2024 Good Energy with Phillips 66 Ferndale - Recreation Northwest Trails Coalition

Back at it again! Our annual crew from Phillips 66 Ferndale came out for the fourth year in a row to work on their Good Energy day of community service. They continue to support our work in the Hundred Acre Wood. In 2019, they supported our work and we celebrated with Fairhaven Park Native Plant Garden: Phillips 66 Bench Installed! in 2020. During Spring of 2021, Phillips 66 employee volunteers helped eradicate an area of invasive blackberries, clearing out a substantial portion of space at the intersection of our two trails that is now our Amphitheater. Also, with this group, we began composting on site- instead of hauling away the invasive plants. In 2022, they hosted their second Good Energy with Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery in Fairhaven Park. Last year, was their Third Annual Good Energy Day.

Whew. Well this year we had a nice nimble crew out to continue the tradition of helping steward our area that has come to be known as the Hundred Acre Wood Outdoor Classroom. We kick off each work party with lunch an update on our progress in the past year.

Next up, Ryan Robie, Parks Volunteer Program Coordinator, City of Bellingham – Parks and Recreation engages with the crew as we learn about the native plants we are caring for and the invasive species we set out to remove.

Then it’s on down to the 18th Street Trailhead for Tool Talk with Ryan. Safety First!

The group was going to break up into two dedicated teams. One to tackle the blackberries and other invasives at the trail head up to the classroom. The second team would take care of the Native Plant Garden where the park bench sits with their name on it!

The Crew for the 2024 Good Energy Work Party!

These guys have been coming back year after year and really know how to get down to business!

The process starts with a pair of clippers to get the vines out of the way.

The root balls are dug up one by one. Each one is a victory!

Some of the blackberry root balls need to be completely dug out with a shovel. Others, in the wetlands, may be pulled up by hand.

It is a moment of pride when you catch a big one!

Once we get through the mess, we often find some leftovers…

This Rainier can has been around long enough to have sprouted a head of moss! Below: photo credit Ryan Robie.

Ryan and the dynamic-duo on the Native Plant Garden team. More blackberry root balls held up with a sense of satisfaction. I guess Mick Jagger has never pulled weeds.

The Native Plant Garden team after doing a great job of cleaning up the area. It is delicate work and it was fun to hear the learning and excitement around plant identification to care for the space.

We had a fun and productive work party with our friends from Phillips 66 Ferndale, supported by Ryan Robie and Bellingham Parks & Recreation. The Group Photo under the pavilion to cap it all off.