October was Urban and Community Forest Month! To celebrate, Snohomish Conservation District and the City of Marysville hosted a tree-planting ceremony at Comeford Park on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Our Southern Resident orcas survive primarily on one food source: Chinook salmon. When we think about protecting the health of orcas, one of the most important factors is keeping this food source plentiful for them. Unfortunately, Chinook populations have diminished greatly since the 20th century, leaving Southern Resident orcas searching for food.

In the not too distant past, indigenous people cultivated openings within surrounding forests. They fostered dappled canopies of fruit and nut trees, sun-loving and shade-tolerant shrubs rich with berries, and medicinal and edible plants, roots, and fungi.

The life cycle success of a salmon depends directly on the water quality of our streams and rivers. They thrive in cold, clean, and clear water. However, in locations along French Creek, which feeds into the Snohomish River, the water is often warmer than it should be for salmon and other fish, particularly during the summer.