tag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778holyoutlawholyoutlawholyoutlaw2014-09-30T22:34:04Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1384409September Work Party Report2014-09-30T22:34:04Z2014-09-30T22:34:04Zpublic0<p>Saturday, September 27th was a beautiful day for a work party — and a good time was had by all!</p>
<p>Friends of North Beach park welcomed 16 students from Seattle Pacific University as part of their <a href="http://www.spu.edu/depts/perkins/students/cityquest/" title="SPU Cityquest">Cityquest</a> program: Incoming freshman students are sent to locations all over Seattle for a little community service.</p>
<p>Two forest stewards had made elaborate plans for the group, and we were able to keep them busy for all four hours of the work party (FoNBP events are usually three hours). We worked on the South Plateau, which is a great place for a larger work party and needs a lot of attention.</p>
<p>Our plan was to remove as much of the nipplewort (<em>Lapsana communis</em>) and herb robert (<em>Geranium robertianum</em>) as possible. It really got out of hand this year, and unfortunately, the nipplewort had already set seed. It’s normally very easy to remove — it’s a shallow-rooted annual, so just grasp at the base, lift, knock off the dirt, and drop it. But the seed set meant we had to remove it. I’m sure a lot of seeds got knocked off in the process, but it was still better than leaving it there. The herb robert is also easy to remove, but it needs constant attention. It can flower any time of the year, greatly outcompetes native groundcover, and even poisons the soil against other plants. It’s other common name is “stinky bob,” and it has a pungent smell when uprooted. </p>
<p>Our plan was to put down lots of burlap and mulch once the herb robert and nipplewort had been removed. To which end, we had a truck full of burlap.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/15202028008" title="Tools and burlap by Luke McGuff, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2950/15202028008_d7a1772827.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Tools and burlap"></a></p>
<p>And a big pile of burlap and a lotta buckets!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/15202030068" title="Assemblage by Luke McGuff, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3847/15202030068_84fea6a7c9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Assemblage"></a></p>
<p>In fact, about lunchtime we went back and got more burlap. And we had a group of students moving mulch from another location, adding it to the pile above pretty much all day (okay, we fell a little short on the wheelbarrows).</p>
<p>Speaking of lunchtime, it gave us all a chance to sit down and for the students to get acquainted with each other a bit.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/15365604166" title="Lunch by Luke McGuff, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3918/15365604166_6c6e1978e0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Lunch"></a></p>
<p>After lunch, it was back to the work: removing nipplewort and herb robert, putting mulch around already-installed plants, and building some ivy platforms.</p>
<p>Here is a group of volunteers in the basin of the South Plateau. When residents of Labateyah began working in the South Plateau in 2012, this was an impenetrable mass of blackberry and ivy that one forest steward thought it would take years to clear.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/15365605036" title="The South Plateau by Luke McGuff, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3917/15365605036_a15b48a800.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The South Plateau"></a></p>
<p>By the end of the day, we were definitely dragging. But we had enough energy to smile for a group photograph.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/15202033628" title="The valiant crew! by Luke McGuff, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3918/15202033628_aa89deba6c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The valiant crew!"></a><br />
Morry (in the back left), Tad (on the right, in a white hat) and Wenny (first row right, in the fuschia hoodie) were from Friends of North Beach Park. Everyone else is form SPU!</p>
<p>Thank you, SPU and Cityquest! We look forward to hosting you again next year.</p>
<p>(As usual, there are some more photos on <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4qEoXz" title="September Work Party on Flickr">Flickr</a>.)</p>
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<p><strong>Saturday, June 28th, 9 a.m.:</strong> Welcome the early days of summer to North Beach Park at our June work party. Because the spring was relatively dry, we’re going to concentrate on after care for some of the newer plants in the upland areas. That means we’ll be getting buckets of water from the stream (carefully) and watering plants along the rim and main trail. A great way toget some exercise in! (Unless it’s raining, then we’ll do something else.) Please sign up on <a href="http://seattle.cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/4254/" title="North Beach Park June Work Party">Cedar</a> so we can make our plans. </p>
<p>We meet, rain or shine, at the main entrance to the park, 24th Ave and 90th St NW. Wear weather-appropriate layers that can get dirty and sturdy shoes or mud boots. We provide tools, gloves, and guidance. Bring water and a snack as you need them but there are no facilities at the park. All ages and skill levels are welcome, but children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.</p>
<p>Parking is on 90th St., east of 24th Ave. The #61 bus stops across the street from the park, and the #40 and #48 stop at 85th and 24th; check Metro for details.</p>
<p>Save the date for upcoming workparties: <a href="http://seattle.cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/4285/" title="North Beach Park July Work Party">July 26th</a>, <a href="http://seattle.cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/4286/" title="North Beach Park August Work Party">August 23rd</a>, and <a href="http://seattle.cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/4287/" title="North Beach Park September Work Party">September 27th</a>. All workparties are 9 a.m. to 12 noon and meet at the main entrance to the park (90th and 24th).</p>
<p><strong>Saturday, June 14th, 10 a.m.</strong>: Join <a href="http://www.groundswellnw.org/" title="Groundswell NW">Groundswell NW</a> next week for the <a href="http://ballardopenspaceplan.org/" title="Ballard Open Space Plan">Ballard Open Space Discovery Day</a> in Ballard Commons Park (57th and 22nd). Groundswell did an open space inventory for Ballard in 1996 and used that information to create many parks. The needs of Ballard have changed, and what we consider open space has changed as well. Friends of North Beach Park will be working with Groundswell NW in the area between 24th and 32nd Ave., and from 85th St. north to 100th St. We know there is a lot of open space that could be brought forward into better public use. Find out <a href="http://ballardopenspaceplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ballard-open-space_inventory_North-Beach.pdf" title="Ballard Open Space Plan">more</a> Or take the <a href="https://ballardopenspaceplan.org/survey/survey/index/sid/338261/newtest/Y/lang/en" title="Ballard Open Space Survey">open space survey</a>. </p>
