KCT Quarterly

KCT Quarterly
Written By Hannah Stone

Dear friend,

KCT has had an incredible start to the year! We've expanded our nimble team, submitted applications for major grants, and advanced our flagship program for 2024: the Biochar Scale-Up Project. We need your support! With so much happening, your donations have a tremendous impact on our ability to grow our organization, secure new funding, recruit an executive director, and engage with the community. Through the month of August, donations will be matched (1:1). Please consider giving at this pivotal time for Kulshan Carbon Trust.

Best regards,

Jessa Clark, NCS Program Manager

 

Upcoming Events

 
 

KCT In Action

 

Biochar Scale Up Project: Our field trials and soil sampling of biochar-enhanced compost are underway! Preliminary results from lab analysis of the compost show improved soil health and maturity across all ten indicators. Plus, our farmers and partners at Skagit Soils are psyched. Check out our blog post and this Waste Today article to read more.

Community Wildfire Presentation: KCT presented at the Wildfire Current Conditions Briefing for Electeds and Senior Officials in the Skagit Valley last month. Amidst the 2024 fire season forecasts, wildfire protection plans, relief and support services information, and air quality monitoring updates from public service agents, KCT offered a helpful mitigation strategy highlighting biochar and community partnerships (slide deck). We are excited to continue bringing natural climate solutions into the wildfire safety space.

Russell Family Foundation Spotlight: Senior staff met with the Russell Family Foundation board to present how their funding is being used to implement the Biochar Scale Up Project. You can read more about this on the Russell Family Foundation website, linked here.

Summer Interns: Thanks to funding from the Sustainable Path Foundation, KCT has brought on three summer interns to support our natural climate solutions research & outreach efforts. Welcome to the team, Sarah, Eli, and Kenny!

Pint Nights: We have held several community events at local breweries, including Skagit Valley favorites: District Brewing and Terramar Brewstillery. KCT staff, board members, volunteers, project partners, friends, family, and interested community members enjoyed engaging conversations and raffle prizes at our Community Climate Resilience Night. Topics included giant kohlrabies grown with biochar, community resource sharing and coalition building, mental-emotional-cultural components of climate change mitigation, and access to biochar kilns for homeowners. Thank you to everyone who came out, and we look forward to seeing you at future events!

 

We’re Growing

 

Since January, we have increased our talented team from three to five staff members, and added several interns, board members, and volunteers. Our team gathered for a rare group photo at our Community Climate Resilience Night last month.

Pictured from left to right:

Alexandria (Bookkeeper), Jessa (Program Manager), Jess (NCS Scientist), Gabe (Program Coordinator), Hannah (NCS Writer)

Help Us Grow!

Your donation will be matched. Any amount goes especially far at this time.

You can make a one-time, quarterly, or annual tax-deductible donation using the link below. Our processor supports a variety of payment methods including Credit/Debit, Paypal, Venmo, & Apple Pay.

 

Our Work at Large

 

EPA Title V: The EPA issued a clarification to Title V in April that has made the permitting and use of mid-tech biochar units easier. We are excited to explore the implications of this by working with John MacLean of Energy Efficiency Finance Corp. to draft a financial model for mid-tech units in our area. This will be funded through the Biochar Scale-Up Project.

Waste Today: KCT is featured in this Waste Today article! Skagit Soils is now selling biochar-enhanced compost at their facility and online, making this useful soil amendment easily accessible.

Wildfire Resilience: As summer unfolds, we may begin to see fires in northwest Washington. NOAA has some useful tools for forcasting and keeping tabs on current conditions. As reducing wildfire fuel becomes increasingly important, using this fuel to make biochar is an adaptive strategy – transforming one forest’s waste into another farm’s treasure.

 

On the Horizon

 

Executive Director Recruitment: With so much expansion, we urgently need to hire an executive director. We have begun our efforts to secure funding to hire an ED, and recruitment is one of our major goals for 2024 - 2025.

Board Building: KCT is expanding our board membership! We are excited to embark on this process in the coming months, anticipating a significant increase in our capacity, expertise, and capabilities. Stay tuned for more details!

Multi-year Grants: Grant writing has been in full swing. We applied for three multi-year grant projects with kindred partner organizations, both focused on implementing climate-smart stewardship practices on a landscape scale. From forest farming, riparian buffers, kelp soil amendments, and integrating biochar into riparian reforestation, these innovative projects have exciting potential to improve ecosystems and trap carbon. Cross your fingers for us!

 

Recommended Reads

 
 

KCT Spotlight: Sarah Parker

 

Sarah (pictured far right) with colleagues at our Wander Pint Night in summer of 22’

“Our dear colleague Sarah Parker, who has been a cornerstone of our organization as a key staffer, principal board member, and diligent corporate secretary, will soon embark on a personal journey to resettle near her family in New England. Sarah and Owen will be relocating to the progressive and picturesque state of Vermont.

Sarah’s decision to move closer to her parents and extended family reflects her values, one of which is the deep-seated sense of community that she has tried to foster at KCT during her impactful three-year tenure. I am filled with satisfaction and wistfulness thinking about Sarah’s meaningful contributions to our organization’s early days. Her influence has enabled KCT to compete credibly for seven-figure grants as part of a team with some of the leading environmental stewards in our region.” — Howard Sharfstein, KCT Board Pres.

 

Double Your Donation

 

All donations through the month of August will be matched 1:1. Please consider showing your support during this pivotal time for our young non-profit. All contributions make a big difference. We appreciate you!

 

Connect with KCT

 
 

Inspiration for the day: hermit crab video

Hannah Stone

Hannah is the KCT Science Communications Coordinator, infusing her background in journalism, environmental studies, and experiential education to curate content and strategy for KCT. She graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies, with an emphasis on environmental justice, creative writing, and ecological dynamics. She also holds minors in Forestry and Food Systems. Hannah is passionate about deepening human-nature relationships to inform systems change.

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