Issue 18                                                                                        Spring 2024 

It's walking season!

As the days grow longer and the sun starts shining again on the Pacific Northwest, it’s time to go outside and move our bodies. Whether you are a passionate gardener or enjoy walking down a busy street or a quiet trail, being active can improve your health in many ways. According to the World Health Organization, physical activity can:

• prevent heart disease, diabetes, or cancer,
• improve your mood and mental health,
• help you think and learn better, and
• improve your overall wellbeing.

Physical activity is also essential for children’s healthy growth and development. Since the mid-1990s, Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiatives have strived to make it easier for children to walk or bike to school through a variety of measures including education, creating maps of safe walking routes, and infrastructure changes. This year, SRTS has launched a new call for projects, with an application deadline on June 7, 2024. Three types of projects serving students from kindergarten to 12^th grade can be funded to:

1. Improve the safety of walking and biking infrastructure;
2. Provide education and encouragement for walking, biking, and rolling; or
3. Develop or design ready-to-construct walking and biking infrastructure within two miles of a school.

Learn more about this opportunity to fund your project to promote active school travel at Safe Routes to School Program call for projects | WSDOT (wa.gov). Please note that only public agencies and tribal governments can apply for projects that aim to improve infrastructure, so reach out to your local planners and tell them about your ideas.

No project in sight? Fill out the form below to let us know about barriers to walking, biking, and rolling around your school: https://forms.office.com/g/DGZ9qC31NF. 

Already filled out the survey? Share it with your colleagues and families in your community as well. This will help the Snohomish County Health Department and our partners understand what measures are needed for a walking and biking friendlier environment. Thank you for your support!

If have questions or you would like to talk more about how to create an active transportation initiative that meets the needs of your community, reach out to Cristina Ciupitu-Plath at Cristina.ciupitu-plath@co.snohomish.wa.us.

Department of Health launches third annual science contest for high school students  

The Washington State Department of Health is calling on all high school students from across the Evergreen State to enter the Washington Tracking Network’s (WTN) third annual Youth Science Contest. The contest is an opportunity for high school students to develop their science and communication skills by working with health and environmental data from their own communities.

Submissions must be received by midnight on April 15. You can find more information, resources, and project examples on WTN’s contest page.