<p><strong>North Beach Park News:</strong> Friends of North Beach Park was recently awarded a $500 stewardship grant from the <a href="http://www.wnps.org/index.html" title="Washington Native Plant Society">Washington Native Plant Society</a>. We’ll use this money to improve our wetland plantings. We’d like to thank the members of the Washington Native Plant Society – Central Puget Sound Chapter for their role in making this grant possible. The plants will be installed starting in early fall. </p>
<p>We’d like to say <strong>thank you to all the donors</strong> who made “GiveBIG” on May 6th so successful for North Beach Park. We raised more than $800, and the donors ranged from neighbors of the park to as far away as Wisconsin and Georgia. All this money will go to our restoration efforts. If you would like to donate, please see below.</p>
<p>A video crew from the <strong>Seattle Channel</strong> joined our April work party to document how burlap sacks are used in Seattle Parks. Most of the burlap used is donated by Distant Lands Coffee, and we’re grateful to have a good supply of free burlap to use on our hillsides. Watch the <a href="http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=4051412&file=1" title="Seattle Channel">video</a>. </p>
<p>Also in April, FoNBP was awarded one of the <strong>Groundswell NW 2014 “Local Hero”</strong> awards for our work in the park. We got the chance to meet the Mayor and babbled like an idiot when it came time to say thank you. But great fun was had by all.</p>
<p><strong>Can’t join us for a work party?</strong> You can always support our restoration efforts by making a tax-deductible donation to the Seattle Parks Foundation. All moneys donated will be used for the restoration of North Beach Park. Please visit their <a href="http://seattleparksfoundation.org/current-projects-north-beach-park/" title="Seattle Parks Foundation">website</a> for more information. </p>
<p>Thank you for participating and helping in the restoration of North Beach Park. </p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/06/08/june-workparty-and-other-news/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1380127" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1379837North Beach Park in the News!2014-05-30T16:53:05Z2014-05-30T16:53:05Zpublic0<p>As you may remember from the <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/04/27/april-work-party-report-2/" title="North Beach Park April Work Party">April work party report</a>, a video crew joined us to see how we used burlap sacks in our restoration.</p>
<p>And here it is! (About three minutes.)</p>
<p></p>
<p>I’m on camera once or twice and used a little bit in a voice over. The best parts for me, though, is the videography — some of the close ups of the park, and the long shots of the forest.</p>
<p>So, thank you to all: <a href="http://www.javatradingco.com/" title="Distant Lands Coffee">Distant Lands Coffee</a>, for the years of burlap sacks to all parks; to Nicole Sanchez and <a href="http://www.seattlechannel.org/" title="Seattle Channel">Seattle Channel</a> for reporting, and to <a href="http://www.vitalcontentpr.com/" title="Vital Content PR">Vital Content PR</a> for setting this up.</p>
<p>And a reminder: Our next work party is coming up — <a href="http://seattle.cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/4254/" title="North Beach Park June Work Party">June 28th</a>. See you then! Help us give our new plants the after care they need for a good start.</p>
<div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing"><h3 class="sd-title">Share this:</h3><div class="sd-content"><ul><li><a href="#" class="sharing-anchor sd-button share-more"><span>Share</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li></ul><div class="sharing-hidden"><div class="inner" style="display: none;"><ul><li class="share-email"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-email sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=email" title="Click to email this to a friend"><span>Email</span></a></li><li class="share-tumblr"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-tumblr sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=tumblr" title="Click to share on Tumblr"><span>Tumblr</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li><li class="share-digg"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-digg sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=digg" title="Click to Digg this post"><span>Digg</span></a></li><li class="share-linkedin"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-linkedin sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=linkedin" title="Click to share on LinkedIn"><span>LinkedIn</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li><li class="share-print"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-print sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/" title="Click to print"><span>Print</span></a></li><li class="share-facebook"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=facebook" title="Share on Facebook"><span>Facebook</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li><li class="share-reddit"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-reddit sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=reddit" title="Click to share on Reddit"><span>Reddit</span></a></li><li class="share-stumbleupon"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-stumbleupon sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=stumbleupon" title="Click to share on StumbleUpon"><span>StumbleUpon</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li><li class="share-google-plus-1"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-google-plus-1 sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=google-plus-1" title="Click to share on Google+"><span>Google</span></a></li><li class="share-pinterest"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-pinterest sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=pinterest" title="Click to share on Pinterest"><span>Pinterest</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li><li class="share-twitter"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=twitter" title="Click to share on Twitter"><span>Twitter</span></a></li><li class="share-pocket"><a rel="nofollow" class="share-pocket sd-button share-icon" href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/?share=pocket" title="Click to share on Pocket"><span>Pocket</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li><li class="share-end"></li></ul></div></div></div></div></div><p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2014/05/30/north-beach-park-in-the-news/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1379837" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1379363THANK YOU!2014-05-07T17:40:12Z2014-05-07T17:40:12Zpublic0<p>Thank you to everyone for a very successful GiveBIG for Friends of North Beach Park. We raised more than $800, with donations coming from as far as Atlanta, GA and as nearby as the rim of the park itself.</p>
