Mature trees on a private lot in Seattle

Birds Connect Seattle was named as a stakeholder in an Executive Order from Mayor Harrell calling for more incentives to preserve trees on private property. That Mayor Harrell prioritized this issue during his reelection campain shows that urban forestry is becoming a voting issue in Seattle.

Elevating tree protection onto the political agenda has taken years of sustained advocacy by many individuals and organizations. We’re encouraged by this progress as we continue working to protect mature trees, expand our urban forest, and ensure that the benefits of tree canopy are distributed equitably across the city.

Why this matters now

Seattle is aiming to grow its tree canopy cover to 30% by 2037, but the most recent tree canopy cover assessment shows we’re backsliding: Seattle’s tree canopy cover was 28.1 % in 2021, down from 28.6 % in 2016.

The assessment also revealed a troubling equity gap: communities of color and communities with lower incomes not only had less tree cover to begin with, they also lost more tree canopy over that period.

While this new executive order is a step in the right direction, we’ll need much more to reverse tree canopy loss and address the worsening canopy equity conditions, especially in the face of accelerating climate change.

What we’re celebrating and what we’re committing to

With this executive order in place, we are celebrating:

• A clearer signal from the city government that trees on private property are just as valuable as those in parks or other public lands.

• A reinforcement of our shared commitment to protect mature trees and grow the canopy in neighborhoods that have been historically underserved.

• The result of years of your support: advocacy, planting projects, community outreach, policy work. Without you, our community of advocates and members, outcomes like this would not be possible.

But we also know this is not the finish line. We’re committing to:

• Working with the city and Mayor-elect Wilson to develop new policies for property owners, developers, and public agencies to improve tree preservation on private land.

• Drawing on our firsthand experience to help develop recommendations for a new city-supported urban tree conservation easement program.

• Emphasizing the need for increased tree-planting and protection in communities where canopy cover is lowest to address widening tree canopy disparities.

• Supporting policy and regulatory tools that align growth and housing needs with tree canopy preservation—so that our city can grow and remain green and resilient.

CBC | Toby Ross 

by Hanae Bettencourt, Community Engagement Manager

CBC | Doug Plumber

CBC, Birds Connect Seattle Nextgen Council

BIPOC Birding event at UW in October 2024 | Ian Jan

by Ian Jan, Field Trip Leader and NextGen Councilmember

My partner, Gina, and I got into birding after seeing people with binoculars while kayaking near Union Bay Natural Area in late 2022. While slowly learning about our local birds, we began searching for a community of fellow birders. Conveniently, we found and joined Birds Connect Seattle (BCS) as volunteers shortly afterward. We quickly fell in love with birding. The amazing accessibility of walking routes nearby (much appreciated as a car-free couple in Seattle), never-ending calls of species to remember, and easy opportunities to converse with a curious passerby are just a few reasons. However, we often felt isolated as the few—if any—folks of color when exploring natural spaces or attending outings. Especially as newcomers to a hobby, we were seeking a sense of belonging. Struggling to find friends in the post-pandemic city, Gina and I thought birding would be a perfect way to connect with others. We also wanted to fill in the gap of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-centered programming by BCS and address the organization’s historical challenges with inclusivity. 

In May, we decided to host our very first BIPOC-focused outing (which was also our first time leading any outing) to celebrate Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Month at our favorite local spot: Union Bay Natural Area. Gina and I didn’t know what to expect, but we were so excited standing before the attendees that morning. There was a powerful feeling among our group that we were breaking new ground for the bright future of the newly named BCS. We saw such a flurry of bird activity that late spring day, including a duet of Osprey soaring above us and the elusive Virginia Rail scurrying in the marsh. Although our memories of the exact details are hazy now, we’ll always remember the appreciation from our new friends for creating a dedicated space to commemorate our individual yet shared identities. 

BIPOC Birding event at Ballard Locks September 2024 | Ian Jan

Since that inaugural May outing, we have hosted four additional BIPOC birding events scattered across Seattle. We knew that consistency was key for building community, so we planned on hosting one outing per month. Additionally, we wanted to allow our attendees to have more opportunities to connect beyond the short walks. I recap our outings by sharing the eBird checklists—which allowed novice birders to revisit the species we spotted and the photographers in the group to share their amazing work—and providing useful resources like the Merlin app and the BCS Nature Shop (where I volunteer on Saturday mornings). We also started planning group meals following the outings to socialize without the delightful distractions of birding. This started when an attendee suggested happy hour at her brother’s Guamanian restaurant, FamilyFriend, after walking through Cheasty Greenspace in Columbia City. We broke bread with a diverse group of friends at a minority-owned establishment after exploring an urban natural area, specifically one being actively restored by the neighboring community. This felt exactly what Gina and I envisioned for our BIPOC birding trips. 

