Stewardship Squad had another work/swim event at Luther Burbank Park with the Mountains to Sound Greenway. but the blog was on break for the Great American Eclipse of 2017-hope you got to see it!
More Restoration on Lake Washington in the Mountains to Sound Greenway.
Once again, Stewardship Squad enjoyed working at the charming Luther Burbank Park with the Mountains to Sound Greenway.
We tended our usual restoration site near Calkins Point on Lake Washington under the shade of the big Oregon ash tree / Fraxinus latifolia. This site used to be a dairy farm and the concrete stall remnants can still be seen (and played in).
We weeded and mulched around native plantings before partaking of the warm shallow waters on the lake.
Come on out and join us for our next stewardship/swim here on 8/22.
Lake Washington Restoration at Luther Burbank Park.
It must be summer, Squad has returned to Luther Burbank Park with the Mountains to Sound Greenway! We tended our usual restoration site near Lake Washington under the shade of the big Oregon ash tree / Fraxinus latifolia.
The site is looking terrific after years of attention. We continued maintenance-weeding of noxious species and over-vigorous natives such as horsetail that threaten the survival of young plants trying to establish, such as red osier dogwood, snowberry and roses.
A summer Squad event couldn't be complete without a run around the old concrete foundations of the former dairy barn as well as an extremely refreshing swim off the end of Calkins Point. We'll be back- come on out to enjoy this quiet spot on Lake Washington in the heart of the Seattle-Bellevue metropolis.
Pulling Vines in the Belmondo Reach Natural Area.
Sometimes nature needs help with balance in a restoration site. At the Belmondo Reach Natural Area on the Cedar River, a large patch of native manroot / Marah oreganus (aka wild cucumber) was aggressively vining up into a grove of historic trees, as well as smothering a salmonberry patch. The fascinating fruits are irritating if eaten but very fun to stomp. They explode the spongy moist interior and eject large seeds- which of course you have to pick up if your goal is to limit its spread.
Interestingly the grove of large trees were CA/OR-native Lawson’s cedar and redwoods which are remnants of the coal mining settlement that used to occupy the site (see photo from 1889). If you look at the steep riverbank you can still see seams of coal.
The river was perfect for wading and swimming, we look forward to returning to see the salmon and also to keep up with the restoration progress.
Pritchard Island Beach Weeding and Swimming in Lake Washington.
Squad kicked off summertime with a pleasant work party and fun swim in Lake Washington. Pritchard Island Beach, in Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood, is a charming park with many habitats and a swimming beach. The Green Seattle Partnership's Forest Stewards hosted us in tending small native plants struggling to compete with tenacious noxious weeds such as blackberry, bindweed and buttercup.