Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

With Earth Day coming up later this month, opportunities for “doing good” for the environment abound. One day when you have multiple opportunities and multiple sites to choose from is Saturday, April 16th – the annual Duwamish Alive! restoration/cleanup event.

We wanted to spotlight some of the sites that will get TLC that day. For starters, Cari Simson of Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC), whose “role is to educate
the public about the Superfund cleanup site,” talked with us about their Duwamish Alive! site at T-107 Park along West Marginal Way on the east edge of West Seattle.

Cari starts with some history, pointing out that ten thousand years ago, and through the late 1800s, the Duwamish River was a tribal site rich with natural resources and lined with longhouses. Today however, the Duwamish River we know is lined with industry and refuse and the water carries a load of toxins into Elliott Bay and Puget Sound daily. The Duwamish River was designated as a Superfund site in 2001 and efforts to clean the river will be ongoing for decades to come.

The Duwamish Alive! event is a joint effort between non-profit organizations, government offices, the Port of Seattle, and the public, raising awareness about the river in two ways: First, it’s important for newcomers to understand that eating fish or crab from the river to can be extremely dangerous. “This is a driving force behind why we want to clean up the river,” says Cari.

Second, it’s important to see the efforts that are being made to restore healthy fish and wildlife habitats to the river so the public can use restored park sites for fun and gatherings.

Cari points out the remains of an eroded foundation that was part of a brick factory next to the water. Prior to April 16, The Port of Seattle will come in and remove what’s left of the foundation, grade the site and create a “hand-carried boat” launch area.

On Duwamish Alive! day, restoration efforts here will include removing goose-fences, and adding plants and cedar trees, “It will be cool to have a cedar canopy to walk through when bringing kayaks and canoes to launch” says Cari; and the dedication of a memorial bench in honor of the late Ken Wise, a longtime West Seattleite and member of The Rotary Club of West Seattle.

A Northwest native strip-cedar canoe, the “Blue Heron,” will be launched from the site to officially dedicate the new beach. Greg Whittaker from Alki Kayak Tours will also be there with his hand-carried boats “to show the past and present” of boating.

From 10 am to 1 pm, efforts will focus on clean-up and planting, from 1-2 pm the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place, “then food at 2:00!” Cari adds.

She continues, (the Duwamish River) “is a place people should be able to come and load kayaks and get involved. We clean up because we need the fish to be safe to eat and the animals and people need to be safe” (from pollution.) “This is the spirit of the Duwamish, it’s got problems, but people are resourceful enough to make it better for people and wildlife.”

Multiple sites throughout West Seattle and South Seattle will be getting mulched, weeded, planted and cleaned on April 16 and volunteers are still needed! You can sign up for your site of choice on Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition’s website.

If you plan to attend the T-107 site cleanup, note that there are only a few parking spaces at the park itself and there is no street parking on West Marginal Way. Carpooling is encouraged, and you may have to walk to the site from a more distant parking spot. Go here to see the list of sites and to RSVP.