In recent months, open space and parks in the City of Issaquah have benefited from a state program to enhance our natural areas and create jobs.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources’ Urban and Community Forestry Program recently provided crews from Washington Conservation Corps to assist the City in maintaining and restoring urban forests – all at no cost to the City.
Issaquah is one of only three government entities statewide selected to be a host city in this pilot program.
The crew has already devoted more than 1,700 hours improving urban forests and open space in our community since October 2012.
Most of the work focused on improving the Park Pointe open space by removing invasive plants, planting native bushes and trees, and removing debris and trash from the area.
The crew also worked with the City Parks & Recreation Department to plant and prune trees in parks and street landscapes, and pot native tree seedlings to be used in future planting projects.
Washington Conservation Corps members pruned young Amur maple trees along East Lake Sammamish Parkway and flowering pear trees along Highlands Drive Northeast. The crew also planted red maple street trees along Gilman Boulevard and added ornamental trees at Berntsen Park.
The crews are funded through the state jobs bill that was passed by the 2012 Washington State Legislature to create more than 22,000 jobs throughout the state.
Washington Conservation Corps is administered by the Washington State Department of Ecology.