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Friends of the Cedar River Watershed 

Description

Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (FCRW) is an award-winning nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the greater Cedar River / Lake Washington Watershed. The watershed is home to more than 83 species of fish and wildlife and 14 species of concern such as sockeye salmon and the endangered Chinook salmon. It is also home to 22% of Washington’s human population. The watershed is our home. Its future is ours.

Mission Statement
Friends of the Cedar River Watershed engages people to enhance and sustain healthy watersheds through restoration, education, and stewardship. Our vision is healthy watersheds as a result of engaged and empowered communities.
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Friends of the Cedar River Watershed
6512 23rd Ave NW Ste 320 
Seattle 
WA
98117-5728 
(206) 297-8141 

Keri Pravitz 
Executive Director 

Programs

Friends of the Cedar River Watershed Programs

Our roots are in the water. The 143 square miles of the protected upper watershed provide clean drinking water to about one million King County residents. It is unique—one of only six protected municipal watersheds in the country, and the only one owned by the people who depend on it. FCRW began in 1996 with the charter to support the construction of the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, and since then has evolved to promote stewardship and education about the importance restoring the Cedar River / Lake Washington Watershed.

The watershed provides some of the best remaining salmon and wildlife habitat and environmental education opportunities in King County. We strive to promote and implement habitat restoration, environmental awareness education, and stewardship initiatives throughout the Cedar River / Lake Washington Watershed in cooperation with our diverse community partners.

The Friends of the Cedar River Watershed has a 16-year track record of successfully managing volunteer community stewardship programs.
  • Volunteer Habitat Restoration: FCRW recruits, educates, and coordinates nearly 2,000 volunteers annually to restore wetlands, forests, and riparian areas. Restoration events are necessary to help address problems of flooding, property damage, water pollution, and habitat loss for fish and wildlife. They are also the gateway to deeper community involvement in the long-term health of the watershed. In 2012 alone, volunteers planted approximately 10,000 native shrubs and trees. By providing a direct opportunity for people to improve the health of our natural community, we build the foundation for long-term investment in the future of the sites restored. Our year-round weekend projects are designed to be appropriate for all ages and we offer Service-Learning Restoration Field Experiences that include a tailored classroom curriculum by request.
  • Cedar River Salmon Journey: Salmon are the vehicle through which we tell the story of clean water and healthy habitat. Trained volunteer naturalists and storytellers annually inform over 8,500 local residents about the connection between the natural and human history of our rivers and region as they draw connections between the health of our watershed and our daily choices. Naturalists engage people in discussions about how individuals can take simple actions to improve watershed health.
  • Stewardship In Action: FCRW is working with our partners, Seattle Public Utilities, Forterra, and King County Noxious Weed Control Program, to help citizens in the lower Cedar River basin systematically remove infestations of invasive knotweed from private and public properties from Maple Valley to Renton city limits and to replant the area with native species. This partnership reached over 300 targeted landowners and educated over 10,000 individuals in 2012. We look forward to expanding this resource into the City of Renton to help landowners protect their property and restore wildlife habitat.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Success of 2012:
  • Recruited nearly 2,000 volunteers to go out into the woods and on the water, rain or shine, to restore critical wildlife habitat within the Cedar River / Lake Washington Watershed.
  • Restored and/or maintained 25 acres of wetlands, uplands, and riparian areas.
  • Completed 47 riparian habitat restoration events in the greater Cedar River / Lake Washington Watershed.
  • Trained over 100 volunteer naturalists who reached over 10,300 people with messages of environmental stewardship to change behaviors for the benefit of native habitats and clean water.
  • Recruited 9 partner schools out of 13 school districts and involved key teachers, administrators, and students.

Evaluation


Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (FCRW) provides conservation-oriented programs focused on protection and restoration of the Watershed.

Proven Success
FCRW is increasing its capacity to engage large numbers of citizens in environmental issues, and improve sustainability efforts in our region. Since 2006 their volunteerism has increased 500% and they have grown their partnerships with cities, schools and community groups. An example of a successful engagement project is in the lower Cedar River basin where they have reached over 10,000 landowners in an effort to remove an invasive knotweed infestation.

Collaboration
As part of the Community Partnership for Riperian Restoration, FCRW is one of 4 agencies working to remove invasive plants and encourage natural yard care to reduce pollution in the Cedar River/Lake Washington system. Of the 900 landowners contacted the partnership has seen a 97% successful engagement rate of those targeted landowners.

Best Practices
FCRW’s Cedar River Watershed Report, a youth program DVD narrated entirely by local high school students, is a model, scalable and replicable example of public-private partnerships to educate and engage the next generation of watershed stewards and civically engaged voters.
FCRW is conducting bi-monthly program summits to support adaptive management through program outcome and current needs evaluations. This has recently resulted in the development of the Habitat Restoration Field Experiences for 5th and 8th graders that are not yet eligible for the Watershed Report program.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
3/10/2012 $5,000.00support general operating expenses.
9/10/2010 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/21/2006 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
9/18/2003 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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