Urban Rural Connections: A Whole King County

There is a symbiotic relationship between the urban and rural areas of King County; one side can not be healthy without the other.

Walk the Line in 2008: A Tour of the Urban Growth Boundary in Eastern King County and the Rural Areas Beyond

On June 6, 2008, King County Councilmembers Kathy Lambert, Larry Phillips and Dow Constantine joined high-level representatives from the King County Executive’s office, Puget Sound Partnership, Puget Sound Regional Council and the Snoqualmie Tribe on a farm, forest and recreation tour of Eastern Rural King County.

“Walk the Line in 2008” was a tour of the urban growth boundary line which designates which areas of the county will be developed for housing and commercial uses and which areas are to be preserved for farm, forest and natural resource lands. The focus of the 6 hour trip was sustainability of public health, regional economy and quality of life in a changing world. There were many discussions about “peak oil” and the inevitable end to cheap energy. Food security was also a common theme.
 

King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert and Chris Townsend of Puget Sound Partnership listen to speaker on a tractor wagon.  Photo by Alan Bauer.

Partnership for Rural King County (PRKC) coordinated the tour and hosted the day with support from several non-profit organizations representing farming, forestry, natural resource management, and recreation including Northwest Natural Resources Group (NNRG), Stewardship Partners, Sno Valley Tilth and Enumclaw Forested Foothills Recreation Association (EFFRA). The collective group used the theme “urban-rural connections” to unite their different disciplines and focus on regional sustainability.

“As far as we are aware, nobody has before ventured to take this 30,000’ approach to address the symbiotic relationship between urban and rural parts of the County,” stated Lauren Clark of Fall City, one of the chief tour organizers, “I think it was a transformative day for many of us.”
 

Everything about the tour was locally oriented. From the 3 shuttles provided by woman-owned, Starline Transportation Company located in Seattle’s Georgetown, to the participant “rebinders” binder cover made by Ballard-based Sustainable Group and printed by Redmond’s Pro Printing Solutions. Meals were local in focus and provided by PCC Natural Markets and Organic To Go.

Outside the PCC Issaquah Store from left to right:  Viet Ngugen (Councilmember Dunn Aide), King County Councilmember Larry Phillips, Crystal Creason (EFFRA), Christine Jensen (Councilmember Lamber Aide), Goldie Caughlin (PCC Farmland Trust Board), King County Councilmember Constantine, King County Executive Staff Rod Brandon (Director of Environmental Sustainability), Bob Burns (King County Deputy Director of Lands and Natural Resources). Photo by Alan Bauer.

An impressive group of speakers met the tour along the way including former World Bank Economist Dave Batker of Earth Economics. A keynote speaker at the PCC Natural Markets Issaquah Store’s classroom, Batker asked the crowded room of policy makers, “If you could have your stuff, and all of Bill Gates’ stuff, or clean air, which would you choose?” Phyllis Shulman with Seattle Council President Richard Conlin’s office related the often daunting task of Government to think about the future and ensure people and infrastructure are prepared in uncertain times.

Dr. Reverend Robert Jeffrey of the Central District’s New Hope Baptist Church and Black Dollar Days Taskforce talked about how impoverished Seattle residents have higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity because of limited healthy food choices. This spring his organization embarked on a project to support black-community run Cutting Edge Farm to provide residents connections to the land, water and food on leased sites in Duvall and Kent. The project will provide low cost organic greens and vegetables to inner-city residents.

Kirkland author and futurist Glen Hiemstra attended the entire tour and at end summarized his impressions including the urgent need to address food security. The tour concluded with Jennifer Harrison-Cox, Executive Director of PRKC, and Doug Schindler, Deputy Director of Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (MTS) presenting a gift from former MTS Board President and current Seattle-based REI’s Chief Executive Officer Sally Jewell to Ron Sims and each of the Councilmembers – a personal handwritten note in a copy Richard Louv’s book “Last Child in the Woods.”

Speakers included:

 
David Batker, Founder and Executive Director of Earth Economics

David Burger, Executive Director of Stewardship Partners

Goldie Caughlan, Nutrition Education Manager for PCC Natural Markets

Kirk Hanson, South Sound Regional Director of NW Certified Forestry, part of NW Natural Resources Group 

Jennifer Harrison-Cox, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Partnership for Rural King County

Erick Haakenson, Snoqualmie Valley farmer and, along with his wife Wendy, owner and manager of Jubilee Farm

Glen Hiemstra, Founder and owner of www.Futurist.com

Rev. Dr. Robert Jeffrey, Executive Director of Black Dollar Days Task Force

Jeff Madden, Small Forest Landowner, Board Chair of Tolt Triangle Fire Council (Firewise)

Doug Schindler, Rural Forest Commissioner, Deputy Director for Mountains To Sound Greenway

Allyson Schrier, Board Member and Recreation Committee Chair for Partnership for Rural King County

Phyllis Shulman, Legislative Aide to Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin

Amy Turner, Vice President of Sno Valley Tilth and Owner of Blue Dog Farm

Greg Wingard, Co-Founder and President of the Middle Green River Coalition

To read the Urban-Rural Connections Profiles, CLICK HERE.

To learn about the larger project, CLICK HERE.