From Allen's Desk - April 2023
Welcome to SPF’s Quarterly Newsletter From Allen’s Desk—a look at what’s happening in the world of Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland (SPF). The first quarter of 2023 has been jammed packed with work that we are excited to share with you.
Be Bird Wise Program
After a year of building a program, we are excited to share that the Be Bird Wise Partner Committee launched our inaugural Be Bird Wise education campaign, with a pilot project on Fir Island, to run the entire month of April, coinciding with the Tulip Festival.
The purpose and mission of the Be Bird Wise program is to promote responsible behavior while viewing migratory birds on the agricultural landscape.
The primary goals for the program at this time are to work to 1.) Reduce instances of unsafe and/or illegal parking alongside roads and private property and 2.) Reduce incidents of trespassing on private lands through public education.
Through social media, printed publications and signage, the Be Bird Wise campaign will be working to reach out to visitors already coming to visit Skagit Valley. It will provide information about how to interact with birds on agricultural fields in a way that is respectful of the privately owned farmland, which tens of thousands of waterfowl annually make their home.
You can read our latest The Dirt blog on Be Bird Wise HERE.
A big thank you to Skagit County Lodging Tax Fund, HF Sinclair Puget Sound Refinery, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, the Tulalip Tribe and Richard Hartung for providing support to this new initiative.
And a big thank you to the Be Bird Wise Partner Committee: Ducks Unlimited, La Conner Chamber of Commerce, Skagit Audubon Society, Skagit Conservation District, Skagit Guided Adventures, Skagit Tourism Bureau, Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Western Washington Agricultural Association.
2023 Spring Farm Tour
Our popular 2023 Spring Farm Tour is just around the corner! This year’s Spring Farm Tour will be on Friday, May 19th and will be focusing on the farms nestled into the foothills of the North Cascades. We are excited to be taking guests to Sauk Farm, Eagle Haven Winery, Foothills Farm and Fender Farm.
Your $60.00 per person ticket includes a continental breakfast, lunch and snacks, not to mention a fabulous day visiting four farms.
We only have only have 46 seats available and tickets sell fast! For more information about this year’s Spring Farm Tour and reserve your seats – click HERE.
2023 Our Valley Our Future Breakfast
The 2023 Our Valley Our Future Breakfast event is fast becoming a do-not-miss event in Skagit County!
Our breakfast event is a special moment when community can take time to recognize those people whose impact on the past, present and future of agriculture are noteworthy.
This year’s breakfast will be held on Wednesday, June 21st at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon and feature Steve Mantle, Founder/CEO of Innov8 Ag as our 2023 Keynote Speaker
This year we are pleased to be recognizing Steve Sakuma as our Community Legacy in Agriculture Award winner and Kirk Damon of Ag West Implement as our Innovation in Agriculture Award winner. Student nominations are being submitted as we speak and the student selection committee will announce our Achievement in Agricultural Award winner very soon!
Learn more about our breakfast event and past award winners HERE.
There will be opportunity to make a gift of support to SPF during the breakfast.
Skagit Water Taskforce
As part of our participation in the Skagit Water Task Force (Task Force), in partnership with the Skagit County Drainage and Irrigation Districts Consortium (Consortium) we continue to appreciate the opportunity to sit at the table and actively participate in a process intended to address multi-benefit water needs in the Skagit Basin.
In 2022 the Task Force authorized a new study of the lower Skagit river, to update the quarter century old study that was the basis for the 2001 Instream Flow Rule ( 2001 IFR) for the Skagit River. The agencies and principals involved in the old study and the creation of the 2001 IFR did not include, analyze, or consider agricultural irrigation needs when passing the 2001 Instream Flow Rule.
The new study, authorized by the Task Force, is being conducted by a Research Team comprised of experts from the University of Washington Salish Sea School, Washington Water Research Center, NOAA Fisheries, and the Skagit River System Cooperative. This new study will use the Skagit Hydrodynamic Model (Skagit HDM), representing Best Available Science at this time to model several physical parameters of the Skagit River downstream of the USGS gage in Mount Vernon and the estuary along with critical fisheries information.
The Skagit HDM has already been used extensively on the lower Skagit River and was a principal tool used in developing the 2017 [Skagit] Estuary Restoration Strategic Assessment (ERSA) that SPF and multiple federal, tribal, state and local partners participated in - to help identify the most productive habitat restoration sites while minimizing farmland loss. You can read the overview of ERSA HERE.
The Research Team is tasked with an evaluation of up to three alternative water supply scenarios for the new study and will report on the effects each alternative water supply scenarios may have on baseline physical parameters along with fisheries resources in the lower Skagit River and estuary.
SPF and the Consortium, after two years of working with local stakeholders, university scientists and members of the Task Force, submitted two modeling requests to the Research Team to undertake in the new study. You can read the request for two modeling scenarios HERE.
If our modeling requests are approved by the Task Force, the new Research Team will use the Skagit HDM to model several physical parameters of the Skagit River downstream of the USGS gage in Mount Vernon and the estuary. These physical parameters, in addition to information about the fisheries resources, will then be used to define a baseline condition for the purposes of comparison.
You can stay updated on the progress of SPF and the Consortium’s work on the Task Force by going to the Studies & Reports page on SPF Website where we are posting information about the Skagit Water Task Force and related information.
You can get to the Task Force page directly by going HERE.
Seattle City Light
SPF is continuing to support and coordinate with local partners as they work with Seattle City Light and the City of Seattle to address local concerns related to the operation of the City of Seattle’s hydro facilities in the upper reaches of the Skagit Watershed.
Late last year SPF, along with local leaders and the farming community, supported Skagit County in the adoption of an ordinance prohibiting off-site compensatory mitigation on Skagit County’s remaining prime farmland.
This past January, SPF joined Tribal leaders, Skagit officials and farmers to provide public testimony directly to the Seattle City Council, calling on the City of Seattle and Seattle City Light to work with local stakeholders in the Skagit and support local and tribal requests that Seattle provide safe flood storage consistent with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommendation, as well as fish passage at the dams. You can see KING 5 News’ story and coverage HERE.
On February 24th both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS) issued letters to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) supporting Tribal leaders, Skagit officials and local leaders request for additional flood storage and fish passage at the three dams.
You can read the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s letter HERE.
You can read the National Marine Fishery Service’s letter HERE.
Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland is continuing to support local government in calling on Seattle leadership to more effectively address local concerns. It is unacceptable for the City of Seattle to retain all the benefits of cheap Skagit electricity while imposing all the costs and mitigation of their facilities on Skagit residents and property owners.
SPF Perennial Member Program
We are excited to announce that this year we have launched our new SPF Perennial Member program. Perennial members support SPF’s work through a sustained monthly gift.
New or existing supporter of SPF? Enrolling into SPF’ Perennial monthly giving program is easy!
For as little as one latte a month, you can give the gift of steady, reliable support to SPF.
Since we know we will be able to count on your monthly support, we are able to decrease our fundraising expenses and put more of your contribution directly into programs and our mission!
How does SPF’s Perennial program work?
It’s simple; your contribution is automatically charged from your credit/debit card each month. Your membership continues uninterrupted but you can increase, decrease or stop your monthly gift at any time.
Enroll today and give a little each month to make a HUGE Impact!
Volunteer Opportunities
From our Crop ID signs and Youth InFARMation programs to Farm Tours and our annual Celebrate Skagit Harvest Dinner & Auction and the Our Valley Our Future business breakfast, we need and count on our volunteers. SPF has been very blessed with the dedication of our community, and are always happy to working with new people.
Among our volunteer opportunities:
We are looking for volunteers to help with tracking the crops and updating the signs as farmers rotate crops in and out of fields along our Crop ID Sign routes.
Our annual business breakfast Harvest Dinner & Auction relies on volunteers to keep the events running smoothly.
Our Youth InFARMation program is a very fun event for our volunteers, engaging with 3rd and 5th graders on farm tours and helping create STEM kits for young learners.
We hope if you have some time on your hands and you would like to engage with SPF that you’ll be in touch!
Please contact Rachel Sorrels by email at rachel@skagitonians.org, or call the SPF office at (360) 336-3974.
Thank you for your continued support!
We are grateful for the support of our SPF members, donors, funders and sponsors - and for the community as a whole as we work together to protect and preserve Skagit farmland and farming—and all that comes with it!
With gratitude
