Planting Trees and Creating Healthier Habitats at Lake Sammamish State Park
From planting trees and weeding non-native plants to nurturing yearling trees and shrubs, habitat restoration is an ongoing effort that involves many hands and long-term stewardship. Planting native trees is one part of our decades-long habitat restoration process that has a lasting impact.
Why do we plant trees? More trees create canopies that shade creeks, cool water for salmon, lessen the impacts of summer heat in urban areas, improve air and water quality, reduce erosion, and boost climate resiliency. Plus, it’s a fun and meaningful way to give back to your community!
For over 20 years, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, partners, and volunteers have been restoring important salmon habitats at Lake Sammamish State Park. At this year’s Annual Tree Planting Celebration, volunteers will have the unique opportunity to help us complete our goal of planting 10,000 trees and shrubs along Issaquah Creek, building on these collective efforts and creating healthier habitats and communities for the future.
Greenway Volunteer Spotlight: Ian Levasseur
This month, we are excited to highlight Ian Levasseur and why restoring habitats for native plants, wildlife, and future generations through long-term stewardship is meaningful to him.
From a young age, Ian has felt a strong connection to trees, specifically conifers. In June 2025, he started volunteering with the Greenway Trust because he wanted to not only plant trees but also directly support healthier ecosystems that benefit native plants, salmon, rodents, birds, shrubs, and humans. Since then, he has been an active steward of habitats at Lake Sammamish State Park.
Q: This year, you’ve spent many hours restoring habitats and planting trees at Lake Sammamish State Park! What inspires you to volunteer at this site, and why is this work meaningful to you?
A: State Parks are wonderful places to recreate, but they also take effort from the community to maintain. Getting to contribute to Lake Sammamish State Park’s ecosystem and seeing the benefits of our labor over time is a privilege for me.
Q: Can you share a memorable moment or highlight from your volunteering experience?
A: One of the most memorable moments from volunteering was during the biggest project that the Greenway Trust contributed to last year—the restoration of the waterways of Issaquah Creek. At the Tree Planting Celebration, Diana Dupuis, the WA State Parks Director, gave a moving speech and recited the quote, “Blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit.”
I remember tearing up as I reflected on how the efforts of those who came before us and those who will come after us are connected by a shared hope for a brighter future for all living beings.
Image: Volunteers plant trees along Issaquah Creek during the 2025 Tree Planting Celebration, supporting the in-stream restoration project.
Q: What is one thing you’ve learned through volunteering about the environment, history, or heritage within the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area that you didn’t know before?
A: The Greenway Trust staff are always so fun and encouraging to talk with. Last year, I was chatting with a staff member about the importance of salmon, and that’s when it really sunk in for me how important salmon are. I remember this staff member telling me about a paper she read on how immensely important salmon are for forest health, even benefiting organisms that don’t directly interact with them, like songbirds!
Q: Has volunteering strengthened your personal connection to nature and the Greenway? If yes, how so?
A: Most definitely. Being devoted to a single piece of land over time through volunteering, alongside a community of others who are also committed to supporting it, is deeply encouraging. Nature has always been something very special to me, but volunteering has also shown me the diversity of ways that people experience and connect with it. To witness other people’s unique interactions with nature fills me with profound gratitude, which has deepened my own connection to it.
Q: What is your favorite place or way to stay connected to the Greenway?
A: My favorite way to stay connected to the Greenway is hiking, and for me, the best hike in the Greenway is Chair Peak Lake. Hiking through Snow Lake to Gem Lake and arriving at Chair Peak Lake is a true honor. I always feel so safe and peaceful there. It’s like Kaleetan Peak’s enormous perpetual shadow is a refuge for Chair Peak Lake and all who visit it.
Image: Ian pictured at Chair Peak Lake, with Kaleetan Peak in the background.
Q: What advice or encouragement would you give to someone interested in volunteering with the Greenway Trust?
A: People volunteer for all sorts of different motivations, but for me, the Greenway Trust enables us to steward the land we call home, which is a great privilege. Beyond the ecological impact, I think the Greenway Trust does a great job bringing people together who are curious, kind, passionate, and inclusive. There is truly a place for everyone here, whether that is trail, restoration, or education work. My encouragement is to jump in! You will experience impactful volunteering and find a great community of people who care about the land and each other.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Greenway Trust community?
A: Keep up the great work, everyone, and thank you to all those who make the Greenway Trust the place it is.
You can be part of the continued transformation of Issaquah Creek and Lake Sammamish State Park by volunteering with us at an upcoming event! Come join us to plant trees, restore urban forests, and improve wildlife habitats at our Tree Planting Celebration on Saturday, October 10, 2026. Together, we can make a difference!
Also, sign up for our newsletter to hear about upcoming volunteer events and learn how you can make a difference by restoring habitats across the Greenway NHA.
