Two New Newsletters!

In addition to this e-newsletter, our Winter/Spring printed Newsletter is hot off the presses. Contact us to get the printed Newsletter or click here to read it online.

Contents

1. Join Us at the Middle Fork!

2. Upcoming Volunteer Events

3. Volunteer Without Getting Dirty: Be a Table Captain!

4. Green Tips for the Green Thumb

Join Us at the Middle Fork!

Join us at the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River Valley on Saturday, May 31st for a hike and celebration!  The event will celebrate our conservation and restoration successes at the Middle Fork and showcase the history and characteristics of the area through guided hikes, a family friendly activity, and a cookout. 

The 110,000-acre Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley is one of King County’s truly wild places, with old-growth forests, alpine lakes, white-water rivers and strong native trout runs. For the past two decades, an effort to protect and restore the valley has been under way, sparked by a small group of activists and then supported by Cascade Land Conservancy and numerous other partners.  We have together made great progress toward protecting this regional treasure and “taking it back” for the public use.

This event will celebrate the acquisition of thousands of acres of privately owned forest land (98 percent of the valley is now publicly owned) and all of the hard work that has gone into its ongoing stewardship. We will begin the hikes and a restoration event at 10 am.

Click here for more details and to RSVP. 

Volunteer Events

Volunteering for the Cascade Land Conservancy is a great way to make a difference for the lands and communities of this region while having fun and meeting new people.  For more information about CLC’s volunteer program or to view a full list of events click here.

3/22 – Come out to Duwamish Riverbend Hill

Join in for a fun day restoring this Tukwila property into a park preserve from 10am – 1pm.  Once restored, this property will be managed as a public open space preserve devoted to the interpretation of the site’s Native American cultural significance and other aspects of Duwamish River Valley natural and cultural history.

3/29 – Volunteer Work Party Event at Log Cabin Reach Natural Area

Join us at the Log Cabin Reach for a work party to restore valuable wildlife habitat along Issaquah Creek.  This 118-acre site owned by King County stands out in the Issaquah Creek basin for its high quality stream habitat.  Chinook, coho and sockeye salmon, and cutthroat and steelhead trout are present in Issaquah Creek.  Join us at this special place in east King County from 9am – 1pm.

4/12 – Visit the Hazel Wolf Wetlands in Sammamish

Come out and help with restoration efforts on CLC’s beautiful wetland preserve in Sammamish.  Activities of the day include trail brushing and invasive weed removal.  Join us from 10am to 1pm.  

4/19 – Earth Day! Join Hundreds of Volunteers for an Earth Day Event along the Duwamish River

Duwamish Alive! is a chance for people to give back to Seattle’s river. On Saturday, April 19, hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers will roll up their sleeves to help restore the Duwamish River. Last year’s Duwamish Alive! on Earth Day brought together almost 900  volunteers. Join us at Duwamish Riverbend Hill to make this year’s event even better!

5/10 – Work Event in Pierce County at the Clover Creek Reserve

Clover Creek Reserve is an example of woodland prairie, an increasingly rare landscape in Pierce County. Volunteers will participate in an on-going restoration project to improve stream-side habitat by returning the banks of the creek to native vegetation. Specific tasks will include placing cardboard on former blackberry patches and applying mulch. 

Volunteer Without Getting Dirty:

Be a Table Captain!

May begins with CLC's 13th Annual Conservation Awards Breakfast, our largest fund raising event of the year!  We're looking for Table Captains - important volunteers to help us raise $700,000!  Each Table Captain recruits nine guests to sit at his or her table on May 1st.  If you meet these simple criteria, you'd probably be a great Table Captain: 1) You care about conservation of the Northwest.  2) You know at least nine people.  3) You'd be glad to tell them about the great work CLC is doing and invite them to a fun event that supports our mission.

Contact us for more information.

Green Tips for the Green Thumb

It’s not too early to start thinking about how to plan out your yard or garden for the next growing season! In fact, in warmer areas such as Seattle, many flowers and vegetables need to be planted or transplanted outdoors as early as March.  Green Tips this month include helpful hints and starters for your yard, garden, or community green space. Check it out for ideas on how to conserve rain water using rain gardens or barrels, how to save money by growing your own food, and more!

Rain Gardens

• Use the space beneath your downspout or other areas that tend to collect water as an opportunity to catch water and grow beautiful flowers. Rain gardens help soak up and filter water, allowing nutrients and oxygen to flow in support of your yard. The plants in the inner circle should be tolerant of wetter conditions (i.e. sedges, ferns and currants); the middle circle should hold plants that can manage occasional standing water (i.e. Snowberry, huckleberry, or ferns), while the outermost circle will have plants that prefer drier conditions (i.e. Oregon-grape, ginger and bleeding heart). Click here for step-by-step instructions.
  

Rain Barrels

• Another way to keep your rainwater from going to waste is to install rain barrels beneath your downspouts. These barrels can collect all the water that runs across your roof for use later! Try using it to water your plants and garden. This will reduce the amount of storm water that runs off your property and into the sewer system, and will reduce your water bill.

Include Edibles

• Why spend all that money on fruits and vegetables that came from California and were picked a month ago? Grow some of your favorites right among your flowers or in a separate vegetable garden. It’s cheap and rewarding, not to mention you’ll have more than you’d ever get in the store!

P-Patch

• If you don’t have space for a garden on your property, look into getting a plot at a local P-Patch. There are 54 locations in Seattle, and the $34 (per year for 100 sq. ft.) you’ll spend on your plot will easily pay for itself with the amount you’ll save at the grocery store. Check in early, the waiting lists can be long – so sign up now! Find out more here.
  

Natural Pest Control

• There are safer and more inexpensive ways to keep insects out of your garden than pesticides. Most wildlife pest poisonings and surface water contamination from pesticides come from single-family homes. Let’s help bring down that statistic by taking steps to keeping chemicals out of the soil and water. Bring in beneficial insects, like ladybugs and praying mantises, which naturally prey on common pests including aphids, mites, and scale, by planting attractive plants such as daisies or yarrow. Or mix homemade “pesticides” using ingredients from your kitchen after checking out the appropriate recipe. For instance, did you know that 2 Tbsp. of baking soda mixed with 1 qt. of water sprayed every few days can get rid of fungal diseases?

Plant Natives, Pull Invasives

• Practice your land stewarding techniques on your own lands! Many of the invasive species that are choking native plants across the state started as ornamentals in someone’s yard. Become informed on what plants to keep out (i.e. Scotch broom, morning glory and butterfly bush) and what plants to promote (i.e. Salal, Nootka rose and Snowberry). Not only are these alternatives attractive, but they grow naturally in our climate.  Read more about native plants here.
  

Replace Grass with Ground Cover

• Grass uses up an incredible amount of water simply to stay green in the summer. Replacing it with another ground cover can not only save water, but actually be more plush and durable while giving your yard a unique look and reducing (or eliminating) the need to mow. Look into mosses and Eco Lawns, which are a mixture of grasses, flowers, and herbs that stands up well to mowing.

Photos by Todd Parker.

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