Fostering Balance Between the Built & Natural World/Gaining a Competitive Advantage with Salmon Safe Certification

Mar 6, 2009 at 1:00 pm

Presented by: Heather Swift, Principal/Founder, Cohabitats; Dan Kent, Managing Director, Salmon-Safe; Tye Simpson, Director of Engineering, Belt Collins

Moderated by: Ellen Southard, Belt Collins

Session Description:

There has been a profound transformation in the marketplace towards green building with huge strides forward in energy efficiency, sourcing ecologically sustainable materials, and enhancing the health and livability of our built environment. At the same time, open space and wildlife habitat in rural, suburban and urban areas continues to be replaced with human development that threatens the viability of natural ecosystems, including imperiled salmon populations throughout the Puget Sound region.

This session will illustrate innovative ways for protecting, restoring and integrating nature within building projects. It will address methods for maximizing the potential for urban projects to restore habitat and invite wildlife through ecologically innovative site design and management. It also will describe how Salmon-Safe, a leading regional eco-label, seeks to accelerate the adoption of these practices in the building industry by bringing marketplace recognition to certified projects.

Hear from Heather Swift, of Cohabitats, about how wildlife habitat preservation and restoration and ecologically functionality can be integrated into your next project. Heather will be joined by Dan Kent, Salmon-Safe director, who will unveil Salmon-Safes new peer reviewed certification standards for large-scale residential development, the nations first certification program for green development focused on maintaining habitat functionality. Tye Simpson, director of engineering at Belt Collins, will then offer specific examples of how Low Impact Development principals and practices can reduce the impact of built areas and promote the natural movement of water within an ecosystem or watershed, providing important habitat benefits and fast-tracking a project for Salmon-Safe certification.

Bios:

Heather is founder of Cohabitats, a consulting collective of professionals that provides advisory services for land conservation, conservation development, habitat restoration and wildlife planning for building projects. Heather has worked extensively in the green building industry for the past seven years and fifteen years as a marketing professional. Currently, Heather is creating a plan for wildlife and habitat restoration for GreenWorks Development Groups green cottage-housing project in Newcastle. Recently, she assisted the Pearl River County Office of Planning and Development in creating an educational program for developers to plan for conservation and open space within development projects.

Dan led the development of Salmon-Safe at Pacific Rivers Council from 1995 to 2001 and also served as that organization's communications director for five years. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Dan was raised on a small farm in the Palouse Hills of eastern Washington state. Dan has undergraduate and graduate degrees in business and marketing, as well as corporate marketing experience in the banking industry in California. Dan also serves on the board of directors of the Wild Farm Alliance, a California-based organization working to integrate sustainable agriculture and the conservation of native biodiversity.

Striving for excellence, Tye Simpson focuses on engineering as a human enterprise - linking the people to the technology. As a thoughtful leader and perpetual learner, he encourages exploring different solutions while collaboratively sharing knowledge with coworkers and clients. Tye streamlines the design, permitting, and bidding processes for local municipal and private projects by applying his knowledge of jurisdictional codes, requirements, and guidelines. His nineteen years of experience encompasses multiple facets of design, spanning trails design, Low Impact Development, civil site planning for parks and public open space, water systems, sewer systems, grading, site development, storm drainage, and pump systems design. This Fall Tye completed work on the PCC Market in Edmonds, PCCs first Salmon Safe location. His recent speaking engagements include Greening in Place, King Countys conference for municipal decision makers and Partnerships for Puget Sound: A Salmon-Safe Return to Washington Waters.