Getting Things Done in the Greenway

A ten-member team from the AmeriCorps National Community Civilian Corps (NCCC) is in the Seattle area this fall and winter to support ecological restoration and trail maintenance efforts of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. In November, they traveled to Kittitas County to help restore a floodplain in Ellensburg. As the year draws to a close, they will be in Maple Valley and surrounding areas planting trees and restoring natural areas.

The team is also participating in a variety of projects including trail construction, drainage ditching, removal of invasive species, and more. From the local Cascade Mountain foothills to the rivers, creeks, and wetlands in the area’s valleys, these projects take NCCC crews to a number of state and municipal parks within the Mountains to Sound Greenway. Through these efforts, the team hopes to reconnect communities to the natural beauty and splendor of their surrounding environment.

In 1990, a diverse group of stakeholders came together with a common vision. The Mountains to Sound Greenway connects natural areas, trails, working farms and forests, historic towns and communities, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains to Central Washington. The Greenway provides easy access to recreation and nature for millions of people in the Northwest, key to the quality of life in this region.

The NCCC team is excited to begin this important and far-reaching project. “I am excited to work with the Mountains to Sound Greenway because it will provide amazing challenges for my team. These projects will provide many beautiful insights into what Washington has to offer,” says Maggie Naffzigger, NCCC Team Leader.

Tor Bell, Mountains to Sound Greenway’s Restoration Program Manager, echoes Naffzigger’s sentiments. “Our ongoing partnership with NCCC is really valuable,” he says. “These crews have spent countless hours supporting cities and partner organizations in the Greenway.”