These are some of the projects volunteers have worked on in the past.  Because restoration areas need many years of nurturing before they are once again able to sustain themselves, we will likely revisit a number of these in the near future.

Pickering Creek, Lake Sammamish State Park (Issaquah): In the fall of 2007, volunteers planted over 3,000 trees in the wetland area and along the creek on near the entrance to the park.  With new culverts installed, the plan is to restore this creek to a healthy state, and it could eventually support a fall salmon run.

Mt. Si Trailhead (North Bend): Over the years, volunteers have done continual upkeep on this popular trailhead that leads to the top of Mt. Si.

SE 53rd Open Space: This lovely trail winds through a large forested area in the southern end of Mercer Island.  Greenway crew members built most of the trail and the past few years, volunteers made sure that the trail is draining properly as well as putting on some finishing touches.

Tiger Mountain - West Tiger 3 Trail:  This is the most used trail to the top of Tiger Mountain and was in need of major repairs.  Greenway crews received help from numerous volunteers to get this trail up to snuff for the summer.  Volunteers built rock headwalls for culverts, cobble swales in ditches to slow storm water run-off, and re-vegetated disturbed areas.

Mid Fork Trail: Volunteers graveled and cleaned ditches on this more remote trail to help hikers and mountain bikers stay dry.

Highlighted Past Project: Ribary Creek at Tollgate Farm in North Bend
See Photos of a Ribary Creek Tree Planting Project
Ribary Creek passes through the historic Tollgate Farm which lies in the fertile valley floor between North Bend and Snoqualmie. Historically the farm was the western toll collection site for the Snoqualmie Pass Wagon Road in the 1880s, and later became a dairy farm. Today it is a natural area and working farm (some of the land continues to be leased for cattle grazing). Tollgate was acquired by the public in 2001 by the City of North Bend and King County with assistance from he Trust for Public Land.

Tollgate provides a natural buffer between its neighboring towns and helps retain the rural character of the Upper Snoqualmie Valley. Equally important, it serves as a wildlife corridor for large animals such as elk and deer traveling between Rattlesnake Mountain and Mt. Si. It is also home to a host of other wildlife and birds including pleated woodpecker, wood duck, river otter and muskrat.

While many species already use the area, the creek itself is in need of improvements. The City of North Bend and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust initiated the first phase of a restoration effort along the creek in the summer and fall of 2006. Volunteers planted over 5000 native trees and shrubs to provide food and shelter to wildlife, and shade the creek and reduce erosion for improved water quality.  Funding comes from the King County Rural Community Partnership Program and the King Conservation District.

Ongoing streamside restoration efforts will include removing aggressive, non-native weeds including blackberry and knotweed that would otherwise crowd out the beneficial native plants. These first few years of maintenance are critical.  In time, as the native trees grow bigger and stronger, their shade will prevent new invaders from taking over.