BIPOC Birding event at Ballard Locks September 2024 | Ian Jan

We’re grateful to BCS and its members for the community that we’ve finally found. Gina and I also want to acknowledge that we were inspired by the efforts of our fellow volunteers on the NextGen Council to raise awareness for birding and local urban nature among younger adults. We wanted to bring our own experiences as BIPOC folks in Seattle to address an issue that is personal for us. Importantly, we recognized that improving equity involves actively and deliberately welcoming those who may not have experienced a sense of belonging before. We know what that’s like. Since these BIPOC birding outings are gradually building momentum, we plan on continuing them well into the future. Moreover, we encourage others to join us in spreading the love of birding to a more diverse audience. This is just the beginning. We’re excited for what the upcoming year will bring! 

Watch Short Videos of Recent BIPOC Birding Events

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by Claire Catania, Executive Director

Tree advocates in Seattle have long been a fairly homogenous group. Frontline communities, that is folks living in the areas most impacted by tree canopy loss, are rarely given a seat at the table. We’re overdue for a hard look at the big picture of tree equity in our city and to diversify what this work can be and who is doing it.

Enter the Tree Equity Network, a promising new collaboration between Birds Connect Seattle and Seattle Parks Foundation, to bring together legacy environmental groups, government agencies, and frontline community leaders from around King County, who are addressing tree loss and habitat restoration from their own unique perspective. So far, we have connected with over 30 different organizations working on various aspects of the urban forest. The group’s focus areas cover advocating to protect legacy trees, planting trees in Seattle’s developed parks, addressing tree canopy inequities, educating people on tree care and pruning, protesting permit and Growth Management Act violations, and more.

The primary aim of the Tree Equity Network is to sustain a long-term coalition that will help Seattle meet its goal of 30% equitable tree canopy coverage by 2037. We have already started bringing together these many different stakeholders to identify our collective strengths and resources within the network. Next, our work will be to align around high-level shared goals and to develop a clear roadmap to achieve them.

Initial conversations with community members have revealed issues like the cultural significance of trees, including but not limited to the culturally modified tree (CMT) in Wedgwood (“Luma”, a Western Redcedar) brought to light by the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. We’re also hearing legitimate concerns about safety around large trees and the financial burden of managing their care in low-income areas. These historically marginalized perspectives deserve significantly more attention in city- and county-wide conversations about trees.

Achieving canopy and equity goals won’t be easy. We’re up against powerful lobbying groups like the Master Builders Association and the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections wielding a deeply flawed tree ordinance. That is why another important goal of the Tree Equity Network is to align the groups with a shared understanding around addressing the conflict between tree canopy advocates and construction/development in the city. A condition of participation in the Tree Equity Network is that we recognize that we must have both housing and a healthy, growing, equitably distributed urban forest. The only way we will make this vision a reality is if we all speak for the trees.

A tree sit Birds Connect Seattle participated in by a Western Redcedar | Glenn Nelson

The future of our urban tree canopy relies on people like you. Make your gift today to fuel local advocacy initiatives that benefit local birds and people. 

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by Hanae Bettencourt, Community Engagement Manager

As we emerge from the challenges of the past few years, we recognize the deep need for meaningful social connections and community. Prior to 2020, Birds Connect Seattle would host regular meetings of and for the community, under the name of “member meetings,” “nature nights,” or “program meetings.” Many would gather, enjoy a speaker on a bird- or nature-related subject, say hello to some familiar faces, and head home. However, we realized that these meetings were more than just educational sessions; they were opportunities to build connections within our community.

When the idea of bringing back these quarterly meetings was proposed, I knew that we couldn’t just repeat what was done before. Our public surveys continue to surface comments that we should “focus on the birds.” This tells us that Birds Connect Seattle needs to communicate more clearly and more often about how our mission for birds aligns with environmental justice principles—cities where people AND birds can thrive.

Community and social connection seem to be something we both crave and need. With the recent return of our newly named Community Speaker Series, we have chosen to focus these presentations on the themes of Grow, Center, and Connect. In doing so, we believe we can foster a more inclusive and impactful conservation movement that more clearly illustrates the interconnectedness of avian conservation and environmental justice and will shape the future of urban conservation.

• GROW – Increase membership and program participation, particularly with people who have been historically excluded from conservation work and expand our understanding of urban conservation.
• CENTER – Hear from diverse perspectives in the world of environmentalism and conservation.
• CONNECT – Come together around our shared appreciation for birds and nature and help one another.

