GROUNDSWELL NW APRIL 2021 NEWS

Greetings!

We here at Groundswell NW hope you are enjoying spring so far and are excited to relaunch our monthly newsletter with a greater emphasis on honoring and celebrating the wonderful people, natural resources, and history of our community.  What better time for us to do so than the month of April, in which we celebrate both Earth Day and Arbor Day! 

One thing we have been so grateful for when dealing with the trials of the past year is the beauty of our precious outdoor spaces.  We hope to continue supporting our neighbors’ creative initiatives to activate and care for green space across northwest Seattle for years to come. Please consider making a donation to our GiveBIG campaign today through May 5, 2021 and thank you for everything you already do to steward the natural beauty in our community.

With gratitude,

The Groundswell NW Board

SPOTLIGHT ON ALICE BALL PARK

Groundswell NW is excited to announce the latest recipient of a Groundswell NW microgrant: Friends of Alice Ball Park! Located near the Greenwood Library, the park opened in June 2019. Once known as Library Park, a local third grader campaigned for the name Alice Ball Park after Seattle born chemist Alice Ball. Both Black History Month and Women’s History Month deserve so much more time and attention than a single month out of every calendar year, so we’d like to take this opportunity to share what we have recently learned about the legacy of this amazing Black woman with our readers who may not already know her incredible story.

Alice Ball was born in Seattle in 1892, graduated from the University of Washington in 1915, and became the first woman—and African American—to earn a Master’s degree from the University of Hawaii. She developed an injectable oil extract that was the most effective treatment for leprosy until the 1940s.  Unfortunately, she died at age 24.* We encourage you to learn even more about Alice Ball in this article from KNKX. 
 

Friends of Alice Ball Park plan to use their microgrant funds for seating, pollinator plants, and additions to the nature trail area. We hope you’ll visit this park and enjoy the results of our neighbors’ great work!

Do you also have an idea for an improvement in your neighborhood? Check out our easy microgrant application today!

 *Source: https://www.phinneycenter.org/more-green-in-greenwood

SALMON BAY NATURAL AREA WORK PARTY

Come out and join the Salmon Bay Natural Area work party from 3:00 – 5:00 pm on April 25. Groundswell NW has created an online sign-up for small groups (1-2 households and no more than 15 people) to help clean up.  We’ll be meeting up at the west end of The Canal parking lot, just south of NW 54th St. at 34th Ave NW. Let us know via the sign-up link if you will be participating!

For those who want to take part in the Salmon Bay Natural Area event, please bring your own water, work gloves plus wheelbarrows and favorite weeding or litter-picking tools, if you have them. We will provide safety vests and garbage bags, plus some gloves and tools. We will not be providing refreshments due to Covid-19 precautions.

If we have enough volunteers, some of you may be asked to pick up litter on adjacent stretches of our adopted streets that haven't been cleaned up!

Contact Dave Boyd for more info. 

SIGN UP HERE

EDUCATORS:  APPLY FOR A MICROGRANT TODAY!

Hello, Northwest Seattle School Teachers!

Groundswell NW, a small non-profit organization based in NW Seattle, is announcing our 2021 microgrant program.  Thanks to generous donations, Groundswell NW will be awarding up to $500 each to support educational groups and classes that are starting projects which support Groundswell NW’s mission – creating community, parks, and habitat.  Proposals for a new project in NW Seattle are preferred.  

 
The simple application is found HERE and we anticipate awarding monies immediately.  Funded projects would need to be started before the end of this academic year, but completion dates are flexible.  We accept proposals year-round and review upon receipt.   Please feel free to forward this invitation to teachers who might be doing something related to our mission.

For questions contact us at info@groundswell.org.

THE GROUNDSWELL NW BOARD IS GROWING!

Groundswell NW is actively looking for more board members. Are you passionate about parks, open space and habitat? Do you want to help Groundswell further their mission? We want you! Contact us here for more info!

Groundswell NW 2020 July News

Summer has arrived! Our parks and open spaces recently have taken on special importance as an alternative to isolating inside our homes. The current situation is a reminder of how your continuing support of Groundswell NW’s work contributes directly to a healthy community. 

As the weather gets warmer, think about visiting parks you haven’t experienced before. Check out the Seattle Parks and Recreation webpage: www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks   If you are looking for a way to volunteer while staying home: consider joining the Groundswell NW Board or helping us with a specific project.  Sign up here..

Thanks to all of you who responded to our postcard and have switched to email for future mailings. That will make more money available for our Seed Money grants. Speaking of grants, if you have a project that could benefit from a grant of up to $500, please visit our website and fill out an application. An easy way to support Groundswell NW is to shop through Amazon Smile and designate us. More information on grant applications and Amazon Smile are on our website.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking comments on the Lake Washington Ship Canal Master Plan which includes the Ballard Locks upland. The Master Plan covers recreation, cultural/historic resources and natural resources management but NOT navigation. View the plan and submit comment at https://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Home/Master-Plans/LWSC-Master-Plan/igphoto/2002304318/   Comments are due by July 31, 2020. 

Wishing you a healthy and happy summer. Wash your hands!

The Groundswell NW Board

Photo credit: www.eopugetsound.org/magazine/ballard-locks

Announcing the Sustainable Ballard UnFestival

We’ll Make the Un Fun!

Given the uncertainty of large group gatherings in Seattle for the foreseeable future, we are creating a virtual festival to replace our annual live festival in 2020.

Starting June 2020 and running through Nov 2020, the virtual festival will feature a variety of online workshops, masterclasses, discussions, movies, games, contests and challenges via Zoom/Facebook/Instagram live/Twitter. We will introduce a theme for each month and work with our sponsors, project leads and this community to develop rich and engaging programming that highlights the sustainability issues we all care about. 

