You may not think about floodplains all that much.
But they are quietly at work, providing rich soil for our farms, habitat for our salmon, and beautiful backdrops for our lives.
In the past we tried to “control” rivers so we could “use” the floodplain – straightening unruly rivers and building levees to keep the water in its place. We built whole cities where rivers once meandered. Now, salmon runs are disappearing and people live in the path of dangerous floodwaters.
Floodplain management needs a re-think. Our challenge is to modernize our approach so floodplains can sustain us – all of us – as our climate changes and population swells.
Challenge accepted.
What’s Floodplains by Design?
OUR STORIES
Floodplains by Design is changing the way we think about floodplains, enabling communities and the environment to thrive together in new and unexpected ways. Re-thinking floodplains may mean something different for each watershed. But in every project we put collaboration first, bringing former adversaries to the table to create meaningful change together. Read our stories to learn more.
STILLAGUAMISH
Photo credit: Rainy Sunday Ranch/2017 Photovoice
WORKING TOGETHER AND THINKING BIG IS HOW WE GET THERE.
Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. Floodplains by Design supports projects that are built from the ground up by local community members who know the land and waters best.
OUR IMPACT
On-the-ground actions are what matter most.
There's no one path to get there. From moving levees back to provide habitat and flood storage, to preservation of agricultural lands from development: our projects are varied and seek innovative solutions to floodplain management.
On-the-ground actions are what matter most.
There's no one path to get there. From moving levees back to provide habitat and flood storage, to preservation of agricultural lands from development: our projects are varied and seek innovative solutions to floodplain management.
NEWS STORIES
Ecology is Hiring!
The Washington State Department of Ecology is hiring a Floodplain Restoration Planner. The Floodplain Restoration Planner position serves as an associate-level planner, supporting administration of the Floodplains-by-Design program by providing regional...
RSVP for our Spring Workshop
We invite you to join us for our Spring Floodplains by Design workshop scheduled for: Wednesday, May 30th 2018 9:30am - 4:00pm The Mountaineers in Seattle 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 This workshop will focus on building and sharing our collective...
From Dust to Foods: Dramatic Weather and Natural Solutions
by Courtney Baxter, Puget Sound Conservation Coordinator I grew up on the surface of the sun, though most people know it as Phoenix, Arizona. My childhood memories are filled with hot, hot summers; impossible to endure the outdoors for longer than 10 minutes, we often...
Watch: Fish-Farms-Floods
Check out this new series of videos developed to spread the win-win-win news of collaborating for fish-farms-floods. These videos highlight the Floodplains for the Future that is a subset of Floodplains by Design projects in Pierce County, Washington. Floodplains by...
Farms as Whole Ecosystems
By Courtney Baxter, Conservation Coordinator I grew up in dirty boots, my Ariats always coated in a thick layer of dust. I never really bothered to clean my boots, because in my mind I knew they were just going to get dirty again anyway. I’ve since moved away from my...
Hiring: Floodplains for the Future Program Coordinator
The Floodplains for the Future Program Coordinator supports the regional work of the Floodplains for the Future program. This program is a cross-sector and inter-organizational partnership hosted by Pierce County to recover floodplain functions and to protect the...