<p>This generosity is flattering, humbling, and challenging. Flattering, because it means the work of Friends of North Beach Park is being recognized. Humbling, because it causes us to reflect on how much work there is to be done. And challenging, because it gives us a tool to do that work.</p>
<p>Thank you, for all you’ve done for North Beach Park. And we look forward to working together in the future.</p>
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<p>November will feature two major planting parties, one coordinated by EarthCorps and one by the Friends of North Beach Park. Both are on Saturdays. </p>
<p>Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: THIS SATURDAY join EarthCorps for their last work party in North Beach Park. There is a LOT of planting to be done. EarthCorps cleared ivy and other invasives from a long strip of the park between the trail and the stream. Now it’s time to plant it up! Please register in advance at the <a href="http://www.earthcorps.org/volunteer.php" title="EarthCorps volunteer page">EarthCorps website</a> — select the North Beach Park event on Nov. 9 (the 2nd one listed for that day). EarthCorps provides coffee, energy bars, and a sanican. </p>
<p>Saturday, November 23, 9 a.m. to Noon: Join the Friends of North Beach Park for their fourth Saturday work party. Build up your appetite for Thanksgiving! This is the last one of the year, and we have 200 plants to put in the ground. This includes some plants well-represented in the park, but also many that are being reintroduced to the park. In addition to their beauty, these plants provide food for insects and birds and other species. The different bloom times give the park a visual texture that lasts well into the summer. Register for this work party at the Green Seattle Partnership <a href="http://seattle.cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/1794/" title="Green Seattle Partnership">Cedar website</a>. Please register in advance so we know how many shovels and buckets to provide.</p>
<p>Both events meet at the main entrance to the park, 24th Ave and 90th St. NW. Wear weather-appropriate layers that can get dirty and sturdy shoes or mud boots. We’ll provide tools, gloves, and guidance. Bring water and a snack as you need them but there are no facilities at the park. </p>
<p>Events happen rain or shine, but if it’s VERY windy, we might cancel at the last minute.</p>
<p>There is parking on 90th St. east of 24th Ave. The #61 bus stops across the street from the park, and the 40 and 48 stop at 85th and 24th; check Metro for details.</p>
<p>Can’t join us for a work party? Make a year-end donation to Seattle Parks Foundation to support restoration efforts at North Beach Park. Visit their <a href="http://seattleparksfoundation.org/current-projects-north-beach-park/" title="Seattle Parks Foundation">website</a> and click on the “Donate” button. We use these proceeds for tools, materials, and outreach.</p>
<p>We hope to see you in the woods!</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/11/04/november-at-north-beach-park/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1366240" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1364518September Work Party Report2013-09-28T19:31:23Z2013-09-28T19:31:23Zpublic0<p>It was pretty darn wet this morning, but at least it wasn’t cold. Five of us set out to do some survival rings on trees that desperately needed some help. As we walked down the trail, I tried what I remembered of the St. Crispin’s Day Speech. The bit about “those who lay warm in their beds” sounded entirely too tempting, so I stopped quickly.</p>
<p>Our goal was simple: put survival rings on some trail side trees on the south slope. The trees here desperately need it. There were four trees easily accessible, and we got them cleaned up in almost record time. Many of the trees that need work are in places inaccessible to volunteers — in some cases, just plain inaccessible. But these trees were very handy, with only a little brushing needed to get to work.</p>
<p>Here’s new volunteer Steve, posing beside a tree he cleared in record time.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/9985796284/" title="Steve by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9985796284_7b6e468712.jpg" width="282" height="500" alt="Steve"></a></p>
<p>Some of the ivy had been on the trees so long the roots had formed mats that came away in big sheets. Other roots had made furrows in the tree as they inhibited its growth. </p>
<p>Here’s Tad at the tree he cleared.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/9985774055/" title="Tad by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2880/9985774055_791d1a638d.jpg" width="500" height="282" alt="Tad"></a></p>
<p>The stuff hanging down behind him is ivy that had reached the ground and rerooted. It would have broken off the branch it was dangling from in short order.</p>
<p>One of the last (“but not least”) things we did was get a tire in which a laurel tree had grown.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/9985775705/" title="Laurel tree surrounding a tire by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3811/9985775705_420845f580.jpg" width="282" height="500" alt="Laurel tree surrounding a tire"></a></p>
<p>I’ve found this amusing since my early days exploring North Beach Park in 2008-9. I didn’t mourn its passing, though. </p>
<p>Usually work parties run for three hours, but since it was raining heavier by the minute, we were all bespattered, and had done the work we’d set out to do, we called it a day and headed out of the park. On our way out we found some more bottles’n'cans and took the opportunity to remove another tire.</p>
<p>All in all, a good, solid little work party.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/09/28/september-work-party-report/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1364518" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1358658July Work Party2013-07-27T23:39:27Z2013-07-27T23:39:27Zpublic0<p>What with summer schedules and other things, only four of us were at the July work party for Friends of North Beach Park. But it’s frequently the case that summer work parties are poorly attended. I mean, look at that sky! </p>
<p>But those of us who were there got quite a bit done, and had a good time doing it. Plus, we were in the shade for the most part, so we kept cool as well.</p>
<p>Our main task was to mulch an area that had been cleared at the EarthCorps work party <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/07/15/earthcorps-at-north-beach-park-ii/">two weeks previous</a>. I think I’m finally learning that (a) tasks will take longer and be harder than I think they will; and (b) it’s better to have a loose idea — sometimes called “solution neutral” — of what to do, because in the discussion and working out, the group mind will inevitably come up with a better idea.</p>
<p>We put mulch on the downslope side of the main trail, starting at about 150 feet from the entrance to the park.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/9381249078/" title="Mulch by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/9381249078_ee4b2f304a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Mulch"></a></p>
