The kids had a terrific time planting natives, pulling ivy and playing (forts!) in the misty woods. A fellow homeschooler helped found a neighborhood stewardship group in their backyard, the Cheasty Greenspace near Beacon Hill. They have excellent long-range goals and many work parties under their belts.
Coal Creek Trail with WTA. Destroying a trail!
This was an exciting work party with the Washington Trails Association because we ruined a trail the first time! A portion of the Coal Creek Trail on Couger Mountain is often soggy, so this section was re-routed. We helped to transplant sword ferns / Polystichum munitum directly into the old trail so as to fill it back in. We had to leave a small path though, as the new section wasn't completely open and indeed trail-runners bobbed and weaved through the kids and the ferns as we worked. This was our first quite cold event for autumn 2013! A few headed out early and some had to warm their toes in their packs. Notable also were the very exciting truck rides up to the work site and brownies shared by another friendly WTA veteran volunteer!
Wetland planting with the Nature Consortium
Planting native wetland in the muddy parts of the lovely West Duwamish Greenbelt was good fun. After a brief intro on species and spacing, the kids especially enjoyed eyeing the mucky expanse to choose a suitable planting spot for their sedge (Carex sp.) and soft rush (Juncus effusus). Shovels in!
