Help Preserve Sammamish's Parks by Becoming a Native Plant Steward

 

Sign Up Now for Free WNPS Stewardship Training in King

County by Gary Smith, WNPS Stewardship Program Chair

 

Interested in becoming a Native Plant Steward? WNPS is planning

a stewardship training program in 2014 in cooperation with five

community partners in King County. The partners include: the

cities of Kenmore, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Sammamish, SeaTac

and King County. Each program partner will be assigned a trained

stewardship team to work with their local community in restoring

natural areas (forest, riparian, wetlands, etc.) in a designated city

or county park.  Past Sammamish project have been in the Lower

 

Commons and Illahee Park Trail.   WNPS members and residents living

 

in King County and in partner communities are encouraged to sign

 

up for the free 10-week stewardship training class that will be held

 

April 18th through June  27th at Mercer Slough Environmental Learning

 

Center, courtesy of the City of Bellevue. Steward training includes:

 

native plant identifi cation, restoration ecology and methods, and

 

recruiting  and engaging community volunteers in preserving their

 

parks and natural areas. Stewards are asked to commit 100 volunteer

 

hours in exchange for the free training.  Watch for details about the

 

class schedule and applications that will be available soon on the

 

WNPS web site www.wnps.org under  “What’s New”. Please contact

 

 Joy Wood, Stewardship Coordinator at npsp@wnps.org if you have

 

any questions or wish to have your name placed on a mailing list to

 

receive advanced details of the program as soon as they become available.

Sammamish Native Plant Stewards and volunteers working to clear blackberry bushes at Illahee Park

 

Now is the time to think about planting bare root natives. The various County Conservation Districts are having their pre-sales now. Check out the KCD and SCD catalogs now.http://kingcd.gostorego.com/
http://snohomishcd.org/plant-sale

King County is digging up native plants and need your help!

Join other volunteers digging up trees and shrubs from this site scheduled for a school and housing development in the morning. In the afternoon, we’ll pot-up the salvaged plants for later planting at King County habitat restoration sites. Once planted, these native plants will help reduce erosion, shade streams and provide habitat. Special thanks to the Snoqualmie Valley School District and the PulteGroup for providing the salvage site.
 
When: Saturday, February 1, 2014

 Time:

 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m: Salvage plants for King County.

12:00 to 2:00 p.m: Salvage plants for yourself if you salvaged for the County from 9:00 to 12:00.

1:00 to 4:30 p.m: Potting at Holding Facility (Free plants are offered to potters).

 Where: Snoqualmie for salvaging

             Issaquah for potting

Directions to the Salvage site: From I-90 take Exit 25 (HWY 18 West and Snoqualmie Parkway). Go north on SE Snoqualmie Parkway. In 1.2 miles, turn left onto SE Swenson Drive. Follow signs to site.

From Highway 202 (SE Fall City-Snoqualmie Road), go south on SE Snoqualmie Parkway and drive 2.5 miles to SE Swenson Drive. Turn right onto SE Swenson Drive. Follow signs to site.

Volunteers who dig for King County from 9:00 to 12:00 are eligible to dig plants for themselves from 12:00 to 2:00.

Not a morning person? Volunteers are also needed at our Native Plant Holding Facility from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to help pot up the salvaged plants. Volunteers who help with potting are eligible for a free native plant for every half hour they work.
 
Directions to the Native Plant Holding Facility:

From eastbound or westbound I-90 take exit 18 (Highland Drive) in Issaquah. Continue uphill onto Highland Drive and drive through several lights. Turn right onto Issaquah-Fall City Road. It becomes Duthie Hill Road.

From SE Redmond-Fall City Road go west on 292^nd Ave SE. It becomes SE Duthie Hill Road.

The facility is in Duthie Hill Park on the south side of the road at 27101 SE Duthie Hill Road.

Drive through the “do not enter” signs to the nursery at the end of road.
 
Notes: A parent or guardian must accompany volunteers under 16 years old. Dress for the weather and be prepared to get dirty. Sturdy shoes or boots are recommended. The site can be muddy. We’ll provide gloves, tools and light refreshments.

 Please call Cindy Young at 206-296-8065 or email cindy.young@kingcounty.gov if you plan to participate.