Growing legacy: Issaquah reigns as Tree City USA
April 20, 2010
The mayor and city brass gathered to celebrate Arbor Day last April beneath dull gray skies — a bare, drab scene unlike the leafy canopy shading Issaquah streets in summertime.
City leaders and residents gather every spring to plant the official Arbor Day tree: a Burr oak near Gibson Hall last year, a crabapple at Grand Ridge Elementary School the year before. The annual ceremony serves as more than a photo opportunity.
Officials will mark Arbor Day indoors next week, with a presentation by city Open Space Steward Matt Mechler to the municipal Park Board.
Issaquah, designated as a Tree City USA for the past 16 years, is required to observe and proclaim Arbor Day to maintain the designation. Officials mark the day with a tree planting, and select a ceremonial tree for each occasion.
City Arborist Alan Haywood oversees the urban forest and ensures that Issaquah keeps the Tree City USA distinction — no small feat in a city where tree canopy covers 51 percent of the municipality.
City seeks Issaquah Hall of Fame nominees
April 16, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. April 16, 2010
Nominate outstanding citizens for the Issaquah Hall of Fame, the annual honor bestowed by city leaders on someone who has made a lasting contribution to the community.
Every spring, the mayor and City Council president select the honoree. Mayor Ava Frisinger and Council President John Traeger will evaluate nominees on several criteria, such as civic-mindedness, leadership and service.
Frisinger and Traeger will also evaluate the role a person plays in drawing positive attention to Issaquah and fundraising for the public good. Length of service will be a factor in the decision as well.
Former Councilman David Kappler lauded for environmental record
January 5, 2010
Issaquah claimed about 8,000 residents when David Kappler launched a successful City Council campaign in 1991.
David Kappler
Then, before the seismic shifts brought on by widespread growth, residents talked about still-unrealized plans to build urban villages on Cougar Mountain and Grand Ridge. Costco still maintained corporate headquarters in Kirkland.
Kappler, a tireless advocate for trails and open space preservation, won every election since his ’91 victory. The former councilman, who shaped decisions for almost 20 years, led the push to conserve land and cast crucial votes to shape transportation and public safety in Issaquah and across the Eastside.
Honor Ruth Kees during creek cleanup Sunday
May 27, 2009
NEW — 6 a.m. May 27, 2009
Save Lake Sammamish will honor late Issaquah environmentalist Ruth Kees with a workday along the creek that bears her name. Volunteers will gather May 31 to clear invasive plant species from the banks of Kees Creek in south Issaquah.
Join Save Lake Sammamish volunteers at Southeast 98th Place on 238th Way Southeast between 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday. Tools, gloves and refreshments will be available. Organizers said they would appreciate for volunteers to RSVP, but it’s not required. RSVP by e-mailing bshelton27@comcast.net.
Kees died May 6 after suffering a broken hip several days earlier. She was 84.
Issaquah environmentalist Ruth Kees dies
May 12, 2009
Ruth Kees sits with her formidable Rolodex at the dining room and worktable of her Tiger Mountain home, where much of the work done in her 50 years of local environmental activism took shape. By Greg Farrar
Longtime environmental activist Ruth Kees died May 6. She was 84.
Kees was a longtime local advocate for preservation of open space and environmental protection. The city created the Ruth Kees Award for a Sustainable Community in her honor. The award recognizes others if they have “demonstrated outstanding commitment to protecting and preserving Issaquah’s natural resources for a sustainable community.”
Issaquah Alps Trails Club co-founder Harvey Manning was honored posthumously with the award May 4. Kees did not attend the ceremony.
Issaquah City Councilman David Kappler said Kees was an amazing person.
“All her work was with so much life and energy to make Issaquah a better place,” said Kappler, who had known Kees since the mid-1970s through his work with the trails club. Read more
Environmental activist Ruth Kees dies
May 7, 2009
NEW — 3:05 p.m. May 7, 2009
Longtime environmental activist Ruth Kees died this morning. She was 84.
Kees was a longtime local advocate for preservation of open space and environmental protection. The city created the Ruth Kees Award for a Sustainable Community in her honor. The award recognizes others if they have “demonstrated outstanding commitment to protecting and preserving Issaquah’s natural resources for a sustainable community.”
Issaquah Alps Trails Club co-founder Harvey Manning was honored posthumously with the award Monday night. Kees did not attend the ceremony.
City Councilman David Kappler said Kees was an amazing person.
“All her work was with so much life and energy to make Issaquah a better place,” said Kappler, who had known Kees since the mid-1970s through his work with the trails club.
Ruth Kees in 2004 with her formidable Rolodex at her Tiger Mountain home. By Greg Farrar
City seeks nominations for environmental award
January 19, 2009
Ruth Kees
City officials are preparing to honor a local environmentalist and activist by accepting nominations for the 2009 Ruth Kees Environmental Award for a Sustainable Community.
Since its creation in 2003, the award has been handed out to individuals who have worked within the community to preserve Issaquah’s natural resources. Read more
