Why do Restoration

All about restoration!

Over time, certain species of plants (and animals) have been introduced to areas where they did not evolve naturally. This can happen due to a variety of reasons, most often because of humans. Sometimes an introduced plant species will out-compete the native vegetation. These plants have certain traits, which without their native competition and environment will reproduce or grow more quickly, making them invasive and allowing them to push out native vegetation.

While this may seem like survival of the fittest, invasive plant species can have major effects on the environment and the economy. For example, some invasive species absorb too many nutrients in the soil, leaving little for other plants. They can also serve as sources of insect infestations and plant illnesses. In some cases, an invasive plant has overtaken an area so much it becomes the only plant species present, sometimes called a monoculture desert which hinders biodiversity. Biodiversity enhances the functions that organisms provide to an ecosystem (ecosystem services), making the overall ecosystem happier and healthier.

Our overall goal in doing habitat restoration is to return an area to a more natural state, increasing biodiversity and providing good habitat for insects and wildlife. However, the process of restoration is both time consuming and labor intensive. Restoration has four phases, the first phase is removing invasive plant species. This is usually done through mechanical, such as digging out the root of the plant, or chemical means. The next phase is planting a wide variety of native plants that are well suited for the habitat are installed. Often restoration ecologist will look at historic records to determine what grouping of plants in the past flourished in the area and try to replicate that environment again if possible. After phase one and two are done, cardboard and mulch are laid out for weed suppression and moisture retention.

Phase three is monitoring, and phase four is maintenance. These are done over the next few years. The site will be monitored for invasive re-growth and plant mortality, and adjustments to the are made to maintain native progress. In time, the native plants will become well established, and because they are suited well for the environment the entire system will be self-sustaining. Eventually the area will become a beautiful diverse habitat perfect for all the local inhabitants.

Random Things

In case anyone is interested all our native plants are coming from Furney's Nursery in Des Moines.  All the plants are beautiful and super health.

Also if anyone once lived in the neighborhood that our site is in, or if you know someone that did, we would love to hear from you or even see pictures of what the site use to look like.  Please email us at seatacstewards@gmail.com.

October Update

All restoration work for the month of October has come to an end, and it was a busy month.  A good portion of the half acre is now clear and beginning to be planted.  We are still grubbing some nasty English ivy in our Snowberry thicket but it will hopefully be conquered in November.

A big thanks to the students of Highline Big Picture High School in Burien.  The students have been coming out during the week to weed and mulch and it has been a gigantic help.  Community volunteers are what makes these projects successful and theses students have made a great difference.

On Saturday October 18th we began the process of planting natives within the restoration.  134 plants were planted in total.  A big thanks to City of SeaTac's Parks Department for helping us move plants to the site and then off again.  More plants will be going in on November 1st.  If you or someone you know wishes to assist with the planting please contact the Stewards at seatacstewards@gmail.com.

The above picture shows a clearing that up until last week was full of blackberry brambles.

Kinninnick and Salal plantings/

Entrance to the foot trail on the North end of the site.  Plantings here include Red flowering Currant, Mock Orange, Kinninnick, Salal, and Western Red Cedar.

Entrance to Northern foot trail.

Newly planted Thimbleberry, Salal, and Kinninnick amongst the Snowberry thicket.

Small Introduction To the North SeaTac Park Woodlands

In the 1990s the Port of Seattle began buying up homes in the area what is now North SeaTac Park while planning and constructing the third runway at SeaTac International Airport.  The Port of Seattle developed abandoned residential blocks north of the airport