How do we do that? Sometimes through timing - we schedule projects after the eaglets have fledged, or after the Chinook have hatched in the spring and before they spawn in the fall.  Sometimes the EC looks at a project site with an eye for potential habitat - are food sources and nesting trees present for wintering bald eagles at the site? Will the project be close enough to a stream to affect aquatic life living there?

The EC reviews and advises Public Works engineering and maintenance activities on many environmental issues.  This includes applying for permits from various Federal, State and local agencies, applying for grant funds, preparing and reviewing biological assessments.  The EC represents the Roads & Transportation Services (Public Works) at meetings dealing with water resources, endangered species, salmon enhancement and other environmental areas.

Often Public Works projects cannot be completed without removing some vegetation. In the case of Himalayan blackberries or Scot’s Broom, most of us are happy to see them go, but sometimes rare plants are close to a proposed road project. Our first choice is to avoid disturbing areas with rare plants, especially those on the Threatened or Endangered Species lists. Often this can be done relatively easily by adjusting the project during the design stage to avoid those areas, and then cordoning the areas off so that the construction crew does not inadvertently disturb the sites.

Occasionally, it is not possible to avoid all disturbance to areas with rare plants. Then, the Environmental Coordinator will coordinate with the Washington Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Program, the Native Plant Salvage Project and other agencies to determine the best course of action. Sometimes, the plants present are not on the Threatened or Endangered Species lists, but may be uncommon enough that they are worth saving or protecting. Examples include the Oregon white oaks or some of the prairie plants found in southern Thurston County. Sometimes plants can be salvaged from a construction site and replanted at demonstration sites or other areas where people are trying to restore native vegetation. Sometimes the salvaged plants can be replanted on the same site after construction, or used at other Public Works project sites. For plants that do not salvage well, commercially grown plants can be purchased and planted to help compensate for the removal of that species. While these alternatives are not perfect, they can help stop the decline of rare plants.

Road projects can also indirectly affect rare plants. As an example, the typical grass mixture used for reseeding after construction projects can grow tall enough that it shades out sun-loving prairie plants. After we learned this, the grass seed used in prairie areas was changed to a low growing fescue that is more typical for those areas and won’t compete as much with the prairie plants. Another advantage is that the roadsides don't have to be mowed as often, a fact that our overworked mowing crews appreciate!