<p>At that end of the trail, the downslope side was not very steep. The main native plant here was sword fern, with a little low Oregon-grape. There have been a few restoration plantings, including a western red-cedar and a Douglas-fir. There had been very little ivy, but the plants there could use some comfort.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/9381249690/" title="Mulch by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/9381249690_aae279059d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Mulch"></a><br />
Pretty much dead center in this picture is the aformentioned western red-cedar. It’s still short enough to be under the fronds of the sword fern. But it’s looking good despite the drought.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/9378464585/" title="Mulch by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/9378464585_e5a8d02ea7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Mulch"></a><br />
As we moved further up the trail, the slope got steeper, and the sword fern thinned out. We were entering an area where the ivy and sword fern had mixed.</p>
<p>The last area we mulched was the beginning of the ivy monoculture on the very steep slope. We had a gravity assist for the mulching there. Dump the tarp or wheelbarrow full of mulch at the rim and watch it pour down. No need for raking!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/9378465053/" title="Mulch by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3680/9378465053_d463b661ba.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Mulch"></a><br />
This picture shows the extent of the mulching.</p>
<p>We finished the mulching for the day and had a little extra time, so we watered some plants that were looking a little peaked. Generally, plants should be left on their own. But we have a stream running through the park, so there’s no cost to the water. And it seems like even a little splash of water every week can greatly improve survival rates. </p>
<p>The next Friends of North Beach Park work party is Saturday, August 24th, 9 a.m. to noon. <a href="http://cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/gsp/1791/">Sign up on Cedar</a>. We’ll also be at <a href="http://ballardppatch.org/art-in-the-garden/">Art in the Garden </a>on August 10th. Hope to see you at one of these events!</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/07/27/july-work-party/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1358658" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1345032EarthCorps Work Party at North Beach Park2013-04-16T18:10:53Z2013-04-16T22:47:42Zpublic0<p>Last Saturday (April 13), <a href="http://www.earthcorps.org/" title="EarthCorps Home">EarthCorps </a>joined Friends of North Beach Park for what was the first of four work parties that will happen in 2013. It was a great start to our third year of restoration.</p>
<p>EarthCorps brings in a crew, supplies, tools, and experience. Lots of groups looking to do community service go to their website, so their events usually have good turnout. We had about 50 volunteers, making this twice as big as the next-largest work party that North Beach Park has ever hosted.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8647712504/" title="The crew! by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8542/8647712504_5565449fdf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The crew!"></a><br />
Here’s the crew (left to right): Jessa (Philippines), Masha (Russia), Alex, Ethan, and me (USA).</p>
<p>(Note: The time stamps on the photos are wrong — didn’t notice until looking at these I’d forgotten to change to PDT. Onward!)</p>
<p>The official start of the work party is 10 a.m., but for the EarthCorps crew it’s a lot earlier. Their day starts about 7, loading the trucks and vans at EarthCorps headquarters. (For an event in rural King County, they’d probably start even earlier.) They were on site at North Beach Park and had done a good bit of unloading by the time I showed up at 8:45.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646615545/" title="Pitchforks and Wheelbarrows by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8397/8646615545_bd85edbbb0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Pitchforks and Wheelbarrows"></a><br />
The plan for the morning was that one group would transport mulch down into the park, staging it for a bucket brigade in the afternoon. The other crew would do some planting on the slope we would be mulching. Then crews would switch, and transport crew would do some invasive removal and the planting crew would do transport. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8647712004/" title="Planning by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8526/8647712004_03425db84f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Planning"></a><br />
Here are the EarthCorps folks inspecting a possible worksite that turned out to be relatively invasive free. Also, as you can see, it would have been crowded working in there. We found another spot.</p>
<p>People started arriving a little before 10, so we were able to get going pretty promptly.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8647712770/" title="Explaining the Day by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8546/8647712770_735807f227.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Explaining the Day"></a><br />
Masha explaining the plans for the day.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8655887510/" title="The Group by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8655887510_d95015ce71.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The Group"></a><br />
The attentive group. It was cold in the morning, but soon enough everyone warmed up.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646617869/" title="Planting Demonstration by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8388/8646617869_5fc9ec6e93.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Planting Demonstration"></a><br />
Jessa gives a planting demonstration. The planting crew planted quite a lot: sword fern and red flowering currant on the hill, sitka spruce and oregon ash in the wetlands. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8647714302/" title="Cleaning the mulch area by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8256/8647714302_7ed4166e29.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Cleaning the mulch area"></a><br />
Ethan leads a group cleaning up the mulch staging site.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8647714858/" title="The mulch starts arriving by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8540/8647714858_504d699ebd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The mulch starts arriving"></a><br />
And here comes the mulch! Some of it came by bucket, some by wheelbarrow. It was about 450 feet down the trail. Getting it down there was easy, the walk back up the trail was the hard part. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646620165/" title="Task switch by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8386/8646620165_9be669f688.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Task switch"></a><br />
