Recently, a great group of volunteers gathered at the Union Bay Natural Area, also known as Yesler Swamp, located near the Center for Urban Horticulture and bordered by NE 41st Street and Surber Drive.
Over 30 volunteers removed invasive blackberry bushes and planted native trees, on Martin Luther King Day of Service.
The UW Horticulture website said about the event:
Volunteers heled to restore valuable habitat for wildlife and helped to reclaim space and resources from invasive weeds that have taken over the capped landfill and plant native vegetation. In total, volunteers helped to remove over 300 pounds of invasive Himalayan Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus, and plant over 50 native plants including 15 conifer trees that will grow to provide habitat and help shade out the aggressive invasive species.
UBNA is a small patch of wilderness among a sea of urban development. It was not always a natural area dedicated to the conservation of birds, plants and various wildlife. For over 40 years, the area UBNA now occupies was a municipal landfill known as the Montlake dump. And underneath the mounds of toxic trash was a previously thriving wetland habitat.
Unaware of the importance of wetlands for biodiversity, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and flood mitigation, the public was encouraged to dispose of all kinds of waste directly on top of the marsh vegetation.
After public outcry over the toxic gasses being released into the air from the waste, the landfill was closed and capped starting in 1966. There was subsequent debate over the best use of this open area, until the University Arboretum Committee proposed to use this area as living laboratory for ecological restoration. Since then many habitat restoration projects have been carried out by students and faculty from UW.
Friends of Yesler Swamp and the UW Botanic Gardens have been working together for over a decade to restore the native plants of Yesler Swamp, located near the Center for Urban Horticulture and bordered by NE 41st Street and Surber Drive, as well as construct a handicapped-accessible natural wetland trail, which also serves to protect and conserve swamp wildlife and minimize human impact on the wetlands. The boardwalk was completed on October 16th of last year with a celebration.
Friends of Yesler Swamp has published a variety of posts regarding the history of Yesler Swamp, including history of the area from settlement, sawmill, town of Yesler, historic photos, videos, source notes and more, on their website.
The Seattle City Council approved a Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund award of $88,887 to restore Yesler Swamp and help with the cost of construction of the boardwalk. And the King Conservation District provided a $31,940 grant for construction of a Viewing Platform and more.
Friends of Yesler Swamp said on their website that the trail "offers views of the wetlands, the beaver lodge and the lagoon, while protecting wildlife by directing human foot traffic away from these sensitive areas.
Go here for more information.
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