organized by the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.
  • Activities about Southern Resident orcas led by Parks Canada.
  • Family-friendly programs and educational booths from local organizations outside on the Sidney waterfront!

Virtual Event 

  • The virtual event will be held over Zoom with Florian Graner joining from the Whidbey Island event and Jay Julius joining from the San Juan Island event. 

Can’t make it to one of the kick- off events? See the full list of Orca Month events here. 

Orca Action Month is brought to you by the Orca Salmon Alliance which is composed of multiple regional, national, and international groups with diverse interests and areas of focus. Our collaborative structure allows us to advocate on a variety of issues under our primary goal: to prevent the extinction of the Southern Resident killer whales by recovering the wild Chinook populations upon which the whales depend for their survival.

Happy Orca Action Month!

Sammamish River Kayak Tour, June 11th

Take a salmon-eye view of the Sammamish River to learn more about orcas and the ways salmon use the river system to complete their life-cycle. Enjoy a morning of adventure, exploration, and fun kayaking along the Sammamish River in Bothell. Prior to setting off on a one-hour round trip tour, we’ll share a little about the history of the river and ways it’s being protected and restored.

Kayaks are included in the cost and provided by WhatsSup. When registering please indicate if you would like a single or a double boat. Space will be limited and we appreciate your flexibility. We will meet at the Park at Bothell Landing near the playground. Participants must be 18 years or older or accompanied by an adult. Life jackets will be provided. No experience necessary. Presented in partnership with Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group and Sno-King Watershed Council.

Dress for the weather and bring sunscreen!

Note – Basic kayak instruction will be provided by WhatsSup with participation at your own risk. This is an individually guided tour, not with a professional guide.

Location: Park at Bothell Landing, 9919 NE 180 St, Bothell

Time: 9am – 11am

Cost: $30 per person

Sign up here!