After nearly four years in the financial industry, completing my associate degree in business administration, and transferring to the University of Washington Bothell’s School of Business in 2011, I quickly realized my passions extended beyond office cubicles to include the larger biotic community. After taking a restoration ecology course at UW Bothell taught by Professor Amy Lambert, I rediscovered the wonders of nature that persuaded me to change my major to environmental studies with a minor in ecological restoration. My passion for the natural world stems from a long list of outdoor hobbies including hiking, camping, bicycling, swimming and gardening. My lifelong goal is to help restore and preserve our natural spaces to ensure future generations have an opportunity to enjoy and benefit from Earth’s rich natural heritage. I began working with Friends of North Creek Forest as a student volunteer last spring working with the University of Washington Restoration Ecology Network (UW-REN) team in North Creek Forest. As the new Executive Director intern I’m anxious to support FNCF’s mission of enhancing the ecological integrity of North Creek Forest and conservation of the entire 64 acres in perpetuity. Ten years from now, I envision a deepened relationship between the City of Bothell, nearby educational institutions and FNCF, the opportunities for community engagement and outdoor education within the forest are limitless; we have only just begun to tap into the possibilities.

Have questions for Krystle? Email. [email protected]
==============

Our next article we will feature our new Volunteer Recruiter/Coordinator. Thank you for staying with us. Every kind word, every hour you volunteer, every penny you offer, brings us closer to a 64 acre conservation success.
FNCF

In the murk that was Saturday, 21 sturdy souls burrowed deep into an edge of North Creek Forest. The goal was to jump start the season with UW-REN and boost our FNCF volunteer hours to 4000 in the next 12 months.


Our thanks to all of you for helping to restore part of North Creek Forest. We are posting a few pics here. You can see more photos on Friends of North Creek Forest Facebook Page.

Watch for more news soon... FNCF

Woodinville High School Earth Club students Christian and Nick cut vines and burned through hamburgers. Thanks for your hard work guys!


Executive Director intern for Friends of North Creek Forest, Krystle Minerich, is a veteran volunteer. You will learn more about Krystle in our next article.

Hot food make for a good day. We brought food for 20, made another store run, and 21 hard working people ate enough for 30 :)

Grill choices were, Veggie Burgers, Hamburgers and Beef Hotdogs.

Safety is our first thought, followed by planning and good work. At left, the "Mighty Mulch Transport Team".

On the right our new Volunteer Recruiter/Coordinator, Sarah Witte, checks her list while cutting vines.

One month ago Professor Amy Lambert's class opened the UWREN restoration season with a team who produced a mountain of cut blackberries. Since then the UWREN Team has guided additional work until they are now way ahead of the normal schedule.

Why get so far ahead? This year's UWREN Team is tackling an ambitious project even larger than last years. The overall footprint is smaller but the amount of blackberries offers a daunting challenge. That is why volunteers willing to help restore North Creek Forest are so importation to success.

We got food!
We will fire up the BBQ this Saturday and have some sodas on hand for your thirst. You can expect hamburgers, hotdogs, and veggie burgers.

This Saturday, November 17th a big team will attempt to clear a large stand of blackberry canes, some reaching far up into the trees. Students found a "trophy" vine last month. There is another hiding in there somewhere!

We start at 11 and end at 3.
You can download a map to the site HERE.

So the record vine is about 25' long. But lurking among the remaining stand of blackberries could very well be a record breaker. Last year yielded several vines over 30'. If you like trophy hunting for giant weeds you won't want to miss this Team event:)

Please join us as we repair the edge of this magnificent forest. See you Saturday.

Friends of North Creek Forest

Here come the UWREN 2012-13 Team. Lets give them a hand as they kick off this year with two events.

Student announcement:

Please add these events to your calendars and help make this year's environmental restoration project a WILD success! This year's student-run UWREN team in partnership with the Friends of North Creek Forest are jumping the gun and tackling the invasive blackberry ASAP before it gets to chilly!

Where: We will meet on 112th St near the end of the street, at the mulch pile, ample parking is available on the right side of the road.

When: November 10th from 11-3 and November 17th from 11-3.

