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The Washington Native Plant Society Central Puget Sound Chapter has many volunteer opportunities that are rewarding and fun. Check out the following events and projects.
Central Puget Sound Chapter Activities
Native Plant Appreciation Week Coordinator
Help Catalog Mary Fries's Slides
Audio-Visual Aide for Chapter Programs
Volunteer with Other Groups
Friends of the Burke Gilman Trail
King County Native Plant Salvage Program
King County Noxious Weed Control Program
Magnuson Environmental Stewardship Association (MESA)
National Parks Conservation Association
Puget Creek Watershed Alliance
Rare Care—Rare Plant Monitoring
Snohomish County Surface Water Management
Sound Salmon Solutions (Stilly Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force)
Washington State Parks Volunteer Stewards
To submit a request for volunteers, fill out the Volunteer Request Form.
Monday, June 4, 2012; 10 AM - 2 PM
Monday, June 11, 2012; 10 AM - 2 PM
WNPS Nursery, Magnuson Park, Seattle
The Spring Plant Sale was great fun, and now we need to put unsold plants in order at the WNPS Nursery. We will also be repairing the irrigation system at the Nursery and need to move plants out of the way. We work rain or shine. Volunteers should dress for the weather and bring a snack and water. We will supply gloves and tools.
To volunteer or get more information, Contact Rick Thompson at 425-582-2477 or q.garryana@gmail.com or Tom Johnson at (206) 525-3176, or Bonnie Miller at bmiller@serv.net or (206) 524-8713.
Saturday, June 23, 2012; 10 AM - 2 PM
WNPS Nursery, Magnuson Park, Seattle
We will be finishing our effort to get the irrigation system at the WNPS Nursery to function efficiently. Volunteers who are handy with tools will be especially welcome. Contact Rick Thompson at 425-582-2477 or q.garryana@gmail.com or Tom Johnson at (206) 525-3176.
Each spring for the last 8 years, the Governor of Washington has proclaimed Native Plant Appreciation Week (NPAW). This year NPAW was celebrated from April 29 to May 5, 2012. The week is intended to celebrate the amazing diversity of Washington’s over 3000 native plant species. The idea of NPAW is to reach beyond our membership to teach others about the benefits and beauty of native plants. Our Chapter plays an important role in NPAW, especially since we are the largest chapter in the Society.
We need a volunteer to coordinate our NPAW events. If you would like to serve as Coordinator or be on the NPAW committee for 2013, please contact Marcia Rivers Smith at nw.wildflower@earthlink.net or 425-222-7582.
The Society has received a substantial donation in the form of Mary Fries's
native plant slides. Now we need to take information off the slides (species name, location, date), and put it into an Excel spreadsheet. This is a perfect job for someone who is familiar with botanical names and locations in Washington. Talk about great armchair travel at this time of year! Another benefit of volunteering for this project is learning more about native plants, since Mary Fries was so knowledgeable. If you are interested, contact Mike Marsh at 206-281-8976.
Speakers at Chapter Programs usually bring presentations that require a laptop and projector. WNPS has a great laptop and projector, but we are missing a person who can make sure they function together. We need a volunteer who is savvy about the interface between the computer and the projector so Chapter presentations run smoothly. If you have some expertise in this area and usually come to Chapter meetings, please consider volunteering as Audio-Visual Aide for Chapter Programs. You would be welcomed with enthusiasm on the part of both the audience and the speakers! To volunteer, contact Linda Ellis at 206-527-3210 or lindaellis@wnps.org.
To sign up to volunteer, contact Margaret Thouless at thouless1@comcast.net
June 2, 2012; 9 AM - noon
May 20, 2012; 9 AM - noon
The Friends of Lincoln Park gather twice monthly, on the first Saturday and third Sunday, for native plant restoration work. This 135-acre park, on the shores of Puget Sound is a jewel, with mature forests and a great diversity of native plants, but is threatened with many invasive plants. Join us from 9 AM to noon, starting in the north parking lot at the kiosk (Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Rose St.). Wear sturdy shoes, dress for weather, and bring garden gloves and hand clippers, or we'll have extras. We are part of the Green Seattle Partnership.
Sign up with Sharon Baker.
Madrona Woods is in need of volunteers to help carry out stream bank restoration. Work parties are scheduled once a month on the fourth Saturday of the month, except for July and August. Groups of volunteers can be scheduled on other dates that are convenient for the group. Contact Ann Bucher 206-323-8325 to sign up or get more information.
