Saturday, April 20, 2013

Washington's Largest Native Plant Sale This annual native plant sale is an extravaganza of native plants for your landscape or garden. Thousands of plants native to Washington (esp. the Puget Sound Trough), including wildflowers, ferns, grasses & sedges, groundcovers, shrubs, trees. New this year: kids' activity table & pre-planted decorative pots for patio or deck Also:* plant propagation workshops* guided walks in the Mercerdale native plant gardens* large selection of books on native plants, insects, etc. And a dozen other organizations, including Sustainable Redmond, Plant Amnesty, the Stillaguamish Tribe & National Wildlife Federation will have booths. Books on gardening and native plants, workshops, abundant free parking and more.
Sponsor	CPS Chapter, WNPS
Date & Time	Saturday, May 11, 2013; 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location	Mercerdale Park, Mercer Island 77th Ave SE & SE 32nd Street Map
Contact	Rita Moore, wnpscpsplantsale@gmail.com or 206 275-3883
Notes	Plant Sale Blog: http://wnps.wordpress.com/ .

And don't forget Eastside Audubon native plant sale 4/27/13. See posting of 4/2/13 for more details.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Next Sammamish Community Wildlife Habitat Project meeting:

Bog: an inelegant name for a rare and sensitive wetland

CITY EXPERT WILL EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF BOGS AT PRESENTATION

We know the question has been troubling you, pestering the outer edges of you conscious mind and refusing to go away – “Just what, exactly, is a bog?” Well, relief will arrive at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 22, at Beaver Lake Lodge, 25101 S.E. 24th St. That’s when Kathy Curry, the city’s wetland biologist and senior environmental planner, will address the issue at a meeting of the Sammamish Community Wildlife Habitat Project.“We have a lot of bogs in Sammamish,” Curry said. “I’m always happy to share what I know with residents who’ve taken an interest in our community’s sensitive areas.” Although Sammamish has a generous supply, bogs are, generally speaking, quite rare and quite valuable. They’re an especially sensitive wetland with fragile water chemistry and delicate vegetation. For more information about this special event, feel free to contact Jan Bird at bird.samhabitat@gmail.com. The Sammamish Community Wildlife Habitat Project encourages provision of habitat for wildlife throughout the community – not only in public areas, but in individual backyards, on school and church properties, and in parks and places of business, creating a place where residents, flora and fauna can all flourish.

Kathy Curry, the city’s wetland biologist, will discuss bogs.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Sammamish's new park has a new name - the park at SE 8th Street is now Big Rock Park

Help us celebrate by volunteering this Saturday from 9am - noon. We will be removing invasive plants. Thankfully there is very little blackberry at this park that we need to tackle, but there is ivy, holly and yellow archangel.

This event is open for all ages, but volunteers under the age of 14 will need to be accompanied by a parent. We will be out there rain or shine, so be sure to dress for the weather!

Sign up by going to this link: https://www.sammamish.us/events/Default.aspx?ID=2821

Dawn Sanders
425.295.0556
dsanders@sammamish.us

Monday, April 1, 2013

Education Programs and Field Trips

Experience the Cedar River Watershed

Do you know where Seattle’s high-quality tap water comes from? Join Seattle Public Utilities this year for a variety of guided and self-guided programs and discover for yourself! Visit the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, near North Bend, and enjoy free hands-on exhibits, rain drums, and beautiful Rattlesnake Lake.

Sign up for a tap water tour, a family waterfall tour, or walking tour of the historic town sites of Cedar Falls or Taylor. Better yet, venture into the protected watershed for a full-day guided trip to see the connection between the Watershed’s protected rivers, lakes, forests, and wetlands and your tap water.

Get outside, explore, and experience your Watershed.
2013 Cedar River Watershed catalog

Monday, March 18, 2013

Celebrate National Wildlife Week
March 18-24, 2013

What do black bears, flying squirrels and cicadas all have in common? They all need trees! This year National Wildlife Week is "Branching Out for Wildlife"—celebrating trees and their importance to wildlife and people.

National Wildlife Week is National Wildlife Federation's longest-running education program designed around teaching and connecting kids to the awesome wonders of wildlife. Each year, we pick a theme and provide fun and informative educational materials, curriculum and activities for educators and caregivers to use with kids.

For ways to celebrate, see the National Wildlife Federation web page:

http://www.nwf.org/national-wildlife-week.aspx

Friday, March 15, 2013

The City of Sammamish will be holding a spring plant salvage event on March 23. The salvage will be from 9am - 1pm, with the opportunity to salvage for yourself from 1-2pm. Additional volunteers will be needed from 2-4pm to plant the plants at Illahee Trail. I will be contacting registered volunteers mid-week to let them know of the salvage location.

To register go to these links:

Native Plant Salvage from 9am to 1pm

Planting at Illahee Trail from 2pm - 4pm

Other volunteer opportunities:

April 6 - Invasive Removal at SE 8^th Street Park – 9am – 12pm

April 20 – Earth Day Celebration 10am – 1pm

May 18 – Invasive removal and park clean up at Sammamish Landing