Mission Statement: Sustainable Tri-Cities provides opportunities for people of the Tri-Cities to learn about and act on ways to protect our environment for a healthy and rapidly changing future.

EVENTS

Seasonal Weeding at Badger Mt. Regular weeding crews will be out on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday mornings. All of this is completed by volunteers and we could use your help. Training is included for anyone who wants to join in. Check friendsofbadger.org for more information.

Farmers Markets:

Pasco, Saturday 8 am -12 pm, May- October, in Peanuts Park, 426 Lewis St.

Kennewick, Thursday 4 pm – 7 pm, June – October. 10 E. Bruneau Ave, Bldg. C.

Richland, Friday 9 am – 1 pm, June -October. 707 The Parkway.

3 Eyed Fish Farmers Market, Sundays 10 am – 1 pm starting June 7. 1970 Keene Rd, Richland

June 3. When Smoke Gets in Your Vines– How Wildfire Smoke Impacts Wine in the Columbia Basin. 6:30-8 pm. WSU TC Wine Science Center, 359 University Drive Richland, Room 202.

June 6. First Saturday Bird Walk. Horn Rapids Park. LCB Audubon society. Please come a bit early so we can depart promptly at 8 am. Meet at the parking area toward the boat ramp. Next walk: September.

June 6. Remove invasive plants from Amon Creek Preserve with Tapteal Greenway. 8:30 – 10:30 am. Park in the yellow gate area off Leslie Rd, note east of the gate.  Questions? contact Scott, 509-947-8898.

June 6. Work Party at Leslie Groves North, 9 am -11 am, 2303 Harris Ave., Richland.

June 6. Celebrate Invertebrates. 9 -12. McNary Wildlife Refuge, 64 Maple St., Burbank. Lisa Robinson from WA’s Native Bee Society will share information about how to identify and encourage pollinators in our gardens and green spaces, followed by a Catch and Release outdoors to identify some of our native bees.

June 11. Little Explorers: Bug Adventures. 10:15 am Stories, songs, and outdoor exploration. Celebrate all kinds of non-creepy-crawlies. REACH Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, Richland.

June 13. Ride with a Ranger. 9 am-12 pm. Join National Park rangers and REACH educators for a guided 17-mile bike ride through the Columbia River corridor. Meet at the Tennis Courts Leslie Groves Park, Richland.

June 13. Little Explorers: Taking Nature Home. 10:30 am. Join the Master Gardeners for a fun, child-friendly activity learning about nature. Waterfall Classroom, Master Gardener Demonstration Garden, 1620 S Union St., Kennewick. Free. No registration is needed.

June 16. Climate on Tap: Myths about Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles, and Biofuels. 30 million acres of United States land is devoted to growing corn for ethanol used in motor vehicles. How much electricity could be produced by solar panels with that much land? How do the economics of vehicles powered by batteries and ethanol compare? Join us at 6 pm to order pizza and beer before watching a provocative film that addresses these questions. Screening starts at 6:30. Discussion follows. Round Table Pizza, 1769 Leslie Rd, Richland. Duration: 2 hr. 30 min.

June 17. EPA Practical Tools to Advance Water Reuse Webinar. 3-4 pm ET. EPA’s Water Reuse Program is working to remove barriers to water reuse. Presenters will highlight the EPA’s priorities for advancing water reuse in key industrial sectors, such as manufacturing and AI.  Register here .

June 23. Coffee Chat and STC monthly meeting.  We will meet at my home at 10 am. Contact me at sustainabletricities1@gmail.com for directions. Agenda: accomplishments, next comprehensive plan opportunities, the BF Health District short survey, and planning next tabling events and projects.

June  24. TC Chapter Citizens’ Climate Lobby monthly meeting. 7 pm. Shalom UCC church Zoom . Participate in climate solution teams: Carbon Pricing, Healthy Forests, Building Electrification and Efficiency, and Clean Energy Permitting Reform, and help plan local educational events.

More events on our Face Book page and website.

Actions for June

Washington’s new extended producer responsibility program for packaging and paper products. Ecology is starting rulemaking for a new rule, chapter 173-950 WAC, which will guide implementation of the Recycling Reform Act, a law that creates an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for materials used to package consumer goods and paper products. A packaging EPR program is a system where producers of covered materials pay fees to fund the state’s residential recycling system. Review documents online  Use this online form to comment on draft rule language to guide its implementation.

Reminders:

 Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (BFCOG) Regional Transportation Plan 2050

Participate in an online interactive prioritization exerciseon our region’s long-range vision for transportation investments over the next 25 years. Your input will help us understand better what matters most to our community and will directly inform how future transportation investments across Benton and Franklin Counties are prioritized. Link to the exercise here: https://bfcogrtp2050.com/rtp-2050-priority-mapping Due June 30, 2026.

BF Health District  Environmental Health Assessment Community Survey: what matters most to you about your environment – the places we live, work and spend time- and how it impacts your health. At the message, click “cancel” to go right to the survey.   This short survey is open through July 2026.  

Comprehensive plans and Climate Action:

1. Washington Climate Partnership’s Comprehensive Climate Action Plan. The WA Comprehensive Climate Action Plan  (CCAP) is now available. Learn more at  Home – Washington Climate Partnershi

2. Local Comprehensive plan updates: Benton and Franklin County and each city is working on updating their comprehensive plans, which are due December 2026, including adding a climate element. The plans guide decision-making, regulations, and investments towards meeting community goals over the coming 20 years. Now is your chance to speak up! STC suggested comments HERE.

Pasco Comprehensive PlanContents of the plan Here. Email comments Carmen Patrick Pasco C & E Development Administrative assistant.  

Richland Comprehensive Plan update Send comments to Mike Stevens, Planning Manager.

Kennewick Comprehensive Plan  Send comments to matt.Halitsky@ci.kennewick.wa.us    

Benton County Comprehensive Plan Updates.   Use planning.department@co.benton.wa.us to send a comment and to add your email address so future notices are sent directly to you.

West Richland Comprehensive Plan Email comments to  Eric Mendenhall .

 See the Sustainable Tri-Cities Resource Directory and let us know what needs to be added.  Send your events and volunteer opportunities to SustainableTricities1@gmail.org   so we can post them on our website and put them in this newsletter.

What we did in May

May 7. Kennewick Open House: Comp Plan update. (Bill) They presented a rough plan. Staff and consultants were there to answer questions. Displays around the room.

May 13. CBC Wellness Fair (Bill) Did the survey. Spoke to about 40 students about sustainability.

May 13. Badger Forum on Wildfire. (Lora). Watch the video and find resources on prevention and preparation. Don’t plant arborvitae hedges!   https://badgers.clubexpress.com/

May 23. Community Coffee Chat- Planned comments for Benton County Comprehensive Plan event.

May 27. Attended Benton Co. Public Meeting. Presentation by the White Bluffs consultant followed by public comments on their draft comprehensive plan, which included the new climate element: Gail, Bill, Lora, Cindy, Chuck, and Steve. Comments are on the STC website.

Waste management. Jenni, Cindy, Lora and Bill are working to learn what is currently recycled locally with the goal of making improvements. Contact us to join in the effort.Jenni is providing Rivers Edge students with volunteering opportunities, including litter pick up.