Confessions of a Volunteer Addict

“It’s hard when the alarm goes off at 7:30am to get up and prepare to go outside, but I’ve become a volunteer addict. When you do something good, where the people are friendly, it just makes you feel so good to be a part of that story.”

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Confessions of a Volunteer Addict

I had the opportunity to chat with one of our fantastic volunteers a few weeks ago while winding our way up to a reforestation site on Taylor Mountain.  Pedro Checkos explained how he feels he is making a difference by planting trees.  How do you plan to make a difference this year? Can we count on you to make a difference by volunteering or donating to support FCRW today?

For the Love of Planting

Thanks to 1,580 volunteers and supporters like Pedro, we planted 10,340 native plants in the ground and nearly 30 acres were restored in 2012. Pedro explains what brings him back to this restoration work time and again.  “I volunteer with FCRW to connect to nature, to feel useful. I find that planting trees is peaceful”.   Upon further reflection, he added, “It’s hard when the alarm goes off at 7:30am to get up and prepare to go outside, but I’ve become a volunteer addict. When you do something good, where the people are friendly, it just makes you feel so good to be a part of that story”.

Pedro believes that a good volunteer experience can spur societal change one person at a time. Volunteering at FCRW Habitat Restoration events every Saturday for the last few months has provided him the opportunity to put his values into action. Working 60+ hours per week at a local start-up, he struggled with perpetual cabin fever and was looking for an opportunity to both get outside and care for the environment. The right opportunity arose when he met our own, Amy Kaeser, who suggested he join us to plant trees one Saturday in mid-October.

Victorious Volunteers on the Cedar River!

Pedro will soon be leaving us, heading back to his native France.  We will miss his energy, kindness, and enthusiasm for our work and the community that it builds.  He hopes to continue working on environmental issues when settled back in Europe and is certain that no matter where he ends up, he wants to find that balance of real fun and good deed that he has experienced working with FCRW throughout the Cedar River / Lake Washington watershed.

Thanks for all you have done for the watershed, Pedro!

Rebecca, Amy, Keri and the rest of the FCRW team

Help us continue the momentum Pedro and his fellow volunteers have started. Be a part of the story, volunteer or donate to FCRW today!

Renton Food Co-op Part Deux

Reblogged from Sustainable Renton Blog:

Join board members and other community members for a breakfast potluck, sharing of research findings,and then a caravan to tour the Tacoma Food Co-Op.

Saturday, April 6th at 9:30am. Sustainable Renton offices at 970 Harrington Ave NE.

You can RSVP at the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/169682573186207/

Together We Can Make Seattle a Truly Emerald City

As part of my outreach surrounding Friends of the Cedar River Watershed’s (FCRW) new partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, I recently got the opportunity to talk with one of  the Green Seattle Partnership‘s volunteer Forest Stewards, David Sohlstrom.   I learned about the great work that David, and Forest Stewards like him, are doing to restore Seattle’s urban green spaces. ~Rebecca Sayre, Outreach Manager, FCRW

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“We need density and green spaces especially where there are opportunities to provide access for both the public and residents. This effort is gaining momentum.”

David and some helpers

David Sohlstrom loves the outdoors. He is happiest on a bike, mountain, trail, or in as kayak.  In 2010, this appreciation for the natural world took a turn towards his own backyard; specifically a 1.6 acre swath of previously overgrown land located between the backside of his condominium complex, Othello Station North, and Seattle’s John C. Little Park, in south Seattle’s New Holly neighborhood.  The condo complex was constructed in 2006 with plans to put in ornamental landscaping for the residents.  Instead, due to reasons not quite clear to David, this planting was never started and the disturbed area was soon overcome with blackberry and ivy, providing neither a place for people or any sense of habitat. In short, the site became a tangled and prickly jungle of invasive plants.  It was mess.

