Ravenna Park Projects

You may have noticed the jute netting on the hillsides of the north slope of Ravenna Park. This is part of a contract project by the parks department. Ivy and other invasive plants were removed from the trees and the slopes between 15^th Ave NE and 19^th Ave NE. All of the discarded vegetation was hauled down to the service road and trucked out of the park. Ferns and other native plants were spared. Then the large jute mats were staked in place to prevent soil erosion once the rains began this fall. Most of the dead wood branches that had been on the ground have been placed on top of the mats. Now that the leaves have fallen from the trees the nets nicely blend in and will rot away over the next few years.

In another area of this park and many Seattle parks Green Seattle Partnership volunteers are hard at work. From their website : The Green Seattle Partnership has a vision of a city with diverse, invasive-free, sustainable forested parklands. It is a vision where Seattle's urban forest will be supported by an aware and engaged community in which individuals, neighborhoods, nonprofits, businesses, and City government work together to protect and maintain this resource.

On Saturday December 13, 2008, a group of volunteers will meet at 10:30 for two and a half hours to remove invasive plants and plant native trees and shrubs. Bring gloves and water. Tools are provided. Meet at the north end of the softball field in the southeast part of the park.

You can join Green Seattle Partnership online. I did and I'm planning to be there on the thirteenth.