Stalwart volunteers plant natives in a downpour
Nearly 50 volunteers gathered on a wet,stormy, typical spring day in March 2012 to plant 500 native trees, and shrubs along a 1 acre portion of Silver Creek at Alger Community Hall. The effort was just the beginning of a plan to restore the native stream bank to improve habitat for our wildlife population as well to help improve water quality in the Samish watershed. What a wonderful community effort. Skagit County's Natural Resource Stewardship Program (NRSP) cleared out the massive amount of blackberries. Then Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group organized the planting, supplying the plant and more importantly coffee and donuts. Alger Improvement Club members finished the day's events with some wonderful hot soup!! NRSP members will control the blackberry regrowth for 3 years while the native plants become established.
Our own Melissa Thompson gets into the mud for habitat
Friday Creek Habitat Stewards' second phase of the the Silver Creek Restoration Project will include:
• Site preparation and planting the demonstration native plant garden to showcase pairings of native plants, naturescaping techniques, and plants to attract birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. A draft landscaping plan and plant list for this phase of the project has been developed by local landscaper Ani Gurnee (on a volunteer basis). (We hope to have the plans available right here on our website.) The plan was designed to enhance the existing stream restoration project, to support local ecology, and to provide examples of landscaping techniques that can be adopted by homeowners to introduce native flora to their landscape, save water, lower maintenance, reduce pesticides, and support and invite wildlife.
• Pathways to guide visitors and observation areas will be established.
• A series of educational interpretive signs will be designed and installed along the pathways and observation areas to call attention to the stream restoration project, native plant gardens, snags/rockery for wildlife habitat, and more.
Getting this restoration dream accomplished will take community volunteers. We will keep you updated on our progress, so get ready to spend a few hours with you neighbors making Silver Creek cleaner, healthier and Alger Hall just plain prettier.
• Site preparation and planting the demonstration native plant garden to showcase pairings of native plants, naturescaping techniques, and plants to attract birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. A draft landscaping plan and plant list for this phase of the project has been developed by local landscaper Ani Gurnee (on a volunteer basis). (We hope to have the plans available right here on our website.) The plan was designed to enhance the existing stream restoration project, to support local ecology, and to provide examples of landscaping techniques that can be adopted by homeowners to introduce native flora to their landscape, save water, lower maintenance, reduce pesticides, and support and invite wildlife.
• Pathways to guide visitors and observation areas will be established.
• A series of educational interpretive signs will be designed and installed along the pathways and observation areas to call attention to the stream restoration project, native plant gardens, snags/rockery for wildlife habitat, and more.
Getting this restoration dream accomplished will take community volunteers. We will keep you updated on our progress, so get ready to spend a few hours with you neighbors making Silver Creek cleaner, healthier and Alger Hall just plain prettier.