Did you hear the big news??? 

We are bringing a new home for climate and youth! 

The Duwamish Valley community deserves space to breathe, to build, and to belong.

DRCC celebrated its Annual Fundraising Event last Thursday night,  gathering with the community in the Duwamish Valley to recognize our accomplishments and to share big news about the work ahead. 

We are proud to announce the purchase of property in the heart of the Duwamish Valley. This historic acquisition will serve as the future home of the Duwamish Valley Youth and Climate Resilience Hub, a community-driven space dedicated to empowering youth, advancing environmental justice, and building climate resilience for generations to come.

The property is located near the banks of the Duwamish River, once a symbol of industrial pollution and environmental harm, which will now be transformed into a place of growth, opportunity and healing.  “We bought this land because our community deserves more than survival, we deserve the space to flourish and thrive,” said Paulina López,  Executive Director, DRCC. “This hub will be a space where our young people lead, where ideas grow, and where our community can shape its own climate future and be safe”.

DRCC’s vision for the future Youth and Climate Resilience Hub is one that provides:

• A safe and welcoming gathering place for community members

• Workshops and training on climate leadership, green jobs, and environmental restoration

• Community gardens and green infrastructure that promote food sovereignty and climate adaptation

• A base for organizing, storytelling, and local decision-making in the face of climate challenges

For decades, the Duwamish Valley has been a place of economic disinvestment that has borne the burden of environmental neglect. The transformation of this land is part of a broader vision to reclaim spaces for community well-being and self-determination .  

DRCC anticipates sharing more about the future of this site in 2026. In the meantime, community members, partners, and supporters are invited to to celebrate and join with DRCC in envisioning how this space can contribute to an empowered Duwamish Valley. 

“Together, we will co-create a hub rooted in justice, equity, and the resilience of the Duwamish Valley,” 

Paulina López 

Executive Director 

On behalf of all of us here at DRCC,  we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your support at Beer and Chocolate this past week. We could not have imagined a better turnout with so much genuine, intimate energy filling such an industrial space.

From your kind hellos, to your generous donations, to our incredible sponsors and the in-kind giving...thank you.  Thank you for showing up, not just at this event, but with us throughout the year.  It was so wonderful to share and celebrate the exciting news of our land acquisition for the Duwamish Valley Youth and Climate Resilience Hub. 

We look forward to seeing you again next year to celebrate 25 years of DRCC but want to express how much we hope to stay connected in the time in-between. And when you can, please tell people about our beautiful communities that exist on both sides of the mighty Duwamish. Share our stories, our struggles, our mission.

As I write this, sediment clean up in the Duwamish is happening again. Our Environmental Law and Climate Policy team continues advocating for local agencies, businesses, and governments to do right by the health and well-being of the Duwamish River Valley. Our Clean Air Program is busy recruiting kids from the neighborhood for its important Duwamish Air Improvement Study for Youth (DAISY) program. South Park is preparing for expected King Tides in the coming months. Certainly not least, the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps continue their hard work and truly are jewels in the community.

May this passionate and necessary work inspire many and continue to build a healthy and just environment for our community.  Were you unable to attend but you'd still like to make a gift?  You are still on time to make a difference in the Duwamish Valley. 

With gratitude,

Mickiala Gonzales 

Development Coordinator

Volunteer Spotlight: Celebrating Brenda, the Backbone of Our Operations

Brenda Sullivan studied at London University (B.S. in Physics) and the University of Southampton (M.S. in Acoustics). After graduate studies at the University of Southampton, she came to the United States to work in Community Noise and Psychoacoustics research for a Military Aviation Noise (MAN) study in Seattle. After a period as a software engineer at the University of Washington and Bruce Franklin, Inc, she moved to Virginia, where she worked as a research engineer in psychoacoustics at NASA for 25 years. On retiring from NASA, she returned to the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys the environment and the weather. She has a lifelong interest in music and has played clarinet in many groups, large and small, and currently performs with the Orchestra of Flight and the West Seattle Community Orchestra.

Since 2001, Brenda has been an unwavering source of support for DRCC. As the backbone of our operations and finance team, her dedication and expertise have kept our work grounded and our mission moving forward. We are grateful for her decades of commitment, ensuring that as DRCC continues to grow, the foundation remains strong. 

At year’s end, Brenda will be leaving DRCC to enjoy retirement, travel, and her other volunteer commitments. Thank you, Brenda! We hope you can continue enjoying your free time and invaluable contributions to so many other causes!  

Your DRCC Family

Climate Resilience in South Park

The Flood Community Advisory Group (Flood CAG) has begun meeting again in anticipation of the upcoming King Tide season. DRCC, in partnership with Villa Comunitaria, Just Health Action, and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has reconvened the Flood CAG for the third year. We met with the City’s Office of Emergency Management last month for a disaster preparation presentation, and will meet later this month for SPU to present updates to the Emergency Response Plan. After that, our meetings will address community capacity and plans for flooding mitigation. For more information, visit SPU’s South Park Flooding page South Park Flooding - Utilities | seattle.gov, or reach out to robin@drcc.org.

