(EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re one of many small local-news organizations that work with the student journalists of the UW News Lab. One assignment we offered this quarter: “Go tell the story of what the West Seattle-based Nature Consortium is up to in the West Duwamish Greenbelt.” The following video/photos/story comprise the result. P.S. You can see the greenbelt for yourself tomorrow afternoon, 1 pm, in the NC’s next free monthly eco-hike – RSVP to lisa@naturec.org)

Story, video and photos by Sara N. Reardon
University of Washington News Lab
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Early on a recent Thursday morning, a score of middle-school students, retirees, office workers and court-ordered volunteers gathered on an unobtrusive corner in residential eastern West Seattle. Armed with shovels, work gloves and plenty of bug spray, they ventured into the forest on a quest to annihilate the spiny blackberry bushes and other plant species that have invaded the West Duwamish Greenbelt and to replace them with native species.

“It’s been kind of fun, it’s a good opportunity,” said Sarah Hart (above left), a middle school student with the Summer of Service program, one of many organizations that are getting youth involved in environmental issues through participation in the Nature Consortium’s restoration project.

“The sheer number of people coming out to work has snowballed in the past couple of years,” said Nancy Whitlock, Nature Consortium executive director. “It’s amazing how many groups come knock on our door wanting to work for us.”

Six days a week, anywhere from one lonely participant to more than 400 volunteers (last Earth Day) are out pulling out invasive plant species, picking up trash and planting native plants to repopulate the area. “Sometimes it’s like wrangling kittens,” said restoration director Mark “Buphalo” Tomkiewicz.

While they work, volunteers are often treated to live music from local artists hired by the Nature Consortium who perform right at the worksite. “The organization’s mission is to connect art with nature,” says Whitlock.

Since the restoration program’s inception in 2003, thousands of volunteers have managed to transform what used to be a haven for trash-dumpers and law-breakers into a destination for dog-walkers and lunch-breakers. “Our presence here polices the area,” says Tomkiewicz. “Eventually, this is going to be one of Seattle’s trophy parks.”

They’ve still got a long way to go, however: With more than 500 acres to cover and $10,000 required each season for the plants they need, restoration of the entire area is no easy task. Not to mention the fact that it will take 200 years for the conifers they plant to fully repopulate the area.

Tomkiewicz, for one, is OK with that. “This is real seventh-generation thinking,” he says. “The project can be successful, but we’ll never be able to walk away from this.

“Even if all our plants die, as long as people remember something, our goal of connecting people to nature is still met. … The really cool part is when people leave here and go off and start their own restoration projects.”

One of the program’s objectives has been to get more people of color and youth excited about working in nature and empower them to lead others in environmental outreach projects.

“Your relationship with nature is based on the nature that was most immediate around you,” says Tomkiewicz. In the most-urbanized areas, especially among people who rarely travel outside the city, parks in low-income areas are often thought of as being crime centers. “That’s the perception that gets applied to all parks. So further down the line, when you’re of voting age, why would you want to save them?”

The difference between the restoration project and outdoor opportunities such as summer camps, says Tomkiewicz, is that it’s easy for youth to be overwhelmed in a beautiful place like Mount Rainier and fail to recognize the nature that’s in their own backyards.

The greenbelt work sites are purposely positioned on Metro bus routes to be easily accessible to anyone who wants to participate. On any given day, volunteers have the opportunity to work beside and interact with others from a multitude of backgrounds.

“It’s a good mix of people,” said Chris, a tattoo artist who volunteers as part of court-ordered community service, adding that working on the project wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. “It seems like a good thing to do, I’ll probably keep coming out once a month or so.”

EDITOR’S REMINDER: 1 pm tomorrow (Friday 7/23), you’re invited to the Nature Consortium’s next eco-hike (meet @ 14th/Holly). And you are invited to almost all their work parties – usually listed at greenseattle.org.

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(Sara Reardon is a student journalist from the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.)