This past March, we kicked off with a visit from Demarus Tevuk, who spoke on Indigenous Perspectives of Sustainability. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on their own relationship to nature and how they might challenge their own understanding of science. Our
second event welcomed Taha Ebrahimi, who took us on a lovely tour of the diverse street trees of Seattle, encouraging us to think
about how these urban trees reflect our humanity.

We are beyond excited for our September event, where we will welcome Alison Mariella Désir, athlete, activist, television host, and author of Running While Black. We hope that you, our members, will be part of our ongoing journey to grow, center, and connect with birds and one another.

Your donations allow Birds Connect Seattle to continue to grow, center, and connect our local birding and conservation community. Thank you for your generous support. 

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Nature Campers on a forest walk | Birds Connect Seattle

Children and families have always been a primary pillar of Birds Connect Seattle’s programming. A key element of that programming has been our summer Nature Camp. This coming summer will bring an exciting and transformative expansion of our Nature Camp program designed to reach more families.

In 2024, Birds Connect Seattle Nature Camp will be welcoming kids and families at two new brand-new locations in North Seattle and Burien. We’ll also be returning to two sites we’ve piloted in the past in West Seattle and Shoreline. While this means that we’ll be saying a fond farewell to Magnuson Park, these new sites will allow us to reach more kids and families who have been historically excluded from our programming than ever before.

Background

Birds Connect Seattle started Nature Camp in 1982, and for more than 40 years we’ve built a reputation for quality environmental learning, emphasizing experiential outdoor activities that instill an appreciation for nature. Small group instruction with experienced naturalists inspires children to become explorers and stewards of nature.

We offer sessions for kids entering kindergarten, 1-3rd grades, 4-6th grades, and 7-9th grades. Older high school students also have the opportunity to participate as “Junior Naturalists” assisting the camp staff. The theme of camp rotates weekly on topics like birds, bugs, oceans, and more.

Birds Connect Seattle’s Education Manager, Hanae Bettencourt, had this to say about our campers, “Nature Campers are special. They usually come to camp with a baseline of basic knowledge and curiosity about the natural world. They love animals. They love being outside. They love exploring. They attend Camp eager to learn and explore more. There are the “bug kids” that come to insect week, ready to equip themselves with a bug net and catch anything they can. There are the beach-lovers who aspire to being marine biologists and could spend an entire day tide-pooling at the beach. There are the natural artists, who want nothing more than to take the things they see outside as inspiration for their next art project. And, of course, we get plenty of “bird nerds.”

Rationale for Expansion

Every child deserves access to this kind of high-quality environmental education. Yet, according to a 2018 American Camp Association report, summer camp participants are overwhelmingly white, and from middle- to upper-class families.

Birds Connect Seattle’s mission, vision, and values commit us to addressing this gap and providing equal access to our programming. For years, Birds Connect Seattle has attempted to address these disparities through increasing financial support for and outreach to low-income families and other community groups led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. While we will continue to be committed to these strategies, a persistent barrier to breaking this trend has been the physical location of our programs. We were simply too far away from the communities in greatest need.

In addition to accessibility, summer camp programs need to feel relevant and speak to a child’s own lived experience. Field trip programs that bus children far from home to see “nature” are missing the opportunity to connect them with the habitats and wildlife in their own communities. All Nature Camp curriculum focuses on place-based learning, allowing campers to see their connection with the natural world just outside their front doors.

Registration Information

More information on registration and offerings at each location will be available on our website later this month. This year’s camps will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis as we build relationships within these new communities. If you know any families near these sites who would benefit from access to high-quality, outdoor environmental education this summer, please make sure that they’re signed up to receive Birds Connect Seattle emails so they’re among the first to receive the registration link.

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Suzannah Yu participates in a session about activating joy during Hoot Camp 2023 (photo by Glenn Nelson)

Volunteer leaders and staff of Birds Connect Seattle attended our third annual Hoot Camp to learn and acquire perspectives and skills in an effort to make our programs and events more enjoyable, safer, and more inclusive.

The 2023 event was held at the Phinney Neighborhood Center on Oct. 28, 2023, amid wee, sun-splashed trick-or-treaters.

Hoot Camp opened with “Acting with Compassion,” with Rex Hohlbein and Blair Jordan from Facing Homelessness.

The group then split between “White Supremacy Culture, with Erin Dury of Ampersand Community, or “Joy Actualization Workshop,” with Nacala Ayele of Joyful Practices.

