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King County Parks Volunteer Newsletter | Summer 2024 |
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Anyssa and Will Eng are a daughter and father duo who volunteered with the King County Parks Volunteer program. Anyssa originally got involved with King County Parks as a paid intern with Youth Conservation Corps (YCC). After being introduced to forest restoration, Anyssa joined our public volunteer events with her father and sometimes her sister too! Recently, we caught up with Anyssa and her father to learn more about their experience volunteering as a family. Check out this blog post to learn about why they wanted to volunteer together, what they learned about each other through this experience, and their advice for other families!
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Western red cedar, known in Lushootseed as x̌payʔ, is a very important part of our local forests. At this time of year we are thankful for all the shade these tall trees provide with their long, swooping branches. To identify a cedar tree, look for two key characteristics: 1) the bark is gray to reddish brown and pulls off in long fibrous strips 2) the leaves are small and scale-like and arranged in flat opposite pairs as a dangling twig looking like braided hair. |
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Many local tribes call cedar "the tree of life" because nearly every part of the tree has some use incorporated into every day living. The wood is rot resistant and incredibly useful for building materials, bark for weaving into skirts and capes, and small branches for ropes. The uses are wide and varied. Each tribe has their own specific uses and cultural practices with cedar. We encourage you to learn more by reading more in resources like Ethnobotany of Western Washington and Native American Ethnobotany Database. |
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Prevent Spread of Weeds with Boot Brushes
We now offer boot brushes to all volunteers to take home with them after our events! Brushing your boots all over after a restoration event helps prevent the spread of weed seeds. Seeds can be attached to laces, any crevices in the top of your boots, or in the mud trapped in the tread of your boot. The brushes we provide have picks (originally designed for horse hooves) that help you dig out all the mud from the bottom of your boot. Here's a helpful video from our friends at King County Noxious Weeds!
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Partner Feature: Muslim Association of Puget Sound - Nature, Outdoors, and Wildlife (MAPS-NOW)
Since 2016, King County Parks Volunteer Program has collaborated with the Muslim Association of Puget Sound - Nature, Outdoors, and Wildlife (MAPS-NOW) program on forest restoration projects. MAPS, founded in 2006, aims to build a vibrant community rooted in Muslim values such as spirituality, service, and harmony. Today, MAPS has grown to become Washington State's largest Islamic center, serving over 6,000 families from 50+ countries.
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Committed to serving the communities we all live in and environmental stewardship, MAPS-NOW has shown a long-term dedication to restoring the Marymoor Connector Trail in Marymoor Park. Together, members of MAPS-NOW have planted nearly 1,000 trees and shrubs, fostering future shade and a lasting positive impact. We cherish our partnership with this diverse, multi-generational group and look forward to continuing our tree-planting efforts together this fall and winter.
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Annual Cedar River cleanup on August 10
Join in for the 6th Annual Cedar River cleanup on Saturday, August 10! Meet at Ron Regis Park at 8 a.m. and then from 9-11 a.m. help with clean up at many sites up and down the river. This is an event hosted by the folks behind The Young Guides Podcast and supported by King County.
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Volunteer at new Vashon Island Park!
New to both the King County Parks system and the Volunteer Program, Wax Orchard Park is in the heart of Vashon Island. With community we will be hosting our first volunteer event there on Saturday, July 13, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Wax Orchard Park is a 110-acre Vashon property, rich with community events and ecological habitat. The property is home to four miles of forested trails and a large open pasture where the annual Vashon Sheepdog Classic has been held.
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 Saturday, September 7th 9am-11:30am
Renton Park (Renton)
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Temperatures are high, but the water can still be dangerously cold.
Check out some tips on how to safely enjoy open water and rivers.
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Movies at Marymoor's opening night is tonight, July 10!
Get tickets and see the full summer lineup of shows at moviesatmarymoor.com
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Pollinators play a critical role in so many parts of our local ecosystem.
See some of the incredible species you can find in King County Parks and get tips on how you can support your local pollinators.
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