It was a glorious day at Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) Watershed Headquarters in North Bend, WA, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Cedar River Watershed Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) – a 50 year plan that was prepared under the Endangered Species Act.
Check out more event photos on Flickr.
The HCP is designed both to provide certainty for the City of Seattle’s water supply and hydroelectric operations and to protect and restore habitats of fish and wildlife that may be affected by these operations.
More than 100 guests, including past and present City of Seattle employees involved in the HCP, HCP Oversight Committee members, and other entities that signed the HCP, gathered at the event site that took place inside the Cedar River Watershed. It was a time to commemorate, highlight, and reflect on the enormous hard work and dedication it took to develop the HCP in partnership with multiple signatories.
Jim Erckmann, former SPU Ecosystems Manager (retired) and one of the original contributors to the HCP was a guest speaker. Erckmann, who currently serves as an HCP Oversight Committee member, provided a historical perspective about the development of the HCP and its implementation.
His remarks were followed by remarks from current SPU General Manager and CEO Andrew Lee, who touted multiple successes accomplished in the last 25 years under the HCP and took time to recognize the many guests in attendance that served as his mentors.
SPU Natural Resources Manager Julia Munger provided a glimpse into the next 25 years of the HCP. She also jokingly (or maybe she was serious) said she could envision standing in the same spot giving a speech on the 50th anniversary of the HCP. That brought laughter to the crowd and delight to Munger’s manager, Amy LaBarge, SPU Watershed Management Division Director, who emceed the event. Seattle City Light General Manager Dawn Lindell provided closing remarks by summarizing the past, present, and future of the HCP and ending with this quote “The Cedar River Watershed Habitat Conservation Plan is a testament to what we can achieve when we come together with a shared purpose.”