Recreation Northwest has a longstanding relationship with REI Bellingham. They have been leading sponsors in our events over the years, including Bellingham Traverse, Olympia Traverse, Recreation Northwest EXPO, and Washington State Outdoor Recreation SUMMIT. Last Friday, we entered new territory in our partnership with the local store and employees, thanks to Peter Theisen for reaching out and putting this day together. Ten REI Bellingham staff came out for a day of community service in the City of Bellingham’s Hundred Acre Wood. 

After a tour of our newly opened Hundred Acre Wood Outdoor Classroom by yours truly, we gathered in our amphitheater to have a sample Parkscriptions experience with our Director of Programs, Elizabeth Nelson. Elizabeth led the group through brief nature immersion exercises similar to what we do with students from Options High School and more recently with the Bellingham Family Partnership Program. 

After Elizabeth’s demonstration, when we returned from lunch, it was time to learn about the native plants in the area and that we’d be putting in the ground from Sky Bressette, Parks Volunteer Program Restoration Educator with Bellingham Parks Volunteer Program. 

Standing under the mossy tree, Sky introduces a Western sword fern to the group covering the characteristics for identification,  reflecting on the habitat ecology, and referencing the ethnobotany outlining the traditional uses by Coast Salish peoples. 

Winding through our Native Plant Garden Sky points out the grove of Snowberry that we planted in 2017 as part of Phase Two of our Fairhaven Park Wetland Boardwalk and Trail project. We are about to pass through the Garden Gate and bound through the new Adventure Rock Trail into our Amphitheater. 

Back on stage, Sky continues the native plant review as we look at what we’re about to put in the soggy ground. The plant list included: Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Western red cedar, Pacific ninebark, Pacific crabapple, Osoberry, Vine maple, Serviceberry, Douglas fir. We had a total of 30 plants to get in the ground and mulched! 

The first task was to spread the decomposed compost piles that had been “curing” for the past two years. It was primarily English holly that had been removed as an invasive species in the surrounding area. 

Many hands make light work. 

Sky provides direction for digging and planting the native plants that came from Bellingham Parks nursery. We tagged the plants with green survey tape so we can monitor their growth over the years to come to make sure they survive. 

We like to have fun while we work. REI Bellingham staff volunteer dragging a sled full of trees down the path. 

We have a burly weed wrench to pull up the root balls of the invasives we aim to remove. Below, Peter goes after an Common (English) hawthorn stump. We marked the invasives with red survey tape to know which stumps to get out and future trees to tackle. 

Mulch brigade! 

Happy faces make for happy plants! 

Teamwork makes the dreamwork

Some people self identified as those who wanted to get out and attack the invasives! These two took their task seriously in the field of spikey hawthorns. 

After a full half-day,  we got together for a final enthusiastic REI Bellingham volunteers group photo! 

We appreciated the effort and energy that the staff shared with us for the day. We also thank Sky for sharing his knowledge and showing off the Parks Volunteer Program. As we work together as a community, we can learn, laugh, and make a difference.