Kiwanis Park Work Party
Saturday, May 19, 2012; 9 AM - Noon
1405 10th St. W, Kirkland
Work party to remove harmful invasive plants from the forest at Kiwanis Park on the shore of Lake Washington.
Suitable for: Adults, Teens, and Families. Minors under the age of 14 years must be accompanied by an adult. Youth 14 to 17 years should be accompanied by an adult, or bring a signed waiver form , or a parent/guardian to sign you in. Youth waiver forms can be obtained in advance from the City or EarthCorps websites.
Tools: EarthCorps and Kirkland Parks will provide tools and equipment.
Sign up: Please sign up at the EarthCorps website. Advance sign up is important for planning purposes; however, volunteers who show up on the day are also welcome. Please contact Chris LaPointe if you have questions about the event, chris@earthcorps.org.
What to Bring:
Sturdy shoes or boots
Work gloves if you have your own (we also provide them)
Water bottle
Layers of comfortable clothing
Rain gear (if needed)
DIRECTIONS TO KIWANIS PARK. Please consider walking, bicycling, carpooling, or taking the bus
From I-405 Southbound: take the NE 124th Street exit (exit 20) and turn right onto NE 124th Street. Turn left onto 100th Avenue NE, which becomes 98th Avenue NE, which becomes Market Street. Turn right off Market onto 16th Ave. W, then proceed down to 10th St W and turn left at the T intersection. End at park entrance ½ block on the right. Park on the street.
From I-405 Northbound: take the NE 85th Street exit (exit 18) toward Kirkland and turn slight right onto NE 85th Street / WA-908 which becomes Central Way near the downtown area. At the end of Central Way turn right onto Market Street then left onto 16th Avenue W. Proceed down to 10th St W and turn left at the T intersection. End at park entrance ½ block on the right. Park on the street.
--Saturday May 26 at Juanita Bay Park, 9 am to 12 pm. Contact JBRollers@gmail.com
--Saturday, May 26 at Cotton Hill Park, 10 am to 12 pm. Contact Karen Story Karen@tinyisland.com
--FRIDAY June 15 at Watershed Park, 10 am to 2 pm. Sign up online at www.earthcorps.org. Contact Chris LaPointe, chris@earthcorps.org
--Saturday, June 16 at Kiwanis Park, 9 am to 12 pm. Contact Carol Lee Power, 425.828.4220, carolleepower@yahoo.com
--Saturday, June 23 at Juanita Bay Park, 9 am to 12 pm. Contact JBRollers@gmail.com
For information on volunteer activities for IvyOUT please go to http://ivyout.org/volunteer.htm.
Wetland Plant Nursery
Volunteer work parties go from 9 AM – 1 PM on an on-going basis.
SW Grady Way & Longacres Dr., Renton, WA
Learn about growing native plants for stream and wetland restoration projects while helping to perform critical nursery tasks. Activities include starting plants from seed, divisions, and transplants, or help maintain nursery stock by watering and weeding. We host 3-4 events per month, for dates and more information please email Adam Jackson, at volunteer@kingcd.org or go to our website http://www.kingcd.org/pro_vol.htm.
King CD will provide all the tools. To sign up, call 206-282-1908.
Directions: Heading North 405 from I-5 interchange: Take exit 1 (Tukwila- West Valley Highway). Turn a left at the end of the off-ramp onto Interurban Ave. Turn right at the first light onto Grady Way. Turn left (1st left) onto Longacres Drive (approximately 1/4 mile). The nursery is located on the left-hand side of Longacres Drive at the intersection of Longacres Drive and Grady Way. The nursery has a green chain link fence around it, a gravel driveway and is across the street from the Renton Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Heading South 405: Take exit #2A, (SR 167/Rainier Avenue South). Immediately merge into the far left lane and turn left onto Grady Way, heading west. Stay on Grady Way for approximately 1 mile until you pass Oakesdale Ave SW. Turn right onto Longacres Drive. The nursery is located on the left-hand side of Longacres Drive at the intersection of Longacres Drive and Grady Way. The nursery has a green chain link fence around it, a gravel driveway and is across the street from the Renton Wastewater Treatment Facility.
To be announced. Please call Cindy Young at 206-296-8065 or email cindy.young@kingcounty.gov if you plan to participate.
