DBP
Thanks for the correction and additional info, Tracy!
And thanks for the comment, kootch. Somehow I knew you would chime in on this. And I wholeheartedly agree with you. This project combines private and public money in a way that creates the maximum value for the people of Seattle.
The young adults working on this project really impress me. They do not goof around; they work hard and they interact with the public courteously. After we had done our introductions and Jacobo explained the program to me, one of the crew members approached me confidently and said: “Do you know about any job openings?”
If I’d had a job to offer, I would’ve hired that person on the spot.
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On the “nature” aspect of this thing, I’m not a specialist by any means, but as far as I can tell, the work is being directed by restoration experts who really know what they’re doing.
¶ Ivy and other invasive species are being removed and replaced with natives.
¶ “Snags” (tall tree stumps) are being left in place for animals to live in and feed off.
¶ Riparian areas are being properly managed.
¶ Small meadows are being cleared to encourage species diversity.
And it’s all being done in such a naturalistic way that after a few minutes of hiking you can easily imagine yourself to be “lost in the wilderness,” far from civilization.
I encourage all West Seattleites to explore this new gem of a trail system sometime this summer. In an upcoming post, I’ll show you a couple of ways to get onto the trail.
For now, some more links.
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Here’s a somewhat dated overview of the project from Seattle Parks:
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/proparks/projects/wDuwamish.htm
A recent feature on YGC and Ms. Saroeut Ouk (pictured above) from the Northwest Asian Weekly:
http://tinyurl.com/nw-asian-weekly-ygc
A downloadable PDF on Youth Green Corps and what they do:
http://clerk.seattle.gov/~public/meetingrecords/2011/parks20111215_1.pdf
A link from the Nature Consortium (not Conservancy!) about the project:
http://www.naturec.org/forest-restoration/forest-restoration/