Once all the planting was done, the planting and mulch transport crews switched tasks.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646620583/" title="Some trash by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8545/8646620583_5151fa22bf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Some trash"></a><br />
Here’s a sign of success: All those people all over the park, and <em>only</em> a small bucket of trash came out. And one tire. As an example, <a href="http://flic.kr/p/bGkapr" title="Trash Pile from Two Work Parties">everything to the right of the blue tarps</a> is a trash pile from two work parties a year ago. That’s what we used to find every time we worked in the park.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646621593/" title="Invasive Removal Crew by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8116/8646621593_7e39d4f529.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Invasive Removal Crew"></a><br />
Invasive removal crew, at the base of the slope in the Headwaters Bowl. Note: The man in the t-shirt is probably working harder than the people in hoodies and jackets. But we’re not here to judge.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646622591/" title="Setting up the bucket brigade by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8107/8646622591_185dba0eaf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Setting up the bucket brigade"></a><br />
In the afternoon, EVERYONE participated in the bucket brigade. This is exactly what I wanted a large work party for: the slope needed to be mulched, and the best way to do it was with a bucket brigade.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8647719106/" title="The end of the line by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8384/8647719106_eb25d76466.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The end of the line"></a><br />
This picture is taken from very near the start of the bucket brigade. The people in the background are at the end, about 200 feet further down the trail.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646623439/" title="Sending the mulch up the hill by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8405/8646623439_b8b87d3f5e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Sending the mulch up the hill"></a><br />
The slope has been covered in two layers of burlap, and now receives a finishing touch of 6-12″ of wood chip mulch. This will help suppress ivy resurgence and prevent soil erosion.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646624501/" title="The day is done! by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8646624501_230901aef4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The day is done!"></a><br />
High fives at the end of the day!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8646625173/" title="What it looked like by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8104/8646625173_227290d751.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="What it looked like"></a><br />
Here’s what the mulched area looks like. Nice! There are about ten trees and several shrubs in there.</p>
<p>I want to thank EarthCorps and everyone who attended the work party for all the great work done. It was truly a pleasure.</p>
<p>Friends of North Beach Park will have our regular 4th Saturday work party on April 27. The next EarthCorps event will be in June or July, but don’t worry, we’ll give you plenty of fore-warning.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/04/16/earthcorps-work-party-at-north-beach-park/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1345032" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1337852Put a Tree on It!2013-03-07T16:34:43Z2013-03-07T16:34:43Zpublic0<p><a href="http://persquaremile.com/2013/03/07/trees-dont-like-it-up-there/" title="Per Square Mile">Can we please stop drawing trees on top of skyscrapers?</a></p>
<p>Putting trees on skyscrapers is the trendy architectural design element of the moment. Here is why, in detail, it’s a bad idea.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/03/07/put-a-tree-on-it/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1337852" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1336163February Work Party Report2013-02-24T20:37:06Z2013-02-26T17:01:26Zpublic0<p>We had a great work party on Saturday, 2/23. The weather was perfect, several people commented as they arrived that we had really lucked out. The predictions were for rainy and cold, we got dry and warm.</p>
<p>We had a visit from the Natural Area Crew, which gave us a good energy boost.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8501486481/" title="Fallen Alders Removal by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8230/8501486481_64aa6a6010.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Fallen Alders Removal"></a><br />
Theodor and Tod clean up some fallen alders.</p>
<p>Some alders had fallen across the trail several months ago, and this was the perfect job for them. The trees were so big, they had to send a guy out for larger chainsaws. But they took care of the job, which was a big help and a big relief to get it taken care of.</p>
<p>They also helped with cutting and “painting” some of the holly and laurel. If you cut either of these woody invasives, they just resprout. If you uproot anything larger than about 1″ diameter with a weed wrench, you leave chunks of root in the ground… which resprout into several trees, worsening the problem. So the only recourse is to cut and paint.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8501485327/" title="Holly Removal by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8528/8501485327_cb9389b93b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Holly Removal"></a><br />
Tod (left) and Darryl (middle) cut down hollly and laurel, and hand it off to Julie (right).</p>
<p>But there were plenty of volunteers as well. Not counting the NAC, we had 20 people there, including four students from Ballard HS getting community service hours. We also had a good crew working on putting survival rings around trees deep in the park. This is the most physically demanding work we currently do, and involves careful clambering on a steep slope. Generally volunteers aren’t allowed to work on slopes steeper than 40 degrees, but we only send experienced workers and don’t do any heavy-duty invasive removal. This crew put rings around 15 trees, which is a pretty good count for about three hours of work.</p>
<p>We also did about two or three hundred feet of invasive removal, particularly star ivy. This breaks apart very easily, and yes, it resprouts, so we’ll probably be doing some more removal in the same spot for a little while. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8501319955/" title="Post Work Pary Group Shot by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8371/8501319955_be8e2b51f6.jpg" width="500" height="282" alt="Post Work Pary Group Shot"></a></p>