Some of our activities will be free thanks to business sponsorships or the efforts of community members. Some will be offered for a suggested donation to cover costs and help us cover our annual expenses.

We are offering a season pass for those who can afford it ($100 members, $150 general public) that covers your donation for all UnFestival activities. There will be many! Every month will include a movie, multiple learning opportunities, and a game, contest or challenge with prizes! All educational events will be recorded and available for viewing at any time on a private YouTube channel for Season Pass holders.

Donations and sponsorship from our annual Sustainable Ballard live Festival make up about 40% of our net annual income. With the help of Sustainable Ballard Board Members, Project Leads, community members and local business sponsors we hope to raise $15,0000 in 2020 through the UnFestival. Will you support us? 

Click here to get your Season Pass.

Groundswell NW 2020 June News

Groundswell NW supporters,

As we roll into June, we are not able to have or publicize our normal kinds of community events, but there are still ways for us all to enjoy and enhance our public green. 

Ann Sauer, Local Hero and former board member

Local Hero and former board member Ann Sauer is seen in this photo weeding on her own at the north end of the 36th Ave NW median, and Dave Roe has been busy tending the south end. Kate Gregory has been keeping things tidy at Salmon Bay Natural Area, and we're sure there are other neighbors pitching in to keep up our parks and habitat areas. Thanks to all for your efforts, and contact us if you'd like to help - or just pitch in!

Along these lines  East Ballard Community Association is doing their annual spring clean-up with a distancing twist.

And while folks are walking the neighborhood to get some exercise and/or fight cabin fever, try exploring our neighborhood green. The Groundswell NW walking tour is still up on the Feet First website. There's also a new City of Seattle Tree Walk app with interactive tours all around the city, and several more in PDF form at  https://www.seattle.gov/trees/get-involved/tree-walks. 

The Groundswell NW Board

GROUNDSWELL 2020 MAY NEWS

Happy May Groundswell Friends!

We have some exciting activities and news for the merry, merry month of May.

JANE’S WALK
We realize that normal events like work parties and gatherings may not be possible yet, but Groundswell has submitted a virtual "Jane's Walk" with Feet First. Check it out, either online on on a physically distanced walk.

SALMON BAY PARK STEWARDS
The Salmon Bay Park Stewards successfully rallied neighbors to make the most of this unusual "Six-Feet-Apart-Spring" by participating in a neighborhood window egg hunt. Houses all over Ballard placed festive decorated eggs in their windows for others to find on their socially distant walks throughout the month of April. Check out some favorites here and here on the SBPS instagram account. 

BUY A BOOK AND SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE BALLARD
“So, Dear Writer…: An It’s About Time Writers’ Reading Series Anthology” proceeds to Support Sustainable Ballard. The “It’s About Time Writers’ Reading Series” is delighted to be able to share the proceeds of its first anthology with Sustainable Ballard, “So, Dear Writer…” published by Cave Moon Press. “So, Dear Writer…” contains craft talks presented over the years. The book is both practical and inspiring.

“So, Dear Writer…” is available at Secret Garden Bookshop, and online through Cave Moon Press  or by contacting Peggy Sturdivant, editor, directly by email. Seattle’s Branch Library will also give “It’s About Time” a permanent home.

GIVE BIG TO BALLARD P-PATCH AND FRIENDS OF TROLL’S KNOLL
Don’t forget Give Big this month and help support the Ballard P-Patch and Friends of Troll’s Knoll.

GROUNDSWELL 2020 APRIL NEWS

Dear Groundswell NW followers, 

As we prepare to release our April newsletter, Seattle is under a “Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order from the Washington State Governor. In accordance with that order, we have no events listed for this month. Nevertheless, we still have some good news to share. 

• While much activity seems to have ground to a halt, work continues on at least a couple important projects that Groundswell continues to monitor and be involved in, as described on their websites. Construction on the Ship Canal Water Quality Project and the Ballard Multimodal Corridor Project will move forward in April.

• For those of you who were at our January meeting, you may recall that we issued a challenge to the Ballard P-Patch—if they could raise $5,000 in donations, we would match that amount.  The Ballard P-Patch succeeded in reaching and surpassing that goal - thanks to many of you - and Groundswell NW has sent them a check for $5,000. This was the largest grant ever made by Groundswell NW and we are so happy that the Ballard P-Patch was able to meet the challenge.

  Saving the Ballard P-Patch for future generations of gardeners supports the goals of Groundswell NW: to create, activate, and care for parks, open space, and habitat. With public and private support, we believe the Ballard P-Patch can thrive and inspire other innovative community open space efforts. We thank all of you who contributed and we thank our elected representatives, especially Dan Strauss, for their efforts to protect this important open space in NW Seattle. The Ballard P-Patch is still far from reaching its fundraising goals so please visit the Ballard P-Patch’s website to see how you can help this effort.

We hope to have more outdoor events to share with you in the next few months. In the meantime, stay safe and if you are lucky enough to have a garden of your own, this is the time to enhance your garden’s wildlife habitat. Check out the National Wildlife Federation’s ideas for what you can do in your garden, on your patio, or even your apartment balcony. www.nwf.org.

All the best,

Groundswell NW Board

Join the New Fabric Face Mask Production Project

Getting Crafty Has Never Felt So Good

Face masks are in short supply, even for first responders and medical staff. While medical grade face masks are the best first line of defense against viruses such as COVID-19, supplies are in hot demand. According to the CDC, fabric masks are a crisis response when other options are limited. Sustainable Ballard is chipping in to help – will you join us? Volunteers needed to sew, provide materials and/or pickup/deliver. Learn more at: 

http://www.sustainableballard.org/join-the-new-fabric-face-mask-production-project/