Updates on the One Seattle Plan Comprehensive Plan 

The final public hearing on Phase 1 of the One Seattle Plan Comprehensive Plan (aka Comp Plan) occurred on September 12th. Four members of DRCC and countless community members testified! The following week, the Seattle City Council voted on over 110 amendments to the Comp Plan. DRCC published a letter advocating for certain amendments for the Duwamish Valley, and almost every single one passed! These amendments add commitments to the Comp Plan to: create multi-bedroom homes for families, expand affordable and social housing opportunities, prioritize the Duwamish Valley for climate-resilience and low-pollution projects, support grocery stores in food deserts like South Park and Georgetown, improve our sidewalks and roads, hire locally, require indoor air quality and noise improvements when developing near major roads and railways, and retaining and protecting tree canopy. The community played a huge role in shaping our requests to the City Council, so THANK YOU. We are celebrating this achievement while looking ahead to Phase 2 of the Comp Plan, which should begin in early 2026!

Duwamish Valley Youth Corps

We’ve been loving the gentle transition from summer to fall weather and have been spending time outside on walking tours learning about South Park history. Our partners at Dirt Corps have been doing some great work weeding and maintaining green stormwater infrastructure at River City Skatepark, our DRCC headquarters, and in Georgetown at the greenwall on Marginal Way. The Mini Mart City Park team has also been busy exploring how green stormwater infrastructure can be creatively implemented to enhance a building functionally and artistically. 

Additionally, if you have or know a little one who is in grades K - 5, come meet our DVYC Learning Buddies at the South Park Branch | The Seattle Public Library! We have a fantastic group of youth who meet there every Tuesday from 4:30 pm-5:30 pm to work with young students on learning games. This program is free and snacks are provided!

Highlights of our fall cohort include Fiestas Patrias, the Georgetown Steam Plant’s Science Fair, Learning Buddies at the South Park Library, The Girls in Aviation Event, and the opportunity for new friendships!

Duwamish River Cleanup is happening!

Starting October 1, the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group (LDWG), which consists of Boeing, the City of Seattle, and King County, will start the second season of Lower Duwamish Waterway upper reach construction to remove the contaminated sediment in the Waterway. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is overseeing the sediment cleanup process, which follows the cleanup plan in the 2014 Record of Decision.

The five-mile Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site is divided into upper, middle, and lower reaches, each with its own design and schedule. Construction activities began in the upper reach, the most upstream two miles of the Superfund site, in November 2024. After upper reach work is completed, construction will continue downstream, cleaning up sediments in the middle and lower reaches, with construction activities ending at the south end of Harbor Island. 

Cleanup construction will typically occur from October through February of each year. In-water construction activities are restricted to these months to protect certain fish species. Overall, cleanup in all three reaches is expected to take about 10 years of construction.  

What to expect for Season 2 of cleanup construction 

• During the first construction season, most of the work occurred upstream of the residential areas in South Park. During this second construction season, cleanup activities will be more visible as they move closer to the South Park Bridge, homes, and parks in the area. This season, the contractor will begin dredging contaminated sediment near the South Park Bridge and Duwamish River People’s Park. The community can expect multiple barges and equipment working on the water, lights for safe work during dark hours, and typical construction equipment noise.  

• Season 2 construction hours will be weekdays and Saturdays and will occur during both the daytime and nighttime. Hours will vary based on factors such as tides and the type of work being conducted (e.g., dredging sediment, placing clean material).  

• During the first three weeks of October, in-water construction work is not currently planned for Mondays and Tuesdays when Tribal fishing is most active.  

DRCC staff at Climate Week! 

We’re proud to share that our Executive Director, Paulina, and our Clean Air Program Manager, Mia, were recently invited to present during Climate Week in New York City. They had the honor of sharing about our ongoing climate and clean air efforts in the Duwamish Valley, representing the powerful work being done at the community level.

It was truly inspiring to be in community with so many passionate leaders and organizations from across the country who are engaged in similar efforts to protect the environment and advance environmental justice. Some of the most impactful moments came during panels hosted by the Moving Forward Network, GreenLatinos, Sachamama, and the Green Leadership Trust, spaces where voices from frontline communities were not only heard, but centered in the conversation.

We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to uplift our work on a national stage, to learn from others, and to stand in solidarity with those driving community-led solutions across the country. Moments like these remind us that we are not alone in this fight and that together, we are stronger.

DRCC In the News! 

Read more about our advocacy efforts for clean air:

Georgetown Steamplant Science Fair

Our Duwamish Valley Youth Corps participated in the Georgetown Steamplant Science Fair this year! Our summer cohort shared what they learned about air pollution, national air pollution standards, and the differences in air pollution readings across the Duwamish Valley. Some of our elder Youth Corps presented the Duwamish Valley Watershed model to describe the importance of rain gardens, trees, and greenspace and how they help with preventing flooding, runoff contamination, and urban heat.

We are very thankful for all their work! 

Marra Farm wins! 

South Park neighbor Joe Durrell just won first place at the Skagit Valley giant pumpkin festival. He grew it at the Marra Farm P-Patch where he has been cultivating BIG pumpkins for 5 years. This is the biggest pumpkin on record ever grown in Seattle, weighing in at 1,673 lbs. Joe says “... thanks to South Park for supporting and encouraging me and sharing the journey. Also for keeping an eye on the pumpkin and checking in on it”.

Duwamish Alive Event-  

Saturday,  Oct. 18th at multiple locations  10am – 2pm Join us in a day of kayak cleanup, restoration work and more. Sign up here: https://www.duwamishalive.org/

Let’s connect with local jobs- Duwamish Valley Job Fair!

Please join us Saturday, November 8 from 10-1, location TBD, for apprenticeship, internship and employment opportunities! We will also be providing resources for immigrants and refugees including, notary services and more. Do you have contacts for local, entry-level jobs? Please reach out to robin@drcc.org

Indigenous Peoples' Day Citywide Celebration

Monday, October 14, 2024 1:00 PM 5:00 PM- Westlake Park