News releases

July 30, 2025
VIDEO: Protecting historic nature camps and creating more so a new generation can enjoy healthy outdoor activities
Executive Braddock toured Camp Sealth on Vashon to see how King County Parks is protecting historic nature camps and working with partners to create a new one in underserved South King County.

July 28, 2025
CHOMP! returns to King County’s Marymoor Park Aug. 16, celebrating local food, farmers, and fun with live music and family-friendly activities
CHOMP! returns to Marymoor Park on Aug. 16 with free live music, local food, family activities, and a focus on supporting sustainable farming through this year’s beneficiary, the Washington Hmong Farmers Cooperative.

July 24, 2025
Modernize aquatic centers, enhance parks, restore river corridors, expand access to outdoor recreation: Executive Braddock announces $31 million in King County Parks Levy grant funding
Fifty-six community-led projects throughout the region would receive a combined $31 million in King County Parks Levy grant funding under a proposal by Executive Braddock. The grant program has awarded a combined $88 million to partners since voters approved the current Parks Levy in August 2019.

July 17, 2025
Refuge Outdoor Festival returns to King County’s Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground, elevating BIPOC youth leadership in the outdoors
The Refuge Outdoor Festival returns Aug 22-24 to King County Parks’ Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground for a weekend of community and connection in nature, with expanded BIPOC youth leadership and a continued commitment to equity in the outdoors.

July 2, 2025
Executive Braddock announces winners of the 2025 Green Globe Awards, King County’s highest honor for environmental stewardship
Seattle Times reporter and author Lynda Mapes received the Environmental Catalyst award at the 2025 Green Globe Award ceremony presented by Executive Shannon Braddock, honoring nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals who contribute to resilient, sustainable, equitable communities.

June 24, 2025
‘We still brace ourselves, but now we can breathe easier’: Operators at West Point Treatment Plant credit new battery system for delivering reliable power during its first year
The first-of-its-kind battery system at King County’s West Point Treatment Plant proved effective during its first year, keeping critical pumps operating during 78 power disruptions. There were 15 instances when pumps at the state’s largest treatment plant were powered exclusively by the 16.8-megawatt battery system.

June 18, 2025
King County Parks opens new trail segment connecting Burien and SeaTac, completing two-thirds of a regional trail that connects Lake Washington to Puget Sound
King County Parks’ latest expansion of the Lake to Sound Trail creates seven miles of contiguous, paved urban trail through South King County. Once complete, the 16-mile regional trail will connect five cities and four other regional trails to Sound Transit Link light rail stations.

May 19, 2025
King County Parks launches Ranger Program to enhance park safety and improve the visitor experience
King County Parks is launching a new Park Ranger Program this summer to enhance visitor experience and safety with specially trained Rangers serving as ambassadors, educators, and public safety resources across regional parks, trails and backcountry areas.

May 15, 2025
VIDEO: From extinction’s edge to a promising future: How King County and partners put Lake Sammamish kokanee on a path toward recovery
A partnership coordinated by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks reported that more than 8,300 adult kokanee salmon returned from Lake Sammamish to spawn during the 2023-24 season, a dramatic increase from seven years ago when fewer than 20 returned from the lake. It is the latest promising sign that the freshwater species is on a path toward recovery following a catastrophic decline.

May 5, 2025
King County Parks opens two new trails that connect Sound Transit’s Marymoor Village Station to regional trails and King County’s largest park
Two new trails in Redmond built by King County Parks offer convenient connections to Sound Transit’s Marymoor Village Station, making it safer and healthier to enjoy outdoor recreation, activities, and events.

April 21, 2025
VIDEO: One year later, King County’s largest-ever floodplain restoration project is improving salmon health
One year after completing the largest floodplain restoration project in King County's history, ecologists report young Chinook salmon are growing considerably well in the newly restored habitats along the Snoqualmie River, validating the county’s approach to improving habitat and offering a blueprint for future salmon recovery work.

April 9, 2025
King County’s major sewer upgrade in Bellevue is the first project of its kind to earn Salmon-Safe certification, simultaneously modernizing infrastructure and improving habitat
One of the nation’s leading eco-labels, Salmon-Safe, has awarded its first ever certification for a wastewater infrastructure project to King County’s Coal Creek Sewer Upgrade in Bellevue.

March 27, 2025
VIDEO: King County scientists identify a potential breakthrough for treating salmon-killing tire chemical
Research by King County's Water and Land Resources Division confirmed the effectiveness of soil mixture that treats 6PPDQ, a toxic chemical found in tire dust that causes coho salmon to die before they return to their spawning grounds.

March 21, 2025
King County announces new transfer station in Kirkland, providing modern recycling services for northeast King County residents
The new Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station will be sited in the city of Kirkland. The new facility will replace the aging Houghton Transfer Station and provide expanded waste disposal and recycling services, while reducing environmental impacts, to serve the growing communities in northeast King County.

March 20, 2025
King County foresters are testing native tree seedlings from warmer, drier climates to promote healthy, climate-resilient forests
Foresters at the Department of Natural Resources and Parks are conducting trials to determine if trees grown from seeds acquired from Southwest Washington, Oregon, and Northern California are more productive and can withstand heat and drought better than trees grown from locally sourced seedlings.

February 11, 2025
‘Maintain, enhance, and expand the parks and trails that bring us to the outdoors and to each other’: Executive Constantine announces proposal to renew the King County Parks Levy
Executive Constantine’s proposal to renew the six-year King County Parks Levy would increase the agency’s capacity to keep parks and trails clean, safe, and open, offer new amenities and recreational activities, create a climate response fund, increase capacity for forest stewardship, and accelerate regional trail expansion.

February 6, 2025
'Saving and restoring King County’s rich history': Executive Constantine honors recipients of 23rd annual Spellman Awards for historic preservation
The winners of the 23rd annual John D. Spellman Awards for Achievement in Historic Preservation were honored at a ceremony at Kenmore Community Club led by Executive Constantine.

January 22, 2025
King County’s Solid Waste Division taking immediate action to address backlog at transfer stations affecting commercial haulers
Nearly all of King County Solid Waste Division’s facilities remain open to the public while the agency takes action to address a backlog at transfer stations impacting commercial haulers.

January 14, 2025
Executive Constantine announces $107 million to protect 3,000 acres throughout King County for climate resilience, greenspace expansion, habitat restoration, and farmland access
Fifty-three projects across King County will receive a combined $107 million to protect over 3,000 acres of open space. It maintains the accelerated pace of land conservation since King County voters approved Executive Constantine’s initiative in 2022 to restore the local Conservation Futures Program to its historic funding rate.

2024 news releases