To join a planting event, call Tina Miller, 206-296-2990 or e-mail her at tina.miller@kingcounty.gov to register and get directions. Planting events are from 10 AM - 2 PM.
Upper Snoqualmie Weed Watchers
Saturday, June 23, 2012; 9 AM - 5 PM
Location: Snoqualmie Ranger Station, North Bend, WA
Volunteer weed watchers are needed to survey trails for invasive plants in the Upper Snoqualmie Watershed. The volunteers will be helping a partnenship of public agencies and non-profits that is working to find and remove invasive plants from the wilderness and recreational areas of the beautiful Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley and the South Fork Snoqualmie watershed. We are surveying trails from Mt. Si near North Bend to the Dutch Miller Gap in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and from Rattlesnake Lake to the Snoqualmie Pass along I-90.
Weed Watchers choose which trails they want to "adopt" and then go hiking to watch for weeds during the growing season, either pulling them (if practical) or mapping them for later removal by Greenway crews. We teach volunteers how to identify key invasive plants, what data to collect, and how to report what they find. Forest day passes will be provided, and after volunteering for 16 hours of trail surveys, weed watchers will receive annual forest passes.
Volunteers are encouraged to attend the orientation training on June 23. If you would like to participate and can't make it to the training, we can arrange to meet individually to get you oriented and signed up.
We all know how hard it is to stop the spread of invasive plants once they get established. The Upper Snoqualmie Weed Watchers play a critical role in locating new infestations while they are still small enough to stop and help protect and preserve native plant ecosystems in the nearby upper Snoqualmie watersheds of the Cascades.
Directions: We will meet in the conference hall behind the Snoqualmie Ranger Station at 902 SE North Bend Way, North Bend, WA 98045. Drive I-90 to Exit 32. Turn north at end of exit ramp. Turn left at "T" intersection on North Bend Way. In approximately one mile, the Ranger Station is on your right. Park behind the Ragner Station and look for the conference hall. After the classroom training, we will carpool to the trailhead where we will do our field training.
Bring: Bring water, sack lunch, hiking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and other hiking essentials. Also bring a notebook or clipboard to write on and a GPS if you have one (not required but very helpful).
Contact: Sasha Shaw
Contact Phone: 206-263-6468
Contact E-mail: sasha.shaw@kingcounty.gov
Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Work Party
Sunday, May 6, 2012; 1 PM to 3 PM
Sunday, May 20, 2012; 1 - 3 PM
Come help maintain this historic garden co-founded by Art Kruckeberg. The garden is open to public as it is a City of Shoreline Park, but maintained by volunteers of the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Foundation. Volunteers help to keep the Garden in top form by raking, mulching, weeding, turning compost, and assisting with other maintenance needs.
The KBGF recently won a grant to install a Native Plant Demonstration Garden. Volunteers will be assisting with the beginning stages of this project.
Volunteers need to come dressed for outdoor work in any weather. They will be provided with gloves and tools. Volunteers can peruse the MsK Native and Rare Plant Nursery and receive a discount on the day of volunteering.
Work parties occur on the first and third Sunday of every month!
Directions: Kruckeberg Botanic Garden is located at 20312 15th Ave NW in Shoreline's Richmond Beach neighborhood.
From I-5, take Exit 176 and go west on 175th Street, across Aurora Avenue (Highway 99), until you reach the stop light at Fremont Avenue N.
Turn right to go north on Fremont Avenue to 185th St., then west (left) on 185th (which becomes Richmond Beach Road). You will travel through a commercial area and down a long, winding hill. Turn north (right) onto 15th Avenue NW, and the garden is about 1/2 mile up the hill, on the right. Look for the banner in the trees.
Parking at the Garden is limited so consider carpooling, or using alternate means of transportation.
Contact: Laurie Cange, volunteer@kruckeberg.org
To learn more about volunteering at the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden see www.Kruckeberg.com.
Come and spend some quality time with Mother Nature! There are various activities planned and you will enjoy the sun and spring breezes while schlepping mulch or digging out blackberry roots!
Magnuson Park North Forest Remnant
Saturday, May 19, 2012; 10 AM - 2 PM
Our newest third Saturday opportunity at our newest project..."In the Woods"
We supply the tools and gloves. Please bring a lunch or snack and water.
Meet at North Forest Remnant, NE 65th Street and Sportsfield Drive. Look for the signs.
