Join the Edmonds Ivy League for any of three consecutive Earth Day events the weekend of April 20 and 21 and on the official Earth Day, Monday April 22. Earth Day volunteers will gather at the Southwest County Park parking area at 17920 Olympic View Dr., Edmonds, at 9 a.m. each morning for three hours of volunteer work to remove invasive plants like ivy and holly.

Volunteers should bring garden gloves and dress for outdoor work wearing tennis shoes or boots. Instruction in plant removal will be given and tools will be provided.

In 2023, over 40 community volunteers took action celebrating Earth Day in Southwest County Park.

Is your church or work group looking for an Earth Day opportunity? Edmonds Ivy League has partnered with large and small groups such as Boeing, a construction company and church group volunteers.

The Edmonds Ivy League, under the leadership of volunteer park steward Mikael Ohman, removes invasive plants and maintains the trails in Southwest County Park every Saturday morning year round.  “If left to their own devices, ivy, holly and laurel will outcompete our native trees and plants, replacing the forest floor and killing the trees,” Ohman said. “If we want this park to still be around in a hundred years, we need to help our native flora and fauna.

Ohman has been organizing weekly work parties, Earth Day events and tree planting in the park since 2018.

Southwest County Park is a 120-acre undeveloped forest entirely within the boundaries of Edmonds. Perrinville Creek runs through the larger section of the park, which is divided by Olympic View Drive. Visitors can view cedar stumps and other evidence of Edmonds’ early logging history.

For more information on their Earth Day events, contact EdmondsIvyLeague@gmail.com.