Volunteers and Update

Please join us for and easy two hours of restoration work.

Saturday, April 28th, 11 AM - 1 PM

All tools and gloves are provided. For directions and a map to the site go HERE.

Beverages and snacks, good fellowship, light work...it's fun.

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Update on conservation activities

ACQUISITION
Assuming all goes as planned a total of 41 acres will be owned by Bothell sometime this summer.

Three Sentence History:
The city had one King County grant, inspired by the foundation work of the group Help Our Woods. That grant was was about to expire. Friends of North Creek Forest kind of "exploded on the scene" assisting the city to get 3 more grants and expending around 500 volunteer hours supporting those applications.

What Now:
Three more parcels are available for purchase. HOW is providing lead support on another King County grant. We are lead support for another Land and Water grant. Other income sources are also being explored. The goal is to raise enough money for Bothell to complete final land purchases and realize the goal of saving the whole 64 acre forest.

The final element will be to insure the forest is never sold back into development: conservation in perpetuity is the goal.

THE MASTER PLAN
After all the land is acquired the city will go through a Master Plan process thus insuring all of the citizens of Bothell have a chance to express their vision for North Creek Forest.  We don't want to get ahead of the city on this one. But we do want to repeat our vision and encourage everyone to embrace it.

STEWARDSHIP
It is impossible to expect the city to increase it's parks and open space by over 60% without a strong organization to assist with "care and feeding" needs of that land. That is why Friends is active in stewardship even before purchases are all complete.

By volunteering to work on restoration projects every hour you log helps us meet that goal. We expect a Friends volunteer coordinator to be active in forest clean up, invasive plant removal and tree planting when today's students are grandparents. When they bring their grandchildren to the forest they can say, "I planted that tree... you plant one here".

So our stewardship goal is to become a framework for community involvement and civic partnership. It's your forest.

How many species do you think live on this one tree? How do they make their "living"? North Creek Forest: A place to engage your curiosity.

EDUCATION
Friends now directs 4 interns and a UW Work Study student. Our most recent intern is a graduate student and is doing Landscape Architecture design work for us.

Our work with the U W - Restoration Ecology Network leaves no doubt about the viability of education in the forest. Not only does it provide students with a place to experience and apply their classroom work, it improves the forest.

K-12 education will grow gradually. Friends has been setting up education kits that can be used by teachers in their classroom or by educators working directly with us. This latter activity can make a difference when teachers do not have the time to add curriculum into their own hectic day.

GROWNUP
EDUCATION/RECREATION

It is easy to see the forest inspiring art and literature. Birding and wildlife studies are additional interests we hear often. What about classes on back yard landscaping that mimic the forest and expand it's ecosystem through a matrix of habitats?

The possibilities here are almost endless. So keep in touch with us, keep the ideas flowing. We will try to connect people with other who share similar interests. One good way to share ideas is at one of our House Meetings. You can attend HERE.

Thank You!
Friends of North Creek Forest