 Our first thought... we can't fit in all in. THE CHALLENGE: FILL THIS DUMPSTER IN FOUR HOURS Twenty seven students and neighbors decided they could. This dumpster has a 40 cubic yard capacity. Piles of holly have been building since the beginning of the year. Blackberry cane has been piling up along the city right-of-way since last September. Here is how we did it...  It sounded like a swarm of giant termites. We had to cut piles of holly down to little pieces, reducing the volume by 50%. It's amazing what 20 pairs of loppers can do in the hands of determined volunteers.  Piles had to be moved a little at a time. We started by dragging them behind a truck then discovered piles that big were too hard to get into the dumpster. So it was hand carry/drag and good conversation.  Several methods were tried. It's easy to get the first pile in. But then came the test: can we build the pile to the ceiling?  Bigger piles were tried after we found a "best Way" to stack the stuff.  How about a really big load? Notice how relaxed some people are? Others felt it the next day!  Strength and will... and a few people on the other side who volunteered to get "buried" then climb out over the top.  Photographer Teppei Sato has covered every event this year.  By popular demand the next BBQ will include our own invention... hamburger on a butter croissant. Didn't Have those this time and people noticed.  Bothell High School Earth Club and Honor Society: what a force. You have seen some of them in previous stories. Thanks all of you for helping. It would not have been completed without you.  Thank you. You all did a magnificent job!  Our future director will remember the day he helped fill this box to the top! THANK YOU... Waste Management Inc. for donating the dumpster. Cedar Grove Compost for receiving 40 cubic yards of plant material. Clearview Albertsons Clearview Starbucks Coffee Shop The Rose Foundation for the Grassroots Grant which enables our expanded stewardship.
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 The National Wildlife Federation has selected Jessica Howe, Bothell High School student, to receive it's 2013 National Conservation Achievement Award in the youth catagory. Jessica has been volunteering with FNCF since last summer when she showed up to water 400+ new plants installed at the first UWREN site. She is President of the Bothell High School Earth Club. She is taking college level classes and splits her exercise between track, basketball and soccer.  Anyone looking at these photos will know they were taken in the North Creek Heights neighborhood. This is where we are controlling an English Holly infestation at it's apparent point of origin. The land is under a conservation easement and part of the larger NCF.  Jessica, we are proud of you. You and your friends keep popping up on these projects and help us all to understand the meaning of community. More about Jessica HERE. Neighbors and students: If you would like to meet people like Jessica who enjoy small tasks that add up to big, long term improvements to our community and world... join us and have some fun. This Saturday 11 AM - 2:30 PM with BBQ MAP Thank You! FNCF  Best practices and Safety Briefing We estimated it would take 3 weeks to remove, or otherwise control, holly in the southern forest adjacent to the North Creek Heights neighborhood. We were off by 400%. The stands of holly here are thick. We also are finding young patches too low to see on a casual walk about. We are grateful Waste Management Inc. is providing us with a free giant dumpster and Cedar Grove will compost the holly for free also. Cedar Grove compost gets so hot it breaks down holly. Don't try this at home. Put it in your yard waste container for the pros. It looks like we will need a ton of people to move piles to the dumpster. We ran out of room to pile holly in one location. We are grateful neighbor Marty Fries (yellow house on 112th) is letting us put the dumpster and holly on his property.  Photographer, Teppei Sato building another pile. We need a big Volunteer turn out on Saturday February 23, 11 AM - 2:30 PM. The dumpster will be delivered earlier that week and we need to fill it. This will be a BBQ event. We also need volunteers for this coming Saturday, February 16th. 11 AM - 2:30 PM. We will have plenty of snacks, hot chocolate, coffee and juice. Joining us for the first time? Map HERE.
 A tall variety of Oregon Grape also grows here. This native plant provides a valuable food source for wildlife. It can be confused with holly at first glance so we explain the difference on each work day.  We found the best method for moving holly to the pickup location is a slow tow. Putting it in the truck involves extra hours of cutting everything up in small pieces.  A family with the beginning of a back yard wildlife sanctuary. Piper Creek Nursery donated a wild rose for every volunteer that showed up! You folks at Piper Creek have a bounty of community spirit. THANK YOU! If you need native plants please stop by Piper Creek. Good people doing good work. Finally our thanks to the Rose Foundation who awarded us with a Grassroots Grant enabling us to expand our stewardship of this magnificent forest. You know where you can find us... Thanks, FNCF  Aaron Huston taking back the forest from highly invasive Knotweed Occasionally we will be featuring students we work with. We can't do this for everyone. But when someone shows leadership, returns to the forest over and over, pitches in wherever help is needed... This is our way to say: Thank You Aaron! It's right HERE. |
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