Contact Tom Kelly at tpaulkelly@hotmail.com or Bonnie Miller at 206-524-8713 (H) or 206-227-2612 (C) or bmiller@serv.net.
Magnuson Park Promontory Point Habitat Enhancement
Thursday, May 17, 2012; 10 AM - 2 PM (every third Thursday)
Get our newly planted native plants ready for summer. Come for an hour or more; every minute helps! Lots of fun work to do!
Meet at the Education Pavilion; enter Magnuson Park at NE 65th St, drive east to boat launch parking lot. Turn right just past the new wetlands and look for the yellow “VOLUNTEER” banner and signs.
Contact Bonnie Miller at 206-524-8713 (H) or 206-227-2612 (C) or bmiller@serv.net.
Native Plant Nursery at Magnuson Community Garden
June 4, 2012; First Monday of every month 10 AM - 2 PM
Magnuson Community Garden, North end
Learn our native plants and work to propagate for future planting. We will be potting up bare root plants. Meet at the Native Plant Nursery, north of the The Brig and Magnuson Community Garden next to the fence.
To sign up or get directions, contact Rick Thompson at q.garryana@gmail.com, or Tom Johnson (206) 525-3176, or Bonnie Miller at bmiller@serv.net or 227-2612.
Native Plant Border at Magnuson Community Garden
May 5, 2012: First Saturday of every month 9 AM - 1 PM
Magnuson Community Garden, east of The Brig, next to the Dog Off Leash Area.
Planting and maintaining the native plants in the Border of the Community Garden.
Contact Tom Kelly at tpaulkelly@hotmail.com or Bonnie Miller at bmiller@serv.net or 524-8713 for directions and information.
Third Annual National Park Family Day
Saturday, May 19, 2012; 8:15 AM - 5:30 PM
Rainier Beach Community Center
4600 38th Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98118
Join us by volunteering for this fun, family friendly event supporting the National Parks Conservation Association, National Parks Service and our partners! The day will include a multitude of hands on activities for kids and those unfamiliar with our national parks. We will also have demonstrations throughout the day including a live wildlife encounter!
Help us make this event a success! Volunteers are needed both for pre-event and day of event support.
PRE-EVENT VOLUNTEER ROLES (Various Dates):
• “Street Team”
o Help distribute event posters around the Rainier Valley, downtown & other locations
• Donations- help solicit donations for day of prizes and giveaways
• Day before event (Friday, May 18th)- help load up van with event materials
o Location- downtown Seattle
EVENT DAY VOLUNTEER ROLES (Saturday, May 19th):
2 Volunteer Shifts– 8:15am-1:00pm or 1:00pm-5:30pm (10-15 people needed per shift)
• Setting up booths, tables, chairs, materials
• Checking in & directing participant groups
• Assisting rangers with set up of their materials
• Handing out t-shirts
• Directing guests to parking lot
• Doing activities with kids, coloring books, Jr. Ranger badges
• Handing out raffle tickets and prizes
• Counting people as they arrive
• Helping NPCA staff at Booth
• Help tear down booths, tables, chairs, materials
• Direct participant groups in parking lot during tear down
To sign-up, questions or for more information, please contact Charla Ojala at 253.221.0973 or NPCASeattle@gmail.com.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays; 10 AM - 2 PM
Located in West Seattle near the Duwamish River, the West Duwamish Greenbelt is the largest contiguous forest in Seattle, stretching from West Seattle to Burien. Nature Consortium hosts volunteer work parties year round several times per week. Currently we are working Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10 AM-2 PM in the West Duwamish Greenbelt located in West Seattle. Each work party begins with a short informal forest ecology workshop, and we spend the remainder of the time performing various restoration activities, including planting native trees and shrubs, removing invasive species, mulching previously-planted areas, and more. Musicians perform for volunteers at many of our restoration work parties.
We work rain or shine. Please dress appropriately with long pants, warm and dry layers, closed toed shoes and rain gear as needed. We provide gloves, tools, a light granola bar snack (feel free to bring a lunch) and a jug of water. Please bring a refillable water bottle.
Sign up online to volunteer at http://www.naturec.org/volunteer/ Once you've signed up online to volunteer we'll send you a confirmation e-mail with driving directions to our work party location.
