The Seattle City Council recognized the Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) and 10 years of successful collaboration between Forterra and the City of Seattle to build this important community resource that works to restore and care for the City’s forested parklands. Nov. 3, 2014 also marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of the GSP’s 10th anniversary and the 2015 collaborative effort with partners and community members to update the 20-Year Plan.
“The Green Seattle Partnership is a unique effort that enhances community while restoring Seattle’s forested parklands. This program’s importance has been recognized and supported by the City since its inception 10 years ago,” said Mayor Murray. “Getting out to plant trees at a Green Seattle restoration event at Discovery Park earlier this month was a pleasure. It’s amazing that events like this are happening at our parks every weekend.”
Since Forterra and the City launched the Partnership in 2005, it has grown to a citywide effort initiating restoration on more than 1,000 acres of forested parkland. The GSP has logged 695,000 volunteer hours and planted over 160,000 trees and 250,000 shrubs. Critical to the Partnership are the efforts of over 120 Forest Stewards and the work of many partner organizations including EarthCorps, Seattle Parks Foundation, Seattle Goodwill, Nature Consortium, Mountains to Sound Greenway, and Washington Native Plant Society.
In 2004, Forterra and the City, under the guidance of Former Mayor Greg Nickels, came together to recognize the power of engaging our residents in the restoration of Seattle’s parklands to further engender community investment and connection to them. In 2005, the partnership launched a 20-Year Strategic Plan and coordinated program to harness existing efforts and galvanize an informed, involved, and active community to tend to the lands that serve our neighborhoods.
“We look forward to 10 more years of building and maintaining healthy forested parklands through the Green Seattle Partnership and continuing our work with the City of Seattle, Mayor Murray and all the other organizations that are a part of this great effort,” said Forterra President, Gene Duvernoy.
The City Council is not the only one to recognize the efforts of the GSP. Seattle was recognized earlier this year by STAR Communities as the most sustainable city in the entire country and the GSP was acknowledged by STAR as one of four efforts that set Seattle above the rest.
STAR’s award is a nod to the power of volunteering – each hour of a volunteer’s time is a priceless asset to our city. Green Seattle Day, the GSP’s largest annual volunteer day of restoration activities, ranging from removing weeds and invasive plants to planting native trees and shrubs, is planned for Saturday, Nov. 8. Learn more at greenseattle.org.
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ABOUT FORTERRA
Forterra is an unconventional land trust that works across Washington’s communities and landscapes, from the ranches and shrub-steppe of the Yakima basin, to the estuaries, farms and forests of Washington’s coast, reaching more than 100 counties, cities, towns and rural communities. Working cooperatively with people and nature, Forterra drives land stewardship, management and planning; innovative programs and policies; farming and forestry approaches; community ownership opportunities; and development solutions. Visit www.forterra.org.
