Volunteers from Lakeside Academy joined the Edmonds Stewards recently to help complete landscape renovations at Shell Creek Park. The event was the culmination of a months-long effort by the Edmonds Stewards to remove dense thickets of Himalayan blackberry and English ivy and prepare the site for new plantings. Volunteers spread approximately 20 yards of bark mulch during the work party, the city said in a news release.
Purchased by the city in 2008 using a grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), Shell Creek Park consists of .023 acres of open space and is part of a two-mile forested riparian corridor that runs from Pine Ridge Park to the Puget Sound. The corridor provides habitat for many species, allowing animals to move freely in search of food and mates or in response to environmental changes. The corridor also aids other natural processes, such as nutrient cycling and seed dispersal.
Renovating Shell Creek Park will bring the city into full compliance with the requirements of the RCO grant, which mandates that the city to provide public access and signage. The city also plans to install a bench. Completion of the work will ensure that the city remains eligible and competitive to receive future RCO grants.
Shell Creek Park is the newest addition to the Edmonds Stewards habitat restoration site network, and volunteers have already logged more than 120 hours preparing the site for planting. Stewards Gary Pyfer and Tom Mayer are leading the effort, at times showing up every day to pull weeds. These dedicated stewards have also hosted work parties for other service groups, including the UW Boxing Team and students from Lakeside Academy.
The stewards worked collaboratively with city staff to develop a planting plan that enhances wildlife habitat and site aesthetics and can withstand anticipated changes to climate as the plant community matures. The volunteers plan to install the first of many new plants this winter, and planting will continue over the next several years. Most plants will be purchased out of the city’s tree fund, which was established as part of the 2023 Tree Code update.
In addition to their work at Shell Creek Park, the Edmonds Stewards host monthly work parties at Yost Park, Pine Ridge Park and Hutt Park. To learn more or to join a work party, visit their website at soundsalmonsolutions.org. To learn about other volunteer opportunities with the City of Edmonds, contact Jennifer.leach@edmondswa.gov or call 425-771-0227.
Thank you for your efforts! It is sorely needed, in all of our parks – large and small. We need more people getting organized to remove invasive plants from our parks.
If every park visitor took 10 minutes out of each walk to remove invasive plants, we would soon be done.
Park visitors probably better have some sort of city permit if they are going to spend 10 minutes pulling out invasive plants. The city doesn’t encourage much self appointed volunteer work if you choose to look into it further. Just a word to the wise.
The City and the Edmonds Stewards are actively involved with restoring our urban forests and green spaces. There are plenty of opportunities to be involved in organized volunteer activities, at whatever level of commitment is appropriate.
Yeah Clint. I think there is some training program only offered twice a year to volunteer to help with this I don’t know what exactly the city would do about it ha. I mean the police I am pretty sure won’t be able or shouldn’t be arresting citizens for pulling a noxious weed. I mean if we acidentally step on a noxious weed are we also arrested. Ha. Too bad how we let a department make this decision? I remember when this was I guess you could say discussed at a CC meeting when Parks (Angie) was speaking to CC. It came up somehow I don’t recall but Ms Fesser rather abruptly said you will have to ask the Mayor. I am pretty sure Nelson was absent again that night and then I never heard anymore about it. It could be it was the Marsh area too I just remember finding it ridiculous and frankly impossible to really enforce. One bike tire can rip up a noxious weed. Some are tough and really require a deep pull or a tool. I think many people if many go to Yost or Pine P or Shell Creek etc.for instance would be happy to pull a few weeds. If its lawsuits they are worried about…Thats silly. no room to say why here.