The Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation has created a new Stewardship Stream Initiative (SSI) which will give college students the opportunity to enroll in the Urban Stream Ecology Internship and Training (USE-IT) program. This project was developed through funding by the WaterWorks Grant of King County and is unique since it would be the first urban watershed in King County to have many of its tributaries and sub-basins assessed within the city’s boundaries using certified Department of Ecology methods. Lake Forest Park is also unique in supporting large areas of canopy cover and diverse habitat, but also has areas impacted by development and impervious surfaces.
This study would have the opportunity to pinpoint direct influences of factors that impact water quality in an urban setting. Finally, this study would also provide a baseline set of measurements for demographically distinct populations in cities upstream from Lake Forest Park.

In order to accomplish these goals, we plan to train 12-24 college-level students to conduct testing at specific sites on a monthly basis over a two-year period. In addition to STEM students, this project will have an open invitation to anyone interested in participating. The long-term sampling locations are in areas that are easily visible and accessible by all members of the community. By teaching sampling techniques and equipment maintenance, research techniques and analysis, and presenting to audiences, this project provides anyone opportunities to access levels of potential and gain experience within the neighborhood they live in. Water quality data will be summarized in an easily accessible and understood format. We will attempt to translate results in Spanish, Cantonese/Mandarin, and Lashootseed to best represent the minority groups of our city.