<p>Here’s a picture of the remnants of the work party — a number of people had left by then. We had finished with cleaning up and putting away the tools and were just gabbing a little. But left to right in the picture is Julie, Drexie, Darryl (NAC), Morry, Tod (NAC), Theodor (NAC), Doug, and Sylvie.</p>
<p>We’ll see you again on March 23, same time and location: 9 a.m. to noon at the main entrance to the park, 90th St. and 24th Ave. NW</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who participated, it’s always fun and exhilarating work. There are a few more pictures from the work party <a href="http://flic.kr/s/aHsjE79yrs" title="February Work Party on Flickr">on Flickr</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/02/24/february-work-party-report/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1336163" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1334009More Connections Between Urban Trees and Health2013-02-14T19:09:15Z2013-02-14T19:09:15Zpublic0<p><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/when-trees-die-people-die/267322/" title="The Atlantic: When Trees Die, People Die">When Trees Die, People Die</a></p>
<p>More of the evidence of a connection between trees and health. The exact cause remains an intriguing mystery, but the connection is obvious.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/02/14/more-connections-between-urban-trees-and-health/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1334009" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1332443February Work Party: Invasive Removal!2013-02-09T19:39:25Z2013-02-09T19:39:25Zpublic0<p>Saturday, February 23, 9 a.m. to noon<br />
Meet at the main entrance to the park, 24th Ave. and 90th St. NW<br />
Parking along 90th, east of 24th.<br />
Wear weather-appropriate layers that can get dirty and MUD BOOTS.<br />
Bring water and snacks if you need them; there are no facilities on site.<br />
All ages and skill levels welcome, but children must be under the supervision of their parents.<br />
For further information, please contact Luke McGuff at lukemcguff@yahoo.com</p>
<p>All that AND it’s fun! Meet neighbors and work together to restore a great ravine park.</p>
<p>The 2012 planting season went very well for North Beach Park; more than 400 plants went into the park. Many thank yous to Drexie Malone and Tad Anderson, who ran the January planting party. </p>
<p><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Gaultheria_shallon_11240.JPG/320px-Gaultheria_shallon_11240.JPG" alt="Sala via Wikimedia Commons" /><br />
Salal flowers courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Photo by Walter Siegmund, East Ridge Trail, Squak Mountain State Park, Issaquah, Washington.</p>
<p>We reintroduced to the main body of the park such native shrubs or groundcover as ocean spray, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salal" title="Salal at Wikipedia">salal</a>, twinberry, maidenhair fern, and wetland grasses (among others). Not to mention all the conifer saplings!</p>
<p>By the end we had run out of room! This is not the worst problem a restoration group can have, and gives us inspiration to make sure that we clear more ground in 2013. </p>
<p>Join us as we begin the main push for invasive removal in 2013. One work group will pull ivy and blackberry between the trail and stream, and the other will work throughout the park to put survival rings on trees (so far, we’ve put survival rings on about 70 trees).</p>
<p>Can’t make it to a work party? Please donate to the Seattle Parks Foundation. Your tax-deductible donation will be used to hire work crews for areas unsuitable for volunteers. <a href="http://seattleparksfoundation.org/current-projects-north-beach-park/" title="Seattle Parks Foundation North Beach Park Project Page">Visit </a>their North Beach Park donation page. </p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/02/09/february-work-party-invasive-removal/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1332443" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1329937Time to Embrace Exotic Species?2013-01-23T04:48:52Z2013-01-23T04:48:52Zpublic0<p><a href="http://www.thenatureofcities.com/2013/01/16/our-changing-urban-nature-time-to-embrace-certain-exotic-species/" title="The Nature of Cities">Our Changing Urban Nature: Time to Embrace Exotic Species? (Or at Least Some of Them)</a></p>
<p>Nice article on how the nature of cities is changing the way we look at what are exotic or invasive species, and how much effort we should put into removing them. Ivy establishes a monoculture and prevents forest succession, so we’ll always fight that. But even knotweed might have its virtues (shocking, I know).</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2013/01/22/time-to-embrace-exotic-species/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1329937" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1325900ACTree’s Top Ten Tree Stories for 20122012-12-24T19:58:16Z2012-12-24T19:59:55Zpublic0<p><a href="http://actrees.org/news/trees-in-the-news/newsroom/looking-back-2012s-top-10-tree-stories/" title="ACTrees Top Ten Year in Review">Looking Back: 2012’s “Top 10” Tree Stories<br />
</a></p>
<p>A summary of stories related to urban forest and green infrastructure, good and bad.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/12/24/actrees-top-ten-tree-stories-for-2012/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1325900" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1315067November Work party: Planting!2012-11-10T21:25:53Z2012-11-10T21:25:53Zpublic0<p>Saturday, November 24, 9 a.m. to 12 Noon<br />
Meet at the main entrance to the park, 90th St. and 24th Ave. NW<br />
Parking along 24th, N. of 90th; and along 90th, E. of 24th.</p>
<p>Bring water and snacks. Wear sturdy shoes (or muckboots for wetland work) and weather-appropriate layers that can get dirty. We’ll provide tools, gloves, and guidance. All ages and skill levels welcome, but children must be under the supervision of their parent/guardian at all times. Email lukemcguff@yahoo.com for more information. Or register <a href="http://cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/gsp/748/" title="Online registration">on line</a>.</p>
<p>Take a break from Thanksgiving weekend and work off those calories with some community gardening. And we can be thankful we live in a place where the city and nature are so intertwined. As a special treat, 14 lucky participants will get a water bottle from Green Seattle Day. </p>
<p>We have nearly 200 native plants and shrubs to go into various areas of the parks, from the wetlands up the slopes. These plants will restore food sources and habitat for wildlife and will also help stabilize the slopes. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/sets/72157631858844627/" title="North Beach Plants at Carkeek Nursery">Here</a> are a few snapshots of the plants in their temporary home at the Carkeek Nursery. </p>
<p>We also will debut several new planting spades, gloves, and other tools purchased with the <a href="http://www.groundswellnw.org/" title="Groundswell NW">Groundswell NW</a> microgrant. Thank you Groundswell NW! </p>
