Riverfest Sucess and a Correction

Representative Louis Moscoso with Friends at Riverfest.

Bothell Riverfest, Sunday August 28th, 2011:
     Friends of North Creek Forest were busy all day at Bothell's 2011 Riverfest. We were seldom without at least one or two of us engaged in conversation with interested visitors and visiting supporters. 41 new people offered signed endorsements and others offered a total of 100 additional hours of assistance with stewardship.

Louis Moscoso:
    First District Representative Louis Moscoso, a supporter from the beginning, stopped by and spent close to half an hour updating himself on this conservation effort. He is very interested in a balance of economic growth and North Creek Forest preservation. Louis thinks in large patterns and is likely to reflect on small business concerns and forest park lands in a unified way.

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Derek Stanford interviewing with DR. David Bain in North Creek Forest.

Derek Stanford:   
One mile away, and a week earlier, Representative Derek Stanford did and interview at a location in North Creek Forest. You might recall the forest is not just of passing interest to Derek. He sponsored the Commerce Grant awarded to Bothell this spring. Added to other grants this opened up the opportunity to negotiate for 35 acres of North Creek Forest park land. (ongoing)
    Derek also visited us at Riverfest, again spending a good half hour catching up on details and just "hanging out".  Derek has an easy manner and a strong analytical background. His questions clearly show how efficient he is at understanding complicated issues.


Thank You Bothell:
    This was a great venue for us to raise public awareness and meet new volunteers. Bothell did a fantastic job of organizing this event complete with all day live music and members of the Bothell Cougar's football team ready to assist us from the moment we arrived until days end. Bravo Bothell!

Pace:
    The most frequent question asked at Riverfest was, "Why is this taking so long?" The short answer is, "It's not." We have documented this closely and the process will someday be a story in itself. While "fast moving" does fit this project compared to many others there have been delays. Right now we are looking at the time between grant awards (April) and steps in negotiating the first purchase. There might be ways to make that process more efficient. Maybe not, but we are going to look closely at that and will let you know what we find.

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Our Correction:
University of Washington
Bothell

    Our last article (below) needs some clarification: The UW program that engages restoration is not called "Capstone". Capstone is simply a descriptive word, like benchmark, or "right of passage" to represent this program for selected seniors. The actual name is University of Washington Restoration Ecology Network or UW-REN.

    The student organization, UWB/CCC Sustainability Organization is focused on the issue of sustainability and they get involved in projects ranging from recycling to restoration. They have offered to do hundreds of hours of work each year in the forest and will likely be a source of volunteers working with UW-REN students.

    UW-REN takes an interdisciplinary approach to research, planning and the execution of a restoration project. Students are responsible for all aspects of planning, coordination and followup with documentation complete with a multi-year maintenance plan. Please see: SCIENCE VOL 312 30 JUNE 2006 for a full understanding of this remarkable "capstone".

    Our primary goal in partnering with UW-REN is not to restore large tracts of forest. That will happen over many years. A modest 1/2 to 1 acre plot is under consideration. Of greater importance, UW-REN will be the first University level academic program in North Creek Forest.  Doing it right will be more important than doing it large. The fact it is pending is very exciting.

Friends of North Creek Forest

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