By Steven Schauer, Deputy Executive Director

Each May, communities across the country celebrate American Wetlands Month, a time to recognize the extraordinary value of wetlands and the many ways they support people, fish, wildlife, and watersheds. Wetlands are among nature’s hardest-working landscapes. They store and slow water, improve water quality, provide habitat, and help build resilience in the face of changing conditions. In King County, they are also an important part of the broader work to reduce flood risks and restore ecosystem health.

Why wetlands matter

Wetlands are often described as natural sponges, and for good reason. They can absorb and temporarily store water during storms and high-flow events, slowing the movement of water across the landscape and helping reduce the severity of downstream flooding and erosion. Federal and state sources also note that wetlands help filter pollutants, improve water quality, support groundwater functions, and provide essential habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife. In short, healthy wetlands are not just environmentally valuable. They are part of the natural infrastructure that helps communities thrive.

That connection between flood risk reduction and ecosystem health is especially important in King County, where rivers, floodplains, side channels, wetlands, and riparian areas all work together. When wetlands are protected or restored as part of broader watershed and floodplain strategies, they can create multiple benefits at once: more space for water, better habitat conditions, cleaner water, and stronger resilience for nearby communities. Habitat restoration and floodplain reconnection are increasingly recognized as effective ways to reduce flood impacts while also improving ecological function.

How the District supports wetland restoration

The King County Flood Control District (KCFCD) supports these outcomes in multiple ways. Across the county, the KCFCD invests in flood risk reduction projects that often include habitat restoration elements, helping reconnect rivers with their floodplains and support healthier ecological conditions alongside reduced flood hazards. The KCFCD’s capital program also highlights levee setbacks, expanded floodplain capacity, and related project types that can contribute to both flood resilience and habitat improvement.

The KCFCD also advances this work through its Cooperative Watershed Management (CWM) Grant Program, which funds implementation of watershed priorities identified by regional forums and councils. These grants support habitat restoration and protection, water quality improvements, monitoring, planning, stewardship, outreach, and education through the Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs). The program is guided by priorities developed through the Snoqualmie/Skykomish Watershed Forum (WRIA 7), Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed Salmon Recovery Council (WRIA 8), Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed Ecosystem Forum (WRIA 9), and the Puyallup-White Watershed Citizen Advisory Committee (WRIA 10).

More than $12 million allocated this year for WRIA grants

The KCFCD’s current budget continues that commitment. The adopted 2026 budget includes over $12 millionfor CWM grants to be distributed by the WRIAs. These grants fund priorities recommended by the WRIA watershed groups. The CWM grant program is generally administered through an independently managed, competitive process led by each WRIA. The WRIAs make their recommendations to the KCFCD, and the final approval for the distribution of these funds comes from action taken by the KCFCD’s Board of Supervisors, with awards typically moving forward in the late spring or summer. We’ll publish a blog post following the Board’s approval of grant funding, so keep an eye out in the months ahead for this year’s list of CWM grant projects.

Looking back at last year’s watershed investments

If you’re interested in learning more about the KCFCD’s watershed grant investments from last year, check out the blog from last summer “Investing in Healthier Watersheds,” which highlighted the 2025 CWM grant awards across the county.

Last year also marked the 25th anniversary of the WRIAs, and the KCFCD celebrated that milestone with special spotlight blogs on each of the four watershed forums and councils supported through this program:

• WRIA 7: Snoqualmie and South Fork Skykomish Watersheds
• WRIA 8: Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed Salmon Recovery Council
• WRIA 9: Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed Ecosystem Forum
• WRIA 10: Puyallup-White Watershed Citizen Advisory Committee

Together, these partnerships reflect a long-term, collaborative approach to watershed stewardship in King County and beyond.

How to celebrate American Wetlands Month in May

American Wetlands Month is also a good reminder that everyone can play a role in appreciating and caring for these important places. Throughout May, area residents can celebrate by visiting a local river corridor, wetland, shoreline, or park; learning more about salmon recovery and watershed restoration in their community; supporting habitat restoration efforts; practicing good stewardship by keeping litter and pollutants out of storm drains and waterways; and exploring the KCFCD’s blog stories. American Wetlands Month was created to help people better understand what wetlands are, where they are found, and why they matter, and that makes May the perfect time to reconnect with the rivers and natural systems that help protect King County communities.

When we protect and restore wetlands, we are doing more than conserving habitat. We are investing in cleaner water, healthier ecosystems, stronger salmon runs, and more resilient communities. That is worth celebrating in May and all year long!