Board vice-president Anthony Floyd closed the day with a session about recognizing an opioid overdose and what to do.

Early morning at the Phinney Neighborhood Center (photo by Glenn Nelson).

Rex Hohlbein of Facing Homelessness (photo by Glenn Nelson)

Maggie MacDonald focuses during a session at Hoot Camp (photo by Glenn Nelson)

Ella Denman, deveopment assistant at Birds Connect Seattle (photo by Glenn Nelson)

Nacala Ayele conducts her Joy Actualization workshop (photo by Glenn Nelson)

Erin Dury of Ampersand Community teaching about white supremacy (photo by Glenn Nelson)

Dave Galvin, a former board president at Birds Connect Seattle (photo by Glenn Nelson)

Judith Gordon shares a laugh with Alison Wysong, a fellow Nature Shop volunteer (photo by Glenn Nelson)

Anthony Floyd, the organization’s board vice-president, speaks about responding to an opioid overdose (photo by Glenn Nelson)

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The scene in front of the culturally modified tree in the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle (photo by Glenn Nelson)

The following was sent on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, via email to bruce.harrell@seattle.gov:

Dear Mayor Harrell: 

Birds Connect Seattle is an environmental conservation organization that advocates and organizes for cities where people and birds thrive. Seattle’s urban forest is critical habitat for birds and decreased canopy has profound environmental-justice implications in the face of rising temperatures due to climate change. On behalf of our community of more than 4,000 local members, we urge you to preserve the Western Redcedar at 3849 NE 88th St in Wedgwood as soon as possible. 

The tree is a landmark and a living piece of history. The Snoqualmie Tribe and the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation recognize the tree as Culturally Modified. Its boughs were shaped by the first peoples of Seattle as a marker to guide their travels.  

Without your help, this tree will be destroyed. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections approved a permit to remove this tree. At the time of permit issuance, the fact of its cultural modification was not known.  

This discovery of its archeological and cultural significance is a substantial change in circumstances. The Snoqualmie Tribe has since called on the City to revoke the removal permit and to preserve the tree. We ask you to honor the Tribe’s request. 

Provisions in some portions of the Seattle Municipal Code authorize departments to suspend or revoke permits based on substantial changes in condition (e.g., SMC 25.09.080.F) or on the basis of inaccurate information (e.g., SMC 22.808.090). The City should reserve the right to revoke tree removal permits on these bases as well. 

Please, honor the Snoqualmie Tribe’s request and preserve the Culturally Modified Tree in Wedgwood. 

Sincerely, 

 Claire Catania, executive director

Joshua Morris, urban conservation manager

PDF Copy to Letter to Mayor Harrell

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Carleen Zimmerman is caught on camera by Brave Space Media (photo by Glenn Nelson).

That Rebekah Graham came up through our Young Birders program as a high-school student demonstrates how long our roots run with Brave Space Media. Rebekah is a co-producer with the multi-racial, women-led creative house that produced the emotional and visually striking video that is a huge part of the storytelling around our name change.

Birds Connect Seattle, under our previous name, also played a small role in helping support “Expedition Reclamation,” Brave Space’s award-winning documentary seeking to redefine “outdoorsy” and reclaim belonging in the outdoors for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color “by highlighting their joyful, resilient, and transformative relationships to outdoor recreation.”

Erin Joy and her team conceived and edited the narrative and mixed in bird video contributed by Glenn and local photographer Pradeep Hanumanthappagari, as well as bird sounds and clips of an address by Dr. J. Drew Lanham, delivered during Birds Connect Seattle’s “By Any Other Name” reveal event. See our homepage for the full video. A shorter version will be featured on our social media platforms.

In digital storytelling, the product rivals Brave Space Media’s original, “Expedition Reclamation,” which won best of festival at the No Man’s Land Film Festival in Denver, best climate film at the Boden International Film Festival in Sweden, and best environmentalist film at the Vancouver Independent Film Festival in British Columbia. Brave Space showed and discussed “Expedition Reclamation” at our 2022 Hoot Camp, which is our annual inclusive leadership development session.

Brave Space Media also recently collaborated with Native Women Ride on a short documentary, “Carlisle 200,” which follows Native bikers Guarina Lopez (Pascua Yaqui) and Tsinnijinnie Russell (Diné) on a 200-mile prayer ride from Washington, D.C., to the cemetery at Carlisle Indian Boarding School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

For more about Brave Space Meida and our other Creative Partners: Click Here

Read about our new logo and visual journey: Click Here

Read about our commissioned artwork, Community Emblem: Click Here