Surfaces for Salmon: Best Stormwater Management Practices from Shingle to Soil to Sound

This workshop is designed to orient and prepare participants to meet emerging mandates for salmon-friendly residential, municipal, and commercial design, development, and construction projects. Accordingly, our instructors and materials will explore three stages of stormwater mitigation and Best-Management-Practices.

Roofscapes for Salmon

We will begin with a review of methods for maximizing this often-underutilized surface:

• to slow and reduce harmful storm water run-off;
• to reduce "heat island" effects;
• to increase longevity and performance of roof materials and design integrity;
• to design and use aesthetically beautiful and acoustically superior "green" roofing;
• to create source points for water catchments, ponds, and various water harvesting methods.

Hardscapes for Salmon

We then will focus on mitigation via hard (often impervious) surfaces including innovative ways to improve functionality, durability, and ease-of-installation and maintenance:

• to increase available land-space for ESA-sensitive development;
• to achieve compatibility with WADOE Stormwater Management Manual prescriptions;
• to improve on-site filtration & pollution mitigation;
• to provide an overview of appropriate materials and techniques including attributes of pervious concrete, grass-crete, and others useful resources.

Landscapes for Salmon

Lastly, we will turn our attention to soils, our final opportunity to mitigate stormwater on-site:

• to promote healthier plants and habitat with improved soil quality and organic material;
• to mimic and restore native soil conditions;
• to reduce watering and maintenance tasks involving fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides;
• to provide an overview of water retention and soil-building techniques including bog gardens, swales, sheet mulching, on-site composting, etc.

Who should Attend?

We design our classes for a diverse student body, including:

• Builders
• Architects
• Landscapers
• Realtors
• Homeowners
• Designers & Developers
• Community Organizers & Advocates
• Engineers
• Local, State, & Federal Employees
• Environmental Educators & Students

Instructors:

Michael Broili and Jonathan Scherch, co-principals of Living Systems Design

Special Guest Instructor:

David McDonald
Resource Conservation Specialist
Community Services Division, Seattle Public Utilities, Washington

David researches, writes about, and teaches environmentally-friendly landscape practices for Seattle Public Utilities. A biologist by training, he has worked in oceanographic research, mountain lion research and forest fire management, operated a small farm, taught agriculture and forestry with the Peace Corps, and helped create Seattle’s Backyard Composting education program His most recent publication is Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the Pacific Northwest. His current work focuses on the critical function of soils in urban resource conservation.