When you receive free bundles of native twin berry / Lonicera involucrata and Nutka rose / Rosa nutkana the day before a work party, you happily put the crew to work planting them even though it is late in the season. Ideally plants have many months of cool moist weather to establish roots before our dry PNW summers set in, but at least there is shade-part shade and Riverton Creek runs through the summer, which serves as a water source.
Additionally, Tukwila’s Parks Commission provided funds for gator bags that volunteers can fill through out the summer for drip irrigation. Since Squad is eight years old we don’t easily come across new stewardship tasks but filling gator bags was a first! And it was popular.
Other work included spreading mulch, miscellaneous planting, general watering and of course battling noxious weeds. The on-site composting piles worked beautifully and will soon be dry/dead enough to spread out the organic matter in low-traffic areas. We look forward to returning and working again with the Green Tukwila Partnership.