Gov. Chris Gregoire visited a rain garden in Burien and toured Seahurst Park and the park’s Environmental Science Center Wednesday afternoon as part of a daylong event to highlight a series of projects underway to restore and improve the health of the Puget Sound.

In 2005, when Gregoire created the Puget Sound Partnership, she called for a “swimmable, fishable, diggable” Puget Sound by 2020. The projects she toured were aimed at meeting that goal.

Joining Gregoire on the tour were chair of the Puget Sound Leadership Council Martha Kongsgard, former council chair Bill Ruckelshaus and the new executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, Col. Tony Wright.
Gregoire visited a rain garden cluster in the 2400 block of Southwest 150th Street in the Seahurst neighborhood of Burien.

Stephanie Berg, who spearheaded the neighborhood project, explained to the governor how she organized her seven neighboring homes into undertaking the project with the sponsorship of Stewardship Partners.

Gregoire then traveled the short distance to Seahurst Park where Burien parks development manager Steve Roemer explained about the city’s plan to remove the north bulkhead to improve habitat and provide a public benefit by increasing access to the beach. The city is working alongside the U.S. Corps of Engineers on the project.

Roemer also talked about the city’s completed project that restored the southern portion of the park’s shoreline to its natural condition.
The governor then walked over to the Environmental Science Center and met high school and elementary youth learning about Puget Sound at the center.

Earlier in the day, Gregoire toured projects on the Hood Canal and in Bow near Bellingham.