Come out to volunteer your time and energy for the Duwamish Alive project helping restore the Duwamish River’s shoreline habitat. We’ll help Forterra kick off this year’s planting season with the fall edition of Duwamish Alive! in Tukwila. Every fall, they host a special planting party and celebration of the Duwamish River. This year will be the 10th annual event and they plan to make it the best one yet! Join your NFA friends, meet new ones, and lend a hand in the great outdoor environment we all enjoy. We’ll meet at 9:00 for a morning drink and pastry at a nearby Starbucks, 13038 Interurban Ave S. The project site is along the River Trail in Tukwila, and the work is to plant native trees and shrubs, spread mulch, and restore habitat to a more natural condition. By volunteering together, we get better acquainted with other NFA members who are interesting and involved people. Our volunteered time will also help rejuvenate this site, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and enhance a lasting community legacy for years to come. This volunteer event on October 17, starts at 10:00 and ends about 1:00. This is possibly the last NFA conservation outing for the year. 

OUTING REPORT

Thanks to the eight NFA members who came out to volunteer both time and energy for the October planting outing, helping to restore the Cedar River’s shoreline habitat. Helen and Dana Bottcher, Brett and Connie Schormann, charter member Jerry Bronson, Ron Takemura, Wytold Lebing and me Tom Beaulaurier, helped Forterra kick off this year’s planting season on October 24. We were joined by a group of 15 Girl Scouts with several moms plus other individual volunteers. Together we planted over 600 new trees! The Cedar River usually provides a goodoutdoor experience, despite being next to the busy Maple Valley Highway and near the city of Renton. On this day we spotted a few spawning salmon on their redds, at least one bald eagle and a large buck deer. There was one moment when the wind blew for the first time through the trees causing a lot of leaves to fall together in a dramatic shower that got everyone’s attention, and then it ended just as suddenly. Our volunteered time certainly helped rejuvenate this site. If you joined the club to meet new fishing people and learn about river access along the Thanks to the eight NFA members who came out to volunteer both time and energy for the October planting outing, helping to restore the Cedar River’s shoreline habitat. Helen and Dana Bottcher, Brett and Connie Schormann, charter member Jerry Bronson, Ron Takemura, Wytold Lebing and me Tom Beaulaurier, helped Forterra kick off this year’s planting season on October 24. We were joined by a group of 15 Girl Scouts with several moms plus other individual volunteers. Together we planted over 600 new trees! The Cedar River usually provides a good outdoor experience, despite being next to the busy Maple Valley Highway and near the city of Renton. On this day we spotted a few spawning salmon on their redds, at least one bald eagle and a large buck deer. There was one moment when the wind blew for the first time through the trees causing a lot of leaves to fall together in a dramatic shower that got everyone’s attention, and then it ended just as suddenly. Our volunteered time certainly helped rejuvenate this site. If you joined the club to meet new fishing people and learn about river access along the Cedar, this was a great way to do that. Once again, we had the choice to hear Nora, my favorite naturalist from the Salmon Journey program, give a great orientation about the river and it’s salmon and how they have been pushed around by unwitting large developments over several decades. There used to be large runs of pink and chum salmon here. Now there are sockeye, a few coho and king salmon. How did that happen? Where is the Black River?