Bring: Please bring as much enthusiasm, fun and hard work as you can muster in an afternoon. Come prepared with proper clothing for whatever weather the Puget Sound has in store for us. We will be getting dirty so wear clothing that can be soiled. Please wear comfortable and closed toed shoes. Additionally please bring a reusable water bottle to refill water. We now our offering tea and coffee to volunteers so please bring a reusable coffee mug to enjoy a warm beverage.
Contact: volunteer@naturec.org or 206-923-0853
There are many opportunities to volunteer to restore sites with People for Puget Sound. To see details about these events, check their events calendar at http://www.pugetsound.org/connect/events. You can learn more by contacting Dhira Brown at 206-382-7007 or restoration@pugetsound.org
Plant Slam at Sanislo Wetland
Join us every 4th Saturday!
Sanislo Wetland, the headwaters of Puget Creek, is socially significant to the Duwamish Tribe who have been attempting to daylight the creek and improve salmon habitat for decades. It's environmentally significant to all of us to restore this watershed that feeds into the Lower Duwamish River. We need to get as many native plants as possible into the ground at the end of this planting season. http://pugetcreekwatershedalliance.org
Meet at 1812 SW Myrtle, Seattle, WA 98106
Bring: Gloves, shovel, watering bucket (we ll have extra, but write your name on your tools), weather-appropriate gear (rain or cold), hat/eye/sun protection, food/water, sturdy shoes/boots. Snacks and water provided.
Directions: Bus #125 from downtown, 3 stops past the South Seattle Community College s main bus stop (on 16th Ave SW); get off at SW Myrtle St.; walk west 3 blocks). Bus #120 from downtown; get off at SW Myrtle, one stop before Home Depot. Walk east to top of stairs. Bus #128 from Admiral District; past Home Depot one stop east of Delridge, walk northeast up SW Orchard St to SW Myrtle & 18th SW, left one block.
Contact: Steve Richmond at 206-650-9807 or gardencycles@hotmail.com.
Are you interested in an opportunity to contribute to the conservation of Washington’s rare plants and at the same time visit premier examples of Washington’s native ecosystems? Volunteer as a rare plant monitor with Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation and help collect valuable information on status of rare plant populations. Rare plant monitors visit known populations of rare plants all around the state to check and report on the condition of the population and its habitat.
For more information, visit our website at www.depts.washington.edu/rarecare or contact Rare Care at 206-616-0780 or at rarecare@u.washington.edu.
Every month Seattle Parks and Recreation offers lots of ways to get involved. Get in shape by joining a work party! For projects this month, check the website www.seattle.gov/parks/getinvolved.
Volunteers are needed for nursery tasks in Snohomish County. Help with bare root potting at the Native Plant Nursery on most Wednesdays and Fridays.
Sign-up by e-mailing Anna Heckman a.heckman@co.snohomish.wa.us or contact Greg Dunster at (425) 508-6709 (cell), or 425-388-3464 ext. 4661.
For more information see the Surface Water Management Division Calendar of Upcoming Events.
For more information and to sign up for events, contact Michele Harmeling at michele@soundsalmonsolutions.org or 425-319-7696. http://stillysnofish.org/get_involved/upcoming_activities.html.
Volunteers participate in a variety of herbarium activities including the mounting, accessioning, and shelving of plant specimens. This is a great chance to work with plants from throughout the Pacific Northwest (they are still interesting even when they are dried and flattened), and with others who share your interest in the flora of our region. No previous herbarium experience is necessary; we provide training. Also needed are volunteers with computer skills such as data entry and web page design. The Herbarium is located in the basement of Hitchcock Hall (Botany Building) on the UW Campus. For more information go to http://depts.washington.edu/wtu/volunteers.htm.
Washington State Parks is looking for individuals who would like to become volunteer stewards for selected parks. Some of the possible parks include Mount Spokane, Riverside, Steamboat Rock, Sun Lakes, Gingko/Wanapum, Dalles Mountain Ranch, Beacon Rock, Fort Columbia, Fort Canby, Leadbetter Peninsula, Moran, Deception Pass, and Larrabee. These parks all include stretches of natural area which need to be monitored and maintained. Individuals will be asked to commit at least two years.
For more information contact: Robert A. Fimbel, Washington State Parks, 7150 Cleanwater Lane, Olympia, WA 98504. Phone 360-902-8592 or e-mail robert.fimbel@parks.wa.gov. Robert can provide you with a Natural Resources Volunteer Steward Description, which details volunteer expectations and benefits for this position.
Camas (Camasia quamash)
© 2006 James Ellingboe