(WSB photos and video)

From the historic headwaters of Longfellow Creek at Roxhill Bog (above), to the shore of the Duwamish River at T-107 Park (below), hundreds of volunteers spent much of their Saturday taking care of the river and its watershed.

This was the spring edition of the twice-yearly Duwamish Alive! multi-site mega-work party, and it was grander than ever. T-107 was the site of the opening ceremonies, starting with Duwamish Tribe chairperson Cecile Hansen welcoming volunteers and other visitors:

She and other opening speakers talked for about 18 minutes, all of which we recorded on video:

Toward the end, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition leader James Rasmussen spoke of naming anything that you plant – and that is exactly what one of the other speakers, Mayor Jenny Durkan, did minutes later, with Duwamish Valley Youth Corps members, as they prepared to plant a tree:

Rasmussen said that Durkan was the first mayor to participate in a Duwamish Alive! opening ceremony, and that Fred Felleman, a few speakers before her, was the first Seattle Port Commissioner to do so. Their presence – along with new Port executive director Steve Metruck, also in our video – was welcomed by Rasmussen as more signs of a new era of collaboration between the city, the port, and community advocates such as his organization. “This city’s wealth was built on the back of the river … it’s time to start giving back,” Rasmussen said. Shortly afterward, it was time to get to work.

T-107 and Roxhill Bog were two of a dozen sites where volunteers worked today. But it’s far from the only chance to help Seattle’s only river and its watershed – there are many work parties throughout the year (many featured on our Event Calendar), and Duwamish Alive! has an October edition too.