Views and Sheet Mulching at Duwamish Hill Preserve.

We enjoyed the full spring weather experience at the Duwamish Hill Preserve with moody skies, sunny skies and quick torrential downpours. The new section of the park showcasing a variety of non-forest habitats, such as prairies and wetlands is opening soon. Our task was to finish sheet-mulching the last corner. We picked trash, leveled ground, placed cardboard and hauled mulch.

You can go back on the blog and read more about the Duwamish Hill Preserve here. This gem of a park has views of both Mt. Rainier and Downtown Seattle, Native American history and fascinating geologic and fossil history. Not to mention fun trails and rock outcroppings to run around on.

Duwamish Hill Preserve Planting & Play.

The Duwamish Hill Preserve was a special stewardship event in numerous ways. Significantly, the site has considerable Native American importance, "the Hill is associated with the southern Puget Sound Salish oral tradition as the key location in the stories collectively known as the “Epic of the Winds.” There is lovely interpretation and art throughout the site including a gathering space showcasing seasonal tribal activities. We all stood upon our birthday-month and learned about what would be happening at that time in a Duwamish village.

The hill itself is a glacial remnant that is older than Mt. Rainier! It is geological significant and a real treasure to behold. Kids even found marine fossils with clearly visible shells, offering a memorable indication that this site used to be under water. The top of the hill has wonderful views of the Duwamish River valley, showcasing many sites from the lite rail line to Mt. Rainier itself, framed in bright red madrona berries. In between planting native plants in the new meadow habitat beds the children delighted in playing all over the hill, from scrambling rocks up to the peaks, to bolting down the long stairways.

You can read about the superb volunteer efforts to save the hill in a Seattle Times article, "In 2000, the hill was going to be blasted apart by dynamite and developed into an industrial area, much like the properties surrounding it. But the community and Cascade Land Conservancy raised about $1 million through donations, contributions and grants for the city of Tukwila to purchase the land."

We we even graced with the presence of an eagle pair flying, calling and perching on a tall electrical tower. We certainly look forward to returning and being a part of the ongoing efforts to develop and protect the Hill.