For those of you who haven’t visited our habitat restoration site, things are moving along. The area we have already cleared is looking great, especially after our Green Seattle Day planting event. We try to check up on the site every week, doing upkeep and pushing forward. The new natives volunteers planted earlier in the winter are doing great, the forest is starting to look healthier.

 

Yesterday we started to push into the uncharted territory of our 15 acre site. We started to make trails so that the entire area can be easily and safely accessed. I don’t think most of us realized how large the Maple School Natural Area was until yesterday, and how much work we have left to do. It was crazy to be able to compare the restored areas to the areas we haven’t worked on yet. In the uncleared areas, the trees are being choked and the ground is carpeted by ivy, there are huge blackberry brambles everywhere, and the holly trees are a little out of control. It looks like a jungle there, teeming with invasives.



We have a plan though! The AmeriCorps team is going to the site at least once a week, in an effort to make the Maple School Natural Area a healthy urban forest, and to make it accessible to the community and to Seattle urban hikers.
 

The best part: YOU can be a part of it. We are going to be holding monthly work parties, the first Saturday of every month. Our first party will be Saturday, February 5th from 10AM to 1PM. We will also be holding a pot luck from 1-2PM. Feel free to join us for one or both! Anyone is welcome, bring your friends!

We will be providing tools and gloves for everyone to use. Be sure to bring water bottles, weather appropriate clothes that can get dirty, and some hearty footwear. Please bring something to contribute to the potluck too!

Our work party will be located at:
Maple School Natural Area
1901 S Lucile St, Seattle, WA