Who: Everyone and bring a friend! Teachers, please consider offering your students extra credit for attendance, we would all appreciate the added incentive to get involved in this wonderful project.

What to bring: Please wear warm clothes and be prepared to work in wet/muddy conditions. We will provide gloves, tools, and water. Light snacks will be available, but bring a lunch if you expect to work hard and get hungry! If you have any new/used tools that you would like to use and/or donate to this year's project, please bring those as well, The Friends of North Creek Forest are accepting donations and promise to cherish any donated tools and responsibly use them to save this great forest!

What Activities are on the Agenda?

We are going to rip out a TON of blackberry using loppers and rakes, dig out the root-balls using shovels and hand-tillers, and spread mulch using shovels, buckets, wheelbarrows, and rakes. We also have a few herbaceous species to plant in the existing restoration areas, and light weeding to keep the blackberries at bay around last year's restoration site.

This year's UWREN students and the Friends of North Creek Forest are excited to see you all for more fun events to meet new people, make friends, and work hard towards a common goal of restoring the forest edge!

We will see everyone this and next Saturday, have a wonderful week!

Get a map and driving directions HERE

For more information, just ask Sarah Witte at [email protected] or Kent Parkinson at [email protected]

Our fundraising goal for 2013 is $48,000.

In the last two months generous and caring people have contributed $26,800 toward our programs. 

With two extraordinary exceptions, contributions range from $10 to $500. People living in North Creek Watershed understand it takes a modest budget and three elements to save North Creek Forest.

1. Land purchase: We believe grants, not individuals, are the best source of funds for this. Our small budget covers operations. Part of our operations is to help the city get larger grants for land purchase.

2. We restore and protect this rich habitat through direct stewardship actions. That takes volunteer recruitment, coordination with the city, tools and substantial planning. For example: The tree at the left must be watered 1 to 3 times a week during the summer for up to three years. This summer we watered over 400 new plants. Next summer there will be 800 and 1200 plants (or more) in 2014.

3. We support education so each generation inherits not only a rich forested habitat, but a desire to protect and improve it. Some students will likely go on to work with landowners and jurisdictions, protecting and improving key parts of the whole watershed and bringing Puget Sound back to health. It starts with planting a tree.

THE EXTRAORDINARY EXCEPTIONS
We know we are doing important work and doing it well.
However when people offer a check for $10,000 it deeply affirms our choices.

Steve and Tricia Trainer
Last month we received a $10,000 gift from Steve and Tricia Trainer. They have been involved in giving to many organizations. Tricia said, "We think you are doing something wonderful". There are spiritual undercurrents in the Trainer's philanthropy. Included is the Chief Seattle Club: "Providing a sacred space to nurture, affirm and renew the spirit of urban Native peoples."

For all of it's biological significance North Creek Forest is foremost a place for renewal.  Thank you Steve and Tricia.

The Rose Foundation
Yesterday we received a Grassroots Grant from the Rose Foundation for $10,000, the maximum amount under this program. We spoke with Tim Little, co-founder and Executive Director. He told us, "Of all the applications received, ours was one of the easiest to decide." We got a 100% yes vote from the trustees.

The grant will be used to secure a part time Volunteer Recruiter/Coordinator and pay for supporting tools and materials. We want to increase volunteer hours by 400% this academic year. It's a big forest.

Click on the Rose Foundation's logo and see why we are grateful to be a small part of their their great work.

Tools: What we don't have to buy will save money for other needs. If you have extra tools in good shape please contact us (see Contact Page). Someone will pick them up and transport them to our storage container. Click HERE to see our current inventory. Anything on this list is helpful. Our tool stock will need to be about double what it currently is.

Money: If you are in a position to give money please consider including us in your gifts. We need to raise an additional $21,000 for our 2013 budget. $10 dollars buys 2 pair of double leather gloves. $20 dollars buys a sturdy pair of loppers. $100 will feed an army of volunteers blazing through blackberries.

Method of Payment: You can just use the PAYPAL button on the top right of this page. Or you can mail a check to:

Friends of North Creek Forest
PO Box 2053
Bothell, WA 98041-2053

Thank you all for joining us in leaving a legacy for future generations and for providing a special place for education, recreation and renewal.