It takes a team to make this vision a reality

David, however, saw opportunity. Here was potential for native plants, pathways, butterfly and hummingbird gardens; a place where neighborhood children could explore.  But, how was he going to get this work done? At first he started to tackle the challenge on his own; dedicating many full weekends to pulling enormous clumps of ivy off trees and attempting to unearth mammoth blackberry roots.  He soon realized that, although there was an appeal to being a modern-day Johnny Appleseed, working to revegetate an area in need of help, that this task required  a broader community investment.  Also, he needed to be able to commit to the project and still have a life–his wife, although supportive of his dedication, was beginning to miss him.

Michael arrives with more plants

Help came in 2011 when David connected with Vinh Nguyen, a Forest Steward with the Green Seattle Partnership at nearby Lewis Park.  With the guidance of Vinh and support of Forterra’s  Joanna Nelson, David began to shape the project. He was able to acquire a small Neighborhood Community Building Grant through collaborating with the New Holly community.  Additionally, the Green Seattle Partnership was able to provide tools–complete with a secure tool box, plants, and guidance from City of Seattle Ecologist, Michael Yadrick.

As we wrapped up our interview, I asked David what had been accomplished to-date and what his vision is for the overall project. It’s an impressive achievement and goal.  David estimates that people have given over 1100 volunteer hours and over 850 native plants have been planted.  As for the big picture, it is all about continuity.  “I want this site to be part of a contiguous green space that stretches from NE to SW Seattle. I am primarily interested in restoring what little undeveloped land is left in our city in order for these urban forests to become self-sustaining, and provide habitat for birds, insects, and other critters native to the Pacific Northwest.” I thought that sounded pretty good, but David had more to say. ” There is an adjacent section of green belt that I hope will also be restored and one day become a continuation of the urban forest at John C. Little Park.”

Volunteers working on a small part of a larger city

David sees this restoration as “staking claim,” on a critical piece of green space in an area that is dealing with increasing density.“We need density and green spaces especially where there are opportunities to provide access for both the public and residents. This effort is gaining momentum.”  This project was recently chosen to be a part of Green Seattle Days and interest in the effort continues to grow.

Restorations take place every other Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 1 pm from March to November Contact David at djsohl@comcast.net to learn how you can get involved.

It seems that David’s love of the greater outdoors has translated well to a viable vision of nature in the core of our city. We are inspired by the work accomplished at John C. Little Park.  and look forward to collaborating  with Seattle’s Forest Stewards.

**Through January 31st, donate to Friends of the Cedar River Watershed and 100% of your gift will go towards planting trees!**

My Time with Friends of the Cedar River Watershed by volunteer and occasional FCRW blogger Ashley Smith

Last April—as a relative newbie to the Pacific Northwest—I was thinking of ways I could get to know my new surroundings better and decided that volunteering would be a great way to accomplish this. I was pleased to discover that volunteer opportunities of all kinds abound in the Seattle area—but because of my desire to become a better steward of Mother Earth—I narrowed my sights to opportunities that focused on nature conservation.

As fate would have it, by the end of the month I was introduced to Rebecca Sayre and so began my journey with Friends of the Cedar River Watershed.

Over the following months, I volunteered at Watershed Report events—where I had the privilege of learning about environmental sustainability from some of the most ambitious young stewards of our environment—as well as chatted with volunteer naturalists at the Chittenden Locks about the physiological changes that salmon go through while transitioning from saltwater to freshwater.

Finally on Saturday, October 27, I headed off to Cavanaugh Pond to take advantage of the last weekend of the year for the FCRW Salmon Journey program. Considering the mild weather the PNW has been experiencing this fall, the day proved to be a cold and rainy one, so I was surprised to see the turnout—a good mix of habitat restoration volunteers, naturalists, and salmon peepers.

Brownies braving the rain to watch the salmon spawn

Shortly after arriving I encountered a troupe of Brownies standing by the pond, gleefully observing the salmon as they swirled by. Their enthusiasm was catching, so I decided to join them. I was happily surprised to discover that beyond their joy of simply watching the salmon swim, these young ladies were genuinely interested in learning about the role salmon play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. They even taught me a thing or two about salmon!

Eventually I said my goodbyes to the Brownies and headed off to check out the habitat restoration in progress. When asked by Amy, the Stewardship Coordinator, if I wanted to try my hand at planting a native tree, I gladly accepted.

