“It makes a difference for a team, a real morale booster, to get out and volunteer.”
Really, there is something about getting out in nature that gets us back to the elemental. Back to the rhythm of it all. That is why I am always so pleased to see teams of professional colleagues getting out and giving back. I especially like it when all this creative energy and go-team spirit is applied to grubbing out blackberries at the glorious King County Natural Area, Cavanaugh Pond in Renton.
Cavanaugh Pond has been a site of focused volunteer habitat restoration work since 2006. Thanks to the many hands of groups, individuals, and business teams we are creating habitat and protecting the river, while improving the experience for the users of the Cedar River Trail. We really appreciate all our community partners!
On Friday, September 16th, a team of over 50 Microsoft employees gathered at Cavanaugh early in the morning to participate in the United Way’s annual Day of Caring. After carpools were shuttled and parked and the team made their way (a little sleepily) down the trail, they got briefed on the history of the site and the guidelines of the day’s project.
Just as soon as shovels and gloves were handed out this team was ready for action. Maybe it was the crisp early autumn wind or the fact that a handful of spawning sockeye were already in the river, but what ever the reason, this team was pumped! Many spoke of appreciating the chance to build their team while giving back to the larger community. A couple noted that this activity made them think about community a bit more broadly.
A Renton resident named Tony appreciated that he could make a difference in his own backyard. “It is really nice to have the chance to make a difference for people and the environment really close to home.” The Microsoft team coordinator, Amanda Black, was feeling great about the determination and satisfaction her staff was exhibiting as they built many towering piles of blackberry vines. “It makes a difference for a team, a real morale booster, to get out and volunteer.”
At lunch time the crew found a seat next to the river so they could learn about the journey of the Cedar’s sockeye each fall. Longtime Cedar River Salmon Journey naturalist, Larry Reymann, eloquently wove together the past and present of this river and the salmon runs of the Pacific Northwest. He asked thoughtful, and occasionally provocative, questions to engage the group in pondering the future of these fish stocks and how that relates to the overall health of the community.
We actually had a short tour planned for the team after lunch, but, NO! they were ready to get back to the task of reclaiming Cavanaugh Pond from blackberries so that it can be fully used by its many residents and appreciated by its many supporters and admirers.
Our next opportunity to get out to Cavanaugh takes place on October 8th from 10am-2pm. Contact nisa@cedarriver.org to sign up. This planting extravaganza is not to be missed!
Great to see people who spend their day doing “intelletual property” getting the chance to go out to “physical property”–and it’s because of the sweat equity of hard-working groups like this one at Microsoft that the habitat at Cavanaugh Pond, and other places, is improving.
Nisa, who heads up the “Friends” Volunteer Habitat Restoration (VHR) program, has brought her organizational magic (and shovels) to the parks in Lake Forest Park, too–with great results.