Celebrating the Accomplishments of Our 2021 Seasonal Crew and AmeriCorps Members

It’s hard to believe that another year has passed, and it’s already time to say a giant thank you to our seasonal crew and AmeriCorps members for all they’ve accomplished across the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area over the past season! This year, we had eight individuals on our restoration crew, five on our trail crew, and two AmeriCorps members.

While the Coronavirus pandemic continues to affect many aspects of life, this team has showed great resiliency and adaptability. They show up every day, rain or shine, in order to carry out the important on-the-ground work that is so essential to the Greenway NHA landscape. From trail maintenance, to removing invasive weeds, to planting trees, leading educational programming, and so much more — we appreciate all that they’ve accomplished and have included just a few highlights and photos below!

Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Trail Crew Accomplishments

• In total, trail crew members completed 42 miles of trail maintenance across the Greenway NHA landscape from busy front-country trails like Little Si and Poo Poo Point, to back-country trails in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley such as Dutch Miller Gap.
• They moved literal tons of rock to build retention walls and steps.
• They installed a new 32′ puncheon bridge on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail and completed significant trail maintenance alongside Washington Trails Association, US Forest Service, and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance in preparation for its reopening.
• They helped bring the Salmon la Sac kiosk to completion.

[sp_wpcarousel id=”650403″]

Greenway Trust Restoration Crew Accomplishments

• Collectively, our restoration crew worked on more than 450 acres across the Greenway NHA.
• The team planted 16,500 native plants, 7,000 of which were trees.
• They worked on 40+ different projects with 15 different public land managers!
• Project highlights included:
  • Breaking ground on eight acres of riparian restoration on the Cedar River at Belmondo Open Space
  • Adding five new acres of wetland buffer along Meadowbrook Slough at Three Forks Natural Area
  • Collecting wetland data across Issaquah
  • Continuing comprehensive weed control at Snoqualmie Pass as part of the wildlife crossings project
  • Tackling knotweed along the entire length of Issaquah Creek and the Raging River
  • And taking on several new projects with King County Healthy Lands Project to control holly and other problematic trees across Cougar Mountain within newly acquired parcels

[sp_wpcarousel id=”650407″]

AmeriCorps Service Member Accomplishments

• Our two AmeriCorps members played a major role in planning and implementing the Greenway Trust’s newest youth program, Equitable Green Opportunities for Youth in Highline.
• They also helped with programming for the award-winning Clean Water Ambassadors program in partnership with King County Wastewater Division.
• They led volunteer events at our native plant nursery and other locations in the Greenway NHA.
• They assisted with a number of other projects in partnership with Greenway Trust team members, including:
  • Developing content for future interpretive signage at Oxbow Loop in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources
  • Writing blog posts
  • Collecting and maintaining recreation use data at popular sites in the Middle Fork Valley
  • And more!
• They teamed up with our restoration and trail crew on many occasions throughout the season!
• They taught  virtual Forests and Fins lessons to hundreds of students.
• They wrote a 10-minute talk for future volunteer events at the YMCA’s Camp Terry about salmon conservation and the Raging River.
• They co-presented with our Education Program Manager at two conferences — North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and E3 Washington.

[sp_wpcarousel id=”650417″]

Thanks to our amazing crews and AmeriCorps members for another great season and for making the most out of what 2021 had to offer! To learn more about other accomplishments throughout the Greenway this year, check out our Parade of Accomplishments from our 2021 Annual Dinner.

Interested in joining our team? We’ll be hiring soon for next year’s seasonal positions. Keep an eye on our careers page!