Me, a freshly dug hole, and a native tree ready to play its part in maintaining a healthy ecosystem

It was then—while toiling with the soil—that I finally put together everything I’d learned from my time spent volunteering with Friends of the Cedar River Watershed. Up till this point, I’d looked at the knowledge I’d gained about salmon journeys, habitat restoration, and environmental sustainability through separate lenses (somewhat foolishly, I admit).

But as I watched volunteers digging holes to plant native trees and shrubs, and listened to naturalists talk about what entails the perfect environment for successful salmon spawning, it dawned on me how interlinked it all is.

The forests and the salmon are linked in many ways. Salmon need clear, cool shaded rivers to spawn and grow—which forests provide. Trees, on the other hand, soak up the nutrients that returning salmon provide. Scientists have even found salmon DNA in trees!

Here are some other cool facts I’ve learned that have brought it all full circle for me:

• A decaying salmon deposits nutrients from the ocean into the freshwater ecosystem
• Their carcasses are an essential food source for other fish, marine mammals, birds, bears and, yes, even humans
• Salmon are a keystone species—they play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community. They affect many other organisms and help to determine the types and numbers of other species in the community
• Declines in the capacity of a watershed to grow juvenile salmonids can indicate declining ecosystem health
• Logging, dams, fishing, irrigation, and pollution have all contributed to declining salmon runs

So what can you do to ensure that salmon maintain their role as a keystone species in the Cedar River Watershed? Well, you can start by volunteering with Friends of the Cedar River Watershed! I promise you, you won’t regret it.

They Love Each Other and Their Watershed

One reason that we chose FCRW as our wedding donation recipient is that it is easy to see the results of FCRW’s work. FCRW is doing restoration work that is vital to the health of our region, and is also right in our backyard.

What’s better than love and rivers? Newlyweds Charles Bowers and Rachael Katz chose to have their wedding guests donate to the work of Friends of the Cedar River Watershed.

Here is what they said:
“One reason that we chose FCRW as our wedding donation recipient is that it is easy to see the results of FCRW’s work. FCRW is doing restoration work that is vital to the health of our region, and is also right in our backyard. It’s easy to get involved and volunteer, which helps remind us of the connection we have with our environment.”

Congratulations Charles and Rachael!

Students Get Funky As They Score the Watershed Report by Outreach Manager Rebecca Sayre

Words like, “reach,” “risk,” and “support,” were the baseline of the dialogue in the room.  I could not think of a more inspiring thing to witness and capture on a Friday evening.

I was a pretty fortunate teen, exposed to many interesting opportunities and concepts while I was growing up.  But, many times over I have thought to myself, “I wish the Watershed Report program had been available when I was growing up.”  Last Friday I walked through the doors of the Jack Straw Productions in preparation to take some photos of students improvising the score that will articulate the mood and feel of the 2011 Watershed Report. I knew I was about to witness the type of creativity that can only occur when people are given the freedom to strive for their best.  I was not disappointed.

I entered the studio to find the Watershed Report students that I  knew through their deft analysis and reporting of local sustainability trends engaged in a process that stretched them in another direction entirely.   Tahoma High Senior, Clara Tibbitts and Junior Shanan Hopp were improvising on saxophone, while Freshman Lucy Tibbitts, was providing a foundation on piano and Sophomore, Jennifer Larson was capturing the creation on video. These Report members were joined by fellow teens on drum and base, and supported by Jack Straw producers on guitar. It is worthy to note that the Report teens were dedicating their evening to playing music after spending the entire day analyzing data for this year’s video series.

I found it exhilarating to hear their creative process and encouraging that this group felt that the best groove to convey this years’ finding was, more or less, several variations of funk and soul.  It was upbeat, moving and, well, funky.  Words like, “reach,” “risk,” and “support,” were the baseline of the dialogue in the room.  I could not think of a more inspiring thing to witness and capture on a Friday evening.

