FALLing Into Planting Season
Along with the autumn colors, the Mountains to Sound Greenway has also transitioned into a new season. For the entire month of October, we have been celebrating the beginning of the tree planting season and our partnership with Carter Subaru. While we were unable to host our typical large tree planting celebration event due to the ongoing pandemic, we instead held multiple opportunities this month for smaller groups to engage in one collective action—planting the 225,000th tree with Carter Subaru!
Our partnership with the dealership began back in 2008 with their On the Road to Carbon Neutral program. As part of this, Carter Subaru makes a donation to the Greenway Trust to plant one tree every time someone test drives a car. On top of this, with every purchase of a car, they will make an additional donation to plant three more trees. With Carter Subaru’s support, we have been able to continue restoration work at sites throughout the Greenway.
In the past, our kick-off event celebrating the planting season could host up to 300 people! However, this year we have hosted smaller events throughout the month to celebrate while continuing our tree planting efforts. Carter Subaru joined us for two of these events. At the first, we planted trees at Park Pointe, and at the other we potted up western red cedars in our native plant nursery alongside a group from AAA. During these events, they were able to plant 117 native trees and shrubs and pot 300 cedars!
This month the Greenway has also supported public events for individual community members and families to join in the planting effort. On the 16th, we hosted Green Snoqualmie Day at Meadowbrook Slough and volunteers were able to plant 360 trees and shrubs, and this past weekend an additional 150 trees and shrubs were planted at Luther Burbank Park as part of the City of Mercer Island’s Arbor Day. In total, this month we have planted 627 native trees and shrubs with the help of 97 volunteers, and the month isn’t over yet! To wrap up the celebration, this weekend the Greenway is supporting the City of North Bend’s Arbor Day and Green Burien Day at Salmon Creek Ravine. Planting events like these are a great, tangible way for volunteers to connect with the landscapes around us and see the positive effects of our restoration work throughout the Greenway. That’s part of what makes this month so special and fun!
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