Environment | The JOLT News Organization, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit

The Olympia School District (OSD) had a regular meeting on Thursday, October 10, 2024, for its Outcome 5 Monitoring Report. Discussed during the session are OSD’s energy-saving programs and food expenditure efforts.

Olympia School District energy-saving programs experience success,  food waste among state's lowest

Olympia School District reportedly saved $66,017 in energy costs over the past year, its board learned on Thursday, Oct. 10. The board also learned that the district's per-capita food … more

By P. Jade Asumbrado | 10/15/24

The Olympia Site Plan Review Committee hears a proposal to rebuild and expand Puget Sound Energy's Eld Inlet Substation.

Puget Sound Energy proposes rebuilding and expanding its Eld Inlet substation

The Olympia Site Plan Review Committee held a presubmission conference to review Puget Sound Energy's plan to rebuild and expand its Eld Inlet substation at 1330 Kaiser Road NW. … more

By Lorilyn Lirio | 10/14/24

Olympia City Council, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. The Olympia City Council unanimously approved two resolutions that opposed two ballot initiatives that would threaten the city's climate policies and efforts.

Olympia City Council opposes ballot measures that would negatively impact climate programs

The Olympia City Council voted unanimously to oppose two Washington state ballot initiatives that would threaten local and state policies to reduce greenhouse emissions. The two measures will … more

By Lorilyn Lirio | 10/10/24 | 14 comments

Reader opinion: The JOLT publishes readers' letters on Thurston County topics, generally verbatim and within a day or two of receiving them. These opinions come from members of our community.

Capitol Lake Deschutes Estuary Project Good or Bad

The Deschutes Estuary Project is good for the State but bad for the local taxpayers of Unincorporated Thurston County, Cities of Tumwater, Olympia, LOTT and the Port of Olympia. more

Submitted by Barry Halverson | 10/10/24 | 6 comments

A fire burning ban sign in front of dry grass and trees.

County-wide fire safety burn ban lifted

The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) announced on Wednesday, Oct. 2, that the seasonal county-wide fire safety burn ban was lifted at the end of September. The Thurston County Fire … more

By Jerome Tuaño | 10/9/24

Community Planning and Economic Development Interim Director Ashley Arai met with the Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, to discuss the revisions to the long-term agriculture policies.

Thurston County mulls revising agricultural code based on private appeal and community comment

During its October 2 meeting, Thurston’s Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) reviewed the comprehensive plan updates addressing a private appeal and community input on agriculture policies. … more

By P. Jade Asumbrado | 10/8/24 | 5 comments

This image shows the southeast corner of Tumwater's Urban Growth Area (in beige) and BAR Holdings property (in red).

How to help the housing crisis

Do you want to help combat the housing crisis? Then you should consider submitting comments to the county in opposition to a development called BAR Holdings/Salish Landing, and you should consider … more

Submitted by Ronda Larson Kramer | 10/8/24 | 5 comments

Tumwater City Councilmember Eileen Swarthout led a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the two EV charging stations on Friday, October 4.

Tumwater launches off-grid solar charging at Pioneer Park

Two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are now available for public use at Pioneer Park in Tumwater. Tumwater held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, October 4, to celebrate the … more

By Jerome Tuaño and Sage Hamilton | 10/7/24 | 4 comments

The brown-shaded areas of this map represent the parcels in Capitol State Forest that the county wants DNR to defer harvest on. According to BoCC, multiple community groups have "ground-truthed" these parcels.

County commissioners propose workgroup to 'plan the best way forward' for Capitol State Forest

The Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) wants to create a stakeholder workgroup to “plan the best way forward” for Capitol State Forest, according to the board’s October 1 letter … more

By P. Jade Asumbrado and Jerome Tuaño | 10/7/24 | 3 comments

Jason Wettstein (top left), the city’s communications manager, briefed the Tumwater City Council on a resolution expressing the council’s disapproval of a state ballot measure that would prohibit the trade of carbon credits.