I can’t wait to hear the soundtrack at the Annual Watershed Report Premiere at the Seattle REI Flagship store on September 12th, 7pm. This will be a special evening, complete with student presentations and a buffet of locally-sourced foods.  Please mark your calendars and plan to join us.

Email rebecca@cedarriver.org to RSVP.  Seating will be limited.

I am an Elephant Eater by Cedar River landowner Dan Stegman

We will be holding a free workshop titled: What is Knotweed and How Can I Get Rid of It? at the Cedar Grange in Maple Valley on June 16th from 11-1.  Learn more about this and future knotweed workshops held by King County Noxious Weed Control Program.

I am an elephant eater.  Along with the daily tasks that are routinely devoured, life of late has a penchant for placing the periodic pachyderm on my plate.   We all get them once in a while; the seemingly insurmountable project that can consume weeks, months, or even years in the blink of an eye; endeavors which root deep in our psyches and overwhelm our waking hours.  One of my elephants is 350 ft of medium-bank waterfront on the Cedar River.

Landslide

I bought the property with a plan.  I envisioned the backyard as a park-like haven, a tiny slice of solitude beside the lazy flow of the river, with flowers, fruit trees, and a few extravagant touches. Yet in the 9 years I have lived here, the backyard transformation has yet to begin.  Two major issues, a significant sinkhole in front and a landside in back, have diverted those initial plans.   It was quickly apparent that the sinkhole issue was getting worse and was far too large for me to handle alone.  After more than a year of letter writing and phone calls, King County provided the solution with a complete fill-in and reconstruction of the failed channel. It was during this project that I met Paul Adler, an ecologist that coordinated the replanting of the project area.    Paul and his volunteers returned about a year later to reconstruct and replant a small area of the new channel that gave way after a 29-day deluge of record rains.  A few years later during the record high river levels in January of 2009, a large chunk of my medium-high bank backyard collapsed and became low-bank riverfront.   Fearing a total washout, I reached out to Paul.  He was able to create a partnership effort involving King County and Cedar Grove Composting to create a terrace of living berms, installed again by a crew of priceless volunteers.  Still, after successfully digesting these two major bites, the elephant in the backyard looms as large as ever.

Berm Construction

Eating this particular elephant will take hundreds, if not thousands, of small bites.  I was recently married and my wife Becky has jumped in with both feet, diligently working to start eradicating the blackberry, ivy, and other noxious weeds.   We’ve cultivated a few bountiful patches of willow that can be harvested yearly for stakes.  Karma has blessed us recently by bringing Judy Blanco of Cedar River Stewardship in Action (SIA) into our lives.  Introductions were made while she was coordinating a major knotweed removal project and she has quickly become our major source of inspiration, excitement and renewed energy.   With the design and implementation of one planting project she has rekindled my interest in native plants, both in their benefits and simple beauty.   Again with the help of those priceless volunteers, Judy created a beautiful berm full of natives on one corner of the property and infused more natives throughout the slope.  We were all particularly excited with the successful transplanting of two O. horridus in the project!  Words cannot express how thankful we are for Judy’s energy, knowledge and involvement.

Native Plants Begin to Take Hold

It would be overwhelming if we contemplated the entire elephant.  We know that the focus needs to remain on continuing to take smaller, more manageable bites and to savor it as we progress.  We are forever grateful to King County, Paul and to Judy for the provision of free plants, labor, and support through Stewardship in Action and to SIA’s Rebecca Sayre for providing the venue to tell my story. Of course I should add a thank you to all the volunteers that have taken a portion off our plates and to the U.S. EPA for funding work like Stewardship in Action, thereby recognizing that landowners often want to do the right thing, they just need some resources to do it.  This may be one elephant that is never completely devoured, but we will relish every nibble along the way.

To learn more about how you can benefit from Cedar River Stewardship In Action contact rebecca@cedarriver.org

We will be holding a free workshop titled: What is Knotweed and How Can I Get Rid of It? at the Cedar Grange in Maple Valley on June 16th from 11-1.  Learn more about this and future knotweed workshops held by King County Noxious Weed Control Program.