Hiking & Hauling in the Cheasty Greenspace, Beacon Hill

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.

Trillium ovatum / wake-robin.  Almost spring!

The Green Seattle Partnership is a supporter of the Cheasty Greenspace.

Potting-Up Cedars at Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust's Native Plant Nursery

A climb-in pile of potting soil is pretty irrestible.  We were happy to help pot-up western red cedars/Thuja plicata  at the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust's native plant nursery at Lake Sammamish State Park.  The rain came down, but the kids made more than the best of it with song and smiles.  (Except for those who had itchy soil down their clothes!)

Wetland Plant Nursery Work with King Conservation District

The roof kept the rain off but the kids loved finding other ways to get filthy.  We potted up red osier dogwood / Cornus sericea for use in restoration and habitat-enhancement projects.  New potting soil was also mixed-up with a blend suitable for plants that like soggy feet and includes biosolids from the nearby water treatment plant.  As usual, there was hot competition for who got to push the full cart.  King Conservation District offers native plants in exchange for volunteering in their nursery.  Come back in the spring and summer to see the tadpoles and frogs that love the flooded beds.

Bucket Brigade Sheet Mulching at T-105 on the Duwamish.

Brrrr….!  This was a chilly Squad, the kids were one-upping each other on the most layers worn.  It was impressive to see ice all the way up the restored slough-channel, in which the tide was quite high so we hiked around it, rather than crossing it to the restoration site.  We began with a short explanation of a watershed, in this case the Green-Duwamish Watershed.  (See your King County watershed here)  I wasn't so sure the kinds would find the coordinated discipline involved in a bucket-brigade enjoyable, but they had a blast!  Great idea Dhira.  Much mulch was dumped onto the cardboard we spread out for weed control.  A great time with EarthCops on the Duwamish River in the heart of Seattle. 

Fur ID…..?

mossy rose gall (click pic for link)

Blackberry weeding with the Nature Consortium, serenaded!

It is always a treat to hear live music at Nature Consortium work parties!  The klezmer-esque band of percussion/tuba/clarinet was both lively and moody, perfect for the misty weather.  The ample crowd of Squad-regulars did a stellar job with the usual blackberry weeding, including a brush-up on Rubus armeniacus (syn. Rubus discolor) vs. the native trailing blackberry Rubus ursinus (note this link includes a few comparison pics and also includes the noxious Rubus laciniata / cut-leaf evergreen blackberry).