Hundreds of volunteers will join the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and the City of Issaquah for the Annual Tree Planting Celebration at Confluence Park on Oct. 24, 2015.
The celebration begins at 9 a.m., with half- and full-day shifts available. Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust provides all the tools, plant material, gloves, and project oversight. No experience is necessary.
Volunteers are encouraged to pre-register at mtsgreenway.org/volunteer. Confluence Park is located at 595 Rainier Blvd. N.
"When you plant a native tree you are building the sustainable future of our region," said Jon Hoekstra, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust executive director. "Our Tree Planting Celebration is an incredible opportunity for the whole family to have fun outdoors together and make a positive impact."
We've worked with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust for nearly two decades, with volunteers contributing more than 35,000 hours to restore critical habitats along Issaquah, Tibbetts, and Laughing Jacobs creeks, as well as the shoreline of Lake Sammamish. Confluence Park is our latest joint project.
"Confluence Park is the crown jewel — not only of our city park system, but of the green necklace encircling Issaquah," Mayor Fred Butler said. "Our network of parks, open space and trails is part of what defines our outstanding quality of life. Over the years, as we preserved this land piece by piece, we never lost sight of our goal to create a beautiful park in the heart of our historic downtown. We look forward to sharing Confluence Park with you — and our entire community."
In August 2015, work was completed on a habitat restoration project to help chinook salmon and other species, and give our community more natural space to enjoy.
Now, we’re working with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust to help plant more than 6,000 native trees and shrubs at Confluence Park, in a long-term effort supported by the citizens of Issaquah, King Conservation District, Washington State legislature, Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (through the Salmon Recovery Funding Board), and Carter Subaru as part of their On the Road to Carbon Neutral campaign.
Plantings will help increase native plant diversity, canopy cover and tree regeneration — all of which will benefit native salmon populations.