Tree Planting Season Has Begun!
Nearly 300 volunteers joined us last Saturday for our Annual Tree Planting Celebration at Issaquah’s Confluence Park.
Thanks to all their hard work, 1,775 native trees and shrubs were planted along Issaquah Creek.
Check out photos from the Tree Planting Celebration
Want to help plant more trees? The Celebration is the first of many tree planting events this fall. Check out our list of upcoming events.
Trees Play a Big Role at Confluence Park
“Confluence Park is the crown jewel — not only of our city park system, but of the green necklace encircling Issaquah,” said Issaquah Mayor Fred Butler. “Our network of parks, open space and trails is part of what defines our outstanding quality of life.”
Located where Issaquah Creek and its East Fork meet, this scenic park was started more than 20 years ago when the City began acquiring land along the confluence, combining Margaret’s Meadow and Cybil-Madeline Park with the Tollë Anderson Homestead to create the now 15.5-acre Confluence Park. The park includes a picnic shelter, play area, community garden, restrooms, and various trails. Future development will add a bridge, creek view trails, playground, and parking area.
This summer, the City of Issaquah broke ground on a massive ecological restoration project at Confluence Park. The project will restore aquatic and riparian wildlife habitat, including naturally meandering curves, install large woody debris, and replace invasive weeds with native plants.
The Greenway Trust is teaming up with the City this fall to help plant more than 6,000 native trees and shrubs at Confluence Park, in a long-term effort supported by the citizens of Issaquah, King Conservation District, Washington State legislature, Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (through the Salmon Recovery Funding Board), and Carter Subaru as part of their On the Road to Carbon Neutral campaign. Plantings will help increase native plant diversity, canopy cover, and tree regeneration, all of which will benefit native salmon populations.
In the decades ahead, this open space will only grow in importance as Issaquah’s business district transforms into a vibrant urban center. As the business district evolves into a dense neighborhood, more local residents will be able to connect with their natural environment at Confluence Park.
The Greenway Trust has been partnering with the City of Issaquah for nearly two decades, with volunteers contributing more than 35,000 hours to restore critical habitats along Issaquah, Tibbetts, and Laughing Jacobs creeks as well as the shoreline of Lake Sammamish. Confluence Park is the latest project.
Upcoming Tree Planting Events
Last Saturday’s Tree Planting Celebration was the start of many tree planting projects throughout the Greenway this fall. Tree planting events are excellent for individuals, families, groups, and work teams. The Greenway Trust provides all the tools, plant material, gloves, and project oversight – no experience necessary.