Tumwater council wants voters to vote no on Initiative 2117

Tumwater City Council adopted a resolution expressing its disapproval of a state ballot measure that, if passed, would prohibit the trade in carbon credits. The council unanimously voted to … more

By Jerome Tuaño | 10/4/24 | 9 comments

The Board of County Commissioners approved on-call service contracts for Capitol Land Trust, Center for Natural Lands Management, Ecostudies Institute, and Washington State University (WSU) Extension in Olympia on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

County hires contractors to implement habitat conservation program

The Board of County Commissioners approved the contract of four organizations to implement the county’s habitat conservation program. As part of the board’s consent agenda on … more

By Jerome Tuaño | 10/4/24

The Washington Department of Enterprise Services met with Thurston’s Board of County Commissioners on Monday, September 30, 2024 for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project updates. Photographed from left to right are Assistant Attorney General Dave Merchant, Project Director for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project Ann Larson, project manager for the consultant team Tessa Gardner-Brown, and project director with the ECO Northwest Sarah Reich.

Thurston County receives updates on Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project

Representatives of the Washington Department of Enterprise Services (DES) updated Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) about the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project at a … more

By P. Jade Asumbrado | 10/3/24 | 1 comment

The new 5th Avenue Bridge design includes an oculus—a large opening or hole in the middle of the bridge span—that allows visitors to observe the returning salmon and other aquatic life in the restored estuary.

Olympia City Council to vote on shared funding, governance for Deschutes Estuary project

The Olympia City Council reviewed a draft interlocal agreement for the Deschutes Estuary restoration project presented by the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services on Tuesday, October 1. … more

By Lorilyn Lirio | 10/2/24

County won’t be able comply with DNR directive regarding plans for Capitol State Forest

A draft letter from the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) to be sent to the Board of Natural Resources (BNR) states that Thurston County will not be able to produce a plan within the time given by … more

By P. Jade Asumbrado and Jerome Tuaño | 10/1/24 | 4 comments

BEFORE: Contractors used heavy machines to scoop up and remove large amounts of trash.

The Jungle gets a clean-up

City of Olympia officials notified homeless individuals living in The Jungle encampment on Monday, September 16, that the city would soon begin a “clean” of accumulated trash there, … more

By JM Simpson | 9/30/24 | 12 comments

Port of Olympia Commissioners are shown on September 23, 2024. From l-r, Amy Evans Harding, Jasmine Vasavada, Bob Iyall, Maggie Sander and Sarah Tonge. To their right is Executive Director Alex Smith.

Port authorizes interlocal agreement for Deschutes Estuary project

The Port of Olympia Commission authorized Executive Director Alex Smith on Monday, Sept. 23, to sign an interlocal agreement for the governance of the Deschutes Estuary restoration … more

By Jerome Tuaño | 9/26/24 | 4 comments

Stephen Carr Hampton photographed this Barred Owl near his home in Port Townsend in the summer of 2023. He states that "Because this owl is dozens of miles from the nearest spotted owl, it will not be targeted."

No, they're not really going to shoot 450,000 owls

With headlines such as “Federal agency plans to cull 450,000 barred owls to boost another species,” media nationwide announced the eyebrow-raising plan by the US Fish and Wildlife Service … more

By Stephen Carr Hampton | Post Alley | 9/26/24 | 4 comments

Barred and Spotted Owls – The continuing saga

Earlier this year Thurston’s Birds published a column by Liam Hutcheson about the proposed killing of Barred Owls as part of the recovery plan to recover the endangered Spotted Owl. To say the … more

By George Walter | 9/26/24 | 1 comment

Once the project has been finished, the restored estuary will extend two miles from Tumwater Falls to the Fifth Avenue Bridge.

Tumwater City Council reviews interlocal agreement for shared governance of Deschutes Estuary project

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) presented to the Tumwater City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 24, a draft interlocal agreement for the Deschutes Estuary restoration project. Under the … more

By Jerome Tuaño | 9/25/24 | 5 comments

The first phase of the project is referred to as upland work and involves the planting of riparian trees on the outer part of the site. The second phase will focus on the in-water features along 1,000 feet of Deschutes River and additional plantings.

Tumwater refocuses work to improve Pioneer Park’s shoreline

Tumwater is refocusing its work on stabilizing the shoreline of the Deschutes River as it passes Pioneer Park, a project that has been in the works since 2014. The erosion along Pioneer … more

By Jerome Tuaño | 9/24/24 | 1 comment