Get ‘wild’ on the beach - sign up for King County’s guided ecology walk, Aug. 11

King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division and marine biologist Kimberle Stark want to show people a “wild” time at the beach. On Saturday, Aug. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon, the county will host a guided ecology walk at West Point beach near Discovery Park.

The guided walking tour will offer information about the nearshore ecosystem, native plants and wildlife in the area, and discuss how geology and glacial activity helped form the beach we know today.

The tour will also showcase the extensive beach restoration King County completed during the expansion of the West Point Treatment Plant in the 1990s. The county invested $25 million to restore 26-acres of public shoreline and improve the area with walking trails, berms, native plants, and wetlands.

The tour will begin at West Point Treatment Plant, 1400 W. Utah St., in Seattle’s Discovery Park.

All ages are welcome at this free event. Space is limited so registrations are required by calling 206-296-8361 or e-mailing jo.sullivan@kingcounty.gov.

Directions to the West Point Treatment Plant are available on the Web at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/directions/#WestPoint. People can also call 206-263-6028 or 711 TTY for more information or to request reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.

People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The county’s Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.