Breaking Ground on Greenfire
Construction on The Greenfire Campus has started! The design team gathered at the groundbreaking ceremony. From left to right: Bob Wicklein (Seneca Group), Mark Garff (The Watershed Company), Ray Johnston (Johnston Architects), Jeff Brink (DCI Engineers), Danielle Jacobs (DCI Engineers), Ginger Garff (Johnston Architects), Sarang Gokhale (Johnston Architects), Robin Chell (Robin Chell Interiors), and Mark Buehrer (2020 Engineering). More photos at Johnston Architects blog.
Seeking Water Resources Engineer
We're looking for a PE-licensed Water Resources Engineer with 3+ years of experience to join our team. Pass it on! Specs on our careers page.
Staff Kudos: Spring 2012
It's time for some kudos to our great staff:
Courtney Landoll, PLA, LEED Green Associate
Landscape Architect Courtney Landoll, PLA, LEED Green Associate, successfully chaired the 2012 Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (WASLA) Conference, Changing Convention, which took place March 29th in Lynnwood. The Conference registered 280 participants an increase of 124 participants from the previous year, and raised $17,000 for the Chapter. Proceeds from the conference support the Chapter’s ongoing activities and help fund student scholarships. Courtney continues to support WASLA as Executive Committee (EC) Member at Large and EC representative for the Professional Development Committee, roles she has held since 2009. She is also serving on the 2013 WASLA Conference Committee.
Nell Lund, PWS
Ecologist Nell Lund, PWS, is now certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist, a certification that requires a combination of specific university-level education and at least 5 years of experience. Nell achieved the certification within the shortest possible amount of time. With her certification, we now have five Professional Wetland Scientists on staff!
Congratulations on your hard work, ladies!
Field Trip to the Elwha: Hike of the Century
Company President Bill Way took a trip out to the Elwha now that the Elwha Dam has been removed, and part of the Glines Canyon Dam – he calls it the hike of the century:
"I took a quite unworldly hike at the Elwha that I highly recommend for restorationists and nature lovers. Somewhat like the blitzed Toutle of 1980, is walking along the former bottom of the Elwha and Glines Canyon reservoirs. Besides the natural process wonder, everyone you cross paths with is enthusiastic and has a story!
Park at the southwest end of former Lake Aldwell at Indian Creek Recreation Area. Here, the river is cutting down through the delta sediments quite quickly - when it reaches historic grade level, it 'finds' the old growth tree stumps. Much of the sands deposited in Lake Aldwell have already been swept downstream, exposing a stump farm of cedar, fir, alder, big-leaf maple, and madrona.
Fir is wet and pulpy on top whereas cedar is hard as a rock. Perfectly preserved axe and saw marks, complete with springboards, appear as if done yesterday, instead of in the 1920’s.
Some areas of stumps have old growth cedar 6 to 10 feet across, whereas other areas have only 60-70 year old stumps with more species diversity. The river, before the dam, apparently avulsed through the young area much more recently. The tree roots are holding the erosive forces in check, with the former river topography shaping back and the old river cobble exposed in places where the present river is. Slabs of sands and muck that are 10 to 20 feet high are peeling away daily along the active river and in blow-outs formed by lateral tributaries!
See more photos of Lake Aldwell.
Drive to parking at the upstream end of former Lake Mills and hike down the clayey, slippery trail about half a mile. Walking sticks are loaned at the trail entrance. Come out at a former delta and witness the famous emerald green waters of the Elwha. This is the last of emerald you will see before walking upstream. The upstream reach is the aptly named 'Grand Canyon of the Elwha'. Being the upstream reservoir, Lake Mills has by far the most load. Keep in mind that except for fines, almost no material has left this reservoir, and still must pass through the downstream river and lower reservoir to the sea. The first several thousand feet has gravels and cobbles and from there down, there are collapsing walls of sands and gravels. Spring runoff should be real exciting! Be safe – truckloads at a time cleave off into the high velocity, cold, LWD-filled river!
If you have time, check out the segment of river between the former pools by the Elwha Ranger Station. There are plenty of secondary river channels and lateral tributary feeds. This is the stuff that grows big healthy fry that don’t have to burn calories in the mainstem. It also should provide a little refugia from the load from the upper reservoir that hasn’t effectively started yet."
