What You Can Do Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 8 3 Ways to Get Involved in Salmon Conservation 1. Volunteer in Your Watershed You can lend a hand to help conserve salmon for future generations! Get involved in planting native plants, tearing out weeds, watering and other activities at a habitat restoration site. You can also help count salmon, monitor water quality, or participate in other volunteer opportunities Fill out THIS FORM for more information about opportunities to get involved. Or Investigate the Local Action Map to find out who is involved in stream restoration activities where you live. Links to other organizations that organize volunteer efforts 2. Take Action at Home Use natural landscaping practices: plant native plants, compost, use fewer pesticides and less water. (More about salmon friendly gardening from Seattle Public Utilities (external link)) Take care of your car: fix oil leaks and wash your car at a commercial carwash or on the lawn, but not in the street. Soap, even biodegradable, is toxic to fish. (More information about reducing toxic runoff from King County (external link)) Fundraiser carwashes should always use carwash kits to divert carwash water away from storm drains (which drain to our creeks and streams) instead into wastewater system which goes to the treatment plant. These kits are currently free through a King County grant. Protect stream banks and beach bluffs: keep them naturally vegetated and fence out livestock. (More information for streamside owners from King County (external link)) (More information for streamside owners from Issaquah (external link)) Conserve water: install low flow showerheads, faucet heads and toilets. (More about water conservation from the Saving Water Partnership (external Link)) Reduce runoff: plant trees, minimize paving and minimize runoff to storm drains to keep clean water in your local streams year round. (More information on reducing runoff from King County (external link) More Links to information about taking action at home 3. Participate in the WRIA 8 Planning Process While a long term conservation plan has already been developed through a collaborative process, citizens like you can work with local governments, scientists, businesses, and environmental groups to facilitate implementation of this plan. You can do so by attending city/county council meetings and public hearings, getting involved with local planning commissions, writing letters to the editors of newspapers that serve our watershed, and letting your elected officials know if salmon and watershed planning are important to you. Fill Out the Form Below for More Information Your name: Your e-mail address: City or area where you live: I am: Providing a website comment or suggestion Interested in joining the WRIA 8 e-mail distribution list for future updates Interested in volunteer opportunities in my watershed or subarea Interested in participating in the salmon conservation planning process (attending public meetings, review plan documents, etc.) Comments, Questions or Success Stories: Please feel free to provide comments or suggestions about our Web page. We also invite you to tell us about something you or your group has done or is planning to conserve salmon in our watershed. We'll share this information in our newsletter and with other groups working throughout the watershed.