Unmute the Commute: I Believe You Can Do More
Each week, power lifter Mark Bryant puts down his weights and teaches a senior fitness class.
Unmute the Commute: Your Driver is Mayor David Baker
Everyday we rely on people to get us around – in buses, carpools, rideshare. But who are the people driving us? On this week’s Unmute the Commute, we hear from an Uber driver who also happens to be the mayor of Kenmore.
Unmute the Commute: The Ferry Riot
In 1987, a riot on a Washington State ferry resulted in over $30,000 worth of damage to the SV Kitsap. On this week’s Unmute the Commute, we talk to people who were there about what happened, and more importantly, why there was a riot in the first place.
Nature: Red Winged Blackbirds in the Cattails
What kind of habitat do cattails on our water’s edges provide for the red winged blackbird? Seward Park Audubon Center Lead Naturalist, Ed Dominguez and KBCS’s Yuko Kodama talk about this habitat and this talkative bird at the Union Bay Natural Area near Seattle’s University District.
uko Kodama 0:00
91.3 KBCS music and ideas listener supported radio from Bellevue College
Greg Delia 0:05
who’s hiding in those cat tails along the water’s edge. Next up Audubon Center lead naturalist Ed Dominguez shares the story with 91.3s, Yuko Kodama.
Unknown Speaker 0:18
We’ve got a big grove of large water plants called cattails along the shore. This is a native plant, so we’re glad to have them. And cattail has a long blade of leaf and then the cattail itself, of course is on a tall stock and kind of looks like, I’m not sure like a corn dog on a stick. But that corn dog is actually thousands of seeds that are encased in in a large corn dog shaped capsule. And when you can see some of those capsules are breaking open, each of the little seeds has a feathery tuft that it’s attached to and the wind will blow and those seeds will fly into the air on those tufts for wind dispersal. So that’s how this plant propagates itself is through wind dispersal. The wind blows the seeds on the little feathery tufts and you get a large grove of these along the shore, which provide great habitat for many birds that like to kind of stay under cover along the water’s edge. And so I’m sure we’re looking at at this great field of cattails. But if we could somehow have X ray vision, we would probably see a variety of different water birds in there everything from green herons to Virginia rails to to sora to bitterns to all kinds of birds that might be here in the wetlands area using these cattails for cover. And of course the the seeds themselves provide protein and food for birds. So cattails are a nice, nice plant to have along the shore. And of course, many times they’re used in plant decorations. So florists, will use cattail as the centerpiece of a large floral decoration.
Yuko Kodama 2:04
I hear the… (bird calling)
Ed Dominguez 2:07
Yeah, red winged blackbirds, let’s see if we can get him again. (bird calling)So that’s the sound of a bird that almost exclusively uses cat tails for its home. That’s the Red Wing Blackbird. It makes a very distinctive vocalization, kawee konk (bird calling). Just like that. It’s nice when they come on cue for you. Red winged blackbirds inhabit these cattail marshes like we have here. The females will build their nests down inside these dense blades of the cat tail leaves and so there’s great protection and camouflage. And the male red winged blackbirds, (Bird calling) singing like that are claiming this area as his territory. So that warns other males that, “don’t come over here thinking you can establish yourself because this is my area.” And then of course you get males that are maybe be 100 yards away, and that male will sing, “Oh yeah, well, this is my area. What’s it to you?” So particularly, even though it’s winter, we’re hearing a bit in the spring you’ll just hear multiple red winged blackbirds all calling back and forth, saying that this is my territory and I claim it and also all of you female red winged blackbirds come over and check me out because I would be a great partner to raise your family. So it’s a really neat call, kawee konk, and whenever you’re near cattails or marshy areas you’re going to hear red winged blackbirds because this is what they use for their habitat.
Greg Delia 3:38
That was Audubon Center lead naturalist Ed Dominguez walking with KBCS’s Yuko Kodama in the Union Bay natural area in Seattle’s University district for our access to urban nature series.
Unmute the Commute: The Water Taxi
Since the Alaskan Way Viaduct closed, riders on the West Seattle Water Taxi have more than doubled. King County Metro is hoping that some of those new riders will keep using the water taxi even after the tunnel replacing the viaduct opens. On this week’s Unmute the Commute, we take a trip to Elliott Bay and hear from people commuting by boat. Produced by Jennie Cecil Moore.
Unmute the Commute is supported in part by Just One Trip — a King County Metro initiative to get you out of your car starting with just one trip.
Unmute the Commute: A Pedicab Ride
For the last Unmute the Commute of the season, we take a ride on a pedicab and explore Seattle’s unique history with the three wheeled transport. Produced by Jennie Cecil Moore.
Featuring: Morgan Floyd (Tride Pedicab)
Unmute the Commute: Biking in the Rain
Biking in the rain – does anything sound more pleasant than that? On today’s show, we meet an avid cyclist who talks about the challenges and joys of riding a bike in the Northwest.
Featuring: Aviva Stephens (Biking in the Rain)
Unmute the Commute is supported in part by Just One Trip — a King County Metro initiative to get you out of your car starting with just one trip.
Seattle’s Rally in Support of Robert Mueller
Thousands of Seattleites joined a nationwide rally on November 8th, 2018, in support of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The Northwest News Network’s Casey Martin reports it comes after President Trump replaced Attorney General Jeff Sessions with a critic of Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign.
Election 2018 – Voices From The Bring Your Own Ballot Party in Seattle
El Centro De La Raza, in Seattle’s Beacon Hill, hosted “BYOB: Bring Your Own Ballot Party!” on October 27th, 2018; a special gathering to help voters. The event provided assistants and interpreters to answer questions about this year’s election ballot, and celebrated the act of voting with live music. KBCS’s Gol Hoghooghi spoke with several people at the event.
Election 2018 – BYOB: Bring Your Own Ballot Party in Seattle
In an effort to help get out the vote, El Centro de la Raza in Seattle’s Beacon Hill, is hosting the BYOB: Bring Your Own Ballot Party!; an event on Saturday, October 27th, 2018, to help voters understand their ballots. KBCS’s Yuko Kodama spoke with Miguel Maestas, El Centro De La Raza’s Housing and Economic Development Director, about the event.