People come to restoration work parties from all kinds of backgrounds. Some have been doing this for years. Others show up not entirely sure what invasive species even means — and leave having learned that English ivy is quietly strangling native habitat, and they can never see it the same way again.

Over eight days, 156 volunteers came out to six work parties at Crestview and Crystal Springs parks and cleared 43,000 square feet of invasive species! (Woohoo!) But what made this week special to me and my team was what happened between the pulling and the hauling: questions, everywhere.

Some of the most curious ones came up mid-work, with highlights shared as a group at the end — about what it means to have a healthy forest, how the history of these parks connects to the history of the Duwamish, and why this work matters for the surrounding communities. From heatwaves to how the 12 tires we removed will reduce pre-spawn salmon mortality, to keeping an antiquated water system running to protect an endemic snail at Crystal Springs — we talked about it all.

Even cooler, every single day, passersby stopped mid-walk, asked what was going on, and exchanged contact info on the spot. They even thanked us and wanted to get more involved.

We’re excited to watch these sites flourish with native plants, especially after our upcoming fall planting events. If you want to be part of these, you can check them out here. 

Thank you to Davis Wright Tremaine, McKinstry, Mead & Hunt, Oracle, Ramboll — and to everyone who showed up, asked good questions, and made this week possible. With special thanks to Delta Air Lines for coming out in force and sponsoring this effort.

Gratefully,
Daniel Hachet
Project Manager