<p>We would also like to thank the many other organizations without whom this work would not be possible: <a href="http://seattleparksfoundation.org/" title="Seattle Parks Foundation">Seattle Parks Foundation</a>, for providing fiscal sponsorship. <a href="http://greenseattle.org/" title="Green Seattle Partnership">Green Seattle Partnership</a>, for providing tools, training, and logistics coordination between volunteers and the Parks Department. <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/parks/" title="Seattle Parks and Recreation">Seattle Parks and Recreation</a>, for providing all these lovely plants. And of course, the many volunteers who have given, in some cases, hundreds of hours to restoration work in North Beach Nature Area and <a href="http://cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/map/" title="Cedar listing of restoration events">other Seattle parks</a>. </p>
<p>If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support the work of North Beach volunteers, please click <a href="https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=6329" title="Seattle Parks Foundation donation page">here</a>. Select “Friends of North Beach Park” from the drop-down list. Any money received will be used to hire a Natural Area Crew to work in the steeper parts of the park. </p>
<p>Thank you for all your support! We look forward to seeing you Saturday the 24th.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/11/10/november-work-party-planting/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1315067" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1312140Green Seattle Day Nov. 32012-10-29T16:04:37Z2012-10-29T16:04:37Zpublic0<p><img class="aligncenter" src="http://greenseattle.org/images/green-seattle-day/GSday2012basicimage.jpg/image_mini" alt="Green Seattle Day" /></p>
<p>Green Seattle Day is coming up on Saturday November 3! Work off those pre-election stress hormones with a fun, earth-healing activity. No matter our political predilections, we all want a better world for our children. And one way we can accomplish that is through healthier urban forests. So join hundreds of other Seattleites all over the city, removing invasive plants and/or restoring native plants and trees in our forests. Click <a title="Green Seattle Day" href="http://greenseattle.org/events/2012/green-seattle-day-2012/green-seattle-day-11-5">here</a> to find an event near you. We’ll be at Carkeek, but Golden Gardens is also hosting an event.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/10/29/green-seattle-day-nov-3/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1312140" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1311126The Plants Have Arrived!2012-10-26T19:32:55Z2012-10-26T19:32:55Zpublic0<p>Every park that is an official Green Seattle Partnership site gets to order 200 plants a year. This works out really well for 10 acre North Beach Park, with only about half an acre under active restoration (although we plant throughout the park). 200+ acre Carkeek, not as well. (But Carkeek also has other programs for getting plants and trees.)</p>
<p>Here are the plants we ordered for North Beach Park:</p>
<p><strong>Wetland Plants and Shrubs</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8125581164/" title="Wetland plants and shrubs. by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8125581164_43c79ff9d5.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="Wetland plants and shrubs."></a><br />
The wetland plants are, in no particular order, Black Hawthorn (<em>Crataegus douglasii</em>), Oregon Ash (<em>Fraxinus latifolia</em>), Pacific crabapple (<em>Malus fusca</em>), Small-fruited bullrush (<em>Scirpus microscarpus</em>), and hardhack (<em>Spirea douglasii</em>). These will go into the headwaters bowl, the wetland area we cleared of blackberry during the drought. The bullrush will go in the wettest part of the wetland, the shrubs and trees along the perimeter.</p>
<p><strong>Upland Plants and Shrubs</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/8125569283/" title="Upland plants for 2012 by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8125569283_66a9db6f81.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="Upland plants for 2012"></a><br />
Including: Vine Maple (<em>Acer circinatum</em>), Hazelnut (<em>Corylus cornuta</em>), Ocean Spray (<em>Holodiscus discolor</em>), Tall Oregon-grape (<em>Mahonia aquifolium</em>), Mock Orange (<em>Philadelphia lewisii</em>), Thimbleberry (<em>Rubus parviflorous</em>) and Evergreen Huckleberry (<em>Vaccinium ovatum</em>).</p>
<p>The main planting party will be on Saturday, November 24. Work off those Thanksgiving calories and have fun getting dirty. For more information, and to volunteer, please click <a href="http://cedar.greencitypartnerships.org/event/gsp/748/" title="November Planting Party Link">here</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/10/26/the-plants-have-arrived/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1311126" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1304878Ivy rings2012-09-08T16:01:27Z2012-09-08T16:01:27Zpublic0<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/7942080634/" title="Ivy infested tree. by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8297/7942080634_9cb9de7f23.jpg" width="299" height="500" alt="Ivy infested tree."></a></p>
<p>The ivy in this tree had almost reached the crown, but not quite. Two other volunteers put an ivy ring around it Sunday, Sept. 2nd. In a month or so, we hope it looks like this:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/7942088442/" title="Successful ivy ring. by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/7942088442_bb04f17245.jpg" width="299" height="500" alt="Successful ivy ring."></a></p>
<p>This tree had a survival ring put around it in April 2011.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/09/08/ivy-rings/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1304878" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1304335Watering Cans2012-09-07T16:02:58Z2012-09-07T16:02:58Zpublic0<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/7868188648/" title="Watering cans by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7868188648_ab59029b7a.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="Watering cans"></a></p>
<p>The best time to plant native plants in a park (where they won’t get much maintenance) is mid fall, so the roots have plenty of time to establish themselves during the winter rains. However, the best time to distribute thousands of plants to eager forest stewards is mid winter, when the plants are nice and dormant. For larger parks, with nurseries, this is no problem. For North Beach Park, that meant we put the plants in very late in the planting season (late March). I used to say I was the only person in Seattle who was enjoying the cool, wet spring.</p>
<p>We’re finally having a stretch of dry days — in fact, we’re approaching the record for days in a row without measurable precipitation, and just finished the <a href="http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-driest-august-in-seqttle-history.html" title="Cliff Mass Weather Blog">driest August since weather records were kept</a>. That means the watering cans will be accompanying me to North Beach Park a few more times. </p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/09/07/watering-cans/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1304335" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1304259Presenting… Log!2012-09-06T16:01:30Z2012-09-06T16:01:30Zpublic0<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/7933999726/" title="Presenting LOG by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/7933999726_06379912ce.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="Presenting LOG"></a></p>
<p>“Log” is what my wife and I call the above ivy root (it’s a Ren & Stimpy reference). This is what those little sprigs of ivy turn into when they’re allowed to spend years attached to a tree. Log is about four feet long. </p>
<p>Log gets two reactions from people: aghast horror from people who have never seen an ivy root before, and “meh, I’ve seen worse” from people who have.</p>
<p>Anyway, this is what we’re working to remove from our parks.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/09/06/presenting-log/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1304259" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1299738Why: Urban Forest2012-08-18T19:06:40Z2012-08-18T19:06:40Zpublic0<p>I was a little bit into this work before encountering the phrase “urban forest.” I find it amusing, there’s a bit of self-contradiction to it to me. You don’t expect the word “forest” to follow “urban.” </p>
<p>But the forest remains — thin, neglected, and patchy as it may be. To my mind, abandoning the city altogether for a supposedly ideal forest helps neither the city nor the supposed ideal. And I think it’s important to realize that not only is the urban forest still here, but the needs for it remain as well: air cooling and cleaning, water filtering and slowing, carbon sequestration, habitat.</p>
<p>There’s no chance anymore to let “nature take its course.” We have to take an active hand in the management of the planet, and I think a good place to start is our neighborhood urban forest. </p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/08/18/why-urban-forest/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1299738" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1298845Visualizing inequality using urban trees2012-08-13T16:00:50Z2012-08-13T16:00:50Zpublic0<p>That sounds pretty dry, but the evidence is dramatic. <a href="http://persquaremile.com/">Per Square Mile </a>examines the question of <a href="http://persquaremile.com/2012/05/24/income-inequality-seen-from-space/">whether urban canopy can predict wealth </a>by looking at wealthy and poor neighborhoods in cities around the world.</p>
<p>Here is Seattle’s version:<br />
South Park<br />
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 663px"><a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/?attachment_id=9174" rel="attachment wp-att-9174"><img src="http://www.natureintrudes.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/south_park_aerial1.png" alt="" title="South Park" width="653" height="504" class="size-full wp-image-9174" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Aerial view of South Park neighborhood in Seattle. Via Google Maps.</p></div></p>
<p>The Highlands<br />
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 651px"><a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/?attachment_id=9176" rel="attachment wp-att-9176"><img src="http://www.natureintrudes.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/highlands_aerial.png" alt="" title="The Highlands" width="641" height="497" class="size-full wp-image-9176" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Aerial view of The Highlands, one of Seattle’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Via Google Maps.</p></div></p>
<p>Here’s <a href="http://persquaremile.com/2012/05/17/urban-trees-reveal-income-inequality/">more information </a>about the correlation of wealth and urban canopy cover.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/08/13/visualizing-inequality-using-urban-trees/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1298845" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1293643A Classic Picture2012-07-25T16:04:25Z2012-07-25T16:04:25Zpublic0<p>What first attracted me to North Beach Park was the trash in amongst the weeds. This bucket was uncovered during the June work party. That’s an ivy root rising out of the bucket.</p>
<p>The tree the ivy rose towards was so covered in ivy the little area looked like a jungle. Now it’s much more open and pretty.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/7635091740/" title="Nature Intrudes by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7635091740_8a70ea3f69_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="Nature Intrudes"></a></p>
<p>This picture encapsulates the idea of “Nature Intrudes.” Nature will break through, not always in ways that humans like or judge as pretty. But it will break through.</p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/07/25/a-classic-picture/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1293643" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-06-14:524778:1293433Restoration Restoration2012-07-24T16:02:50Z2012-08-07T01:19:06Zpublic0<p>I went for a walk in North Beach Park last Sunday. The park looked like a mess, there have been alder trees falling down, bindweed coming up in places it hasn’t before, knotweed and some other things coming back after supposed eradication. Volunteers can’t work on the slopes (except for survival rings) or in the stream, so we’re kind of hemmed in. I felt pretty discouraged until I saw this.</p>
<p>Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) berries<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/7634997954/" title="Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) berries by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7634997954_bcbdee7b83_z.jpg" width="640" height="590" alt="Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) berries"></a></p>
<p>This was planted last fall. Seeing the berries on the new planting made me feel a little better. So did this.</p>
<p>Successful ivy ring<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/holyoutlaw/7635004166/" title="Successful ivy ring by Holy Outlaw, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8292/7635004166_6b43d7fa59_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="Successful ivy ring"></a></p>
<p>Look at how bushy that is! That means the ivy was getting enough sunlight to probably sets fruit every season. This survival ring will have several benefits: Cut down on the Ivy seed rain, if infinitesimally so. The snag, now clear of ivy, will provide habitat and food for woodpeckers; when they move on, smaller birds will take over. Without the ivy, the snag will stand longer, and when it falls, it will be a nurse log. </p>
<p style="text-align: right"><small>Mirrored from <a href="http://www.natureintrudes.net/2012/07/24/restoration-restoration/" title="Read Original Post">Nature Intrudes</a>. Please comment over there.</small></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=holyoutlaw&ditemid=1293433" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments