The 13th annual Duwamish River Festival drew more than 700 people. (Pictured from left are BJ Cummings, Paulina Lopez, and Brenda Sullivan.)
The UW Superfund Research Program and EDGE Center staff enjoyed sun, music, and lots of engaging interactions with adults and youth at the 13th annual Duwamish River Festival on August 17.
More than 700 people from South Park, Georgetown, and the greater Seattle area attended the multi-ethnic event on the banks of the Duwamish River – a thriving urban river filled with fish and wildlife and a federal Superfund Site currently being cleaned up. The festival was hosted by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition – a UW community partner which serves as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Community Advisory Group for the river cleanup.
More than four dozen education and outreach booths provided information on river cleanup and restoration, how to prevent ongoing pollution to the river, healthy seafood consumption, and environmental justice initiatives in the river valley. Speakers and performers representing the Duwamish Tribe, local Vietnamese, Mexican and Guatemalan communities, hip hop dance troupes, marching bands, and more filled the park.
At the UW booth, community engagement and research translation staff BJ Cummings and Lisa Hayward Watts engaged families drawn by their interactive "wildlife roulette" game wheel. They talked about UW SRP research into the effects of river pollutants like metals and pesticides on salmon, orcas, and people with the adults, while handing out stickers, colored pencils and native wildlife coloring books to their kids.
In all, a great day!