Native Planting along the Burke-Gilman Trail.

December 14, 2017

Squad had a beautiful work day planting native species along the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle's View Ridge neighborhood. Nearby neighbors have worked hard for many years making significant ecological improvements to the forest strips along the heavily-trafficked pathway. Many a passerby stopped to chat about the restoration work and to happily thank us for volunteering.

The Burke-Gilman is a rails to trails path along which coal used to be transported from local mines, among other goods. Now, eager Forest Stewards supported by the Green Seattle Partnership spearhead restoration efforts of their choosing, often near their own homes.

This portion of the trail is recovering from ivy / Hedera helix infestation, the seedlings of which can easily be found in the duff- spread by bird droppings due to the berries having been eaten. We look forward to returning to this site to contribute to the effort!

Cheasty Ivy Pull in the Heart of Seattle.

June 09, 2016

Experiencing the leafy side of Beacon Hill, just minutes from Downtown, nourishes our hopes for a verdant urban forest. Not only is the Cheasty Greenspace beautiful, it is a testament to the power of neighbors coming together in stewardship. These everyday concerned-citizens rolled up their sleeves and reclaimed a degraded woods blighted by trash and noxious species. They began small and now are supported by the City, the Green Seattle Partnership and grant-contributors such as REI. The new staircase, resplendent with volunteer-decorated tiles is a wonderful access improvement.

We all benefit from stewardship labors and Squad is proud to be a continuing supporter. Much work has been done, but continued progress is underway and in fact always needed, as the pressures from human-impact requires continued remediation.

Thanks to my husband for co-leading this event in my stead and to my daughters for taking photos!

Hiking & Hauling in the Cheasty Greenspace, Beacon Hill

March 18, 2014

The Cheasty Greenspace is a terrific place for the Homeschool Stewardship Squad- the central location is ideal, fun, and the coordinated community efforts to restore their forest are a pleasure to participate in.

The dedicated group of neighborhood volunteers has not only worked hard, but thought strategically about how to harness municipal and volunteer resources in support of their forest. They are excited to announce that the City of Seattle has adopted the northern acreage on which to create a pilot-project mountain bike park. They are taking notes on the popular Duthie Hill Park, Issaquah. Much planning is underway to discuss a wide diversity of issues such as trail standards to prevent erosion and how to separate pedestrians from bikers.

We sheet-mulched native plantings and hauled many a bucket of wood chips. It will be a treat to keep working at this site and watch it fulfill its potential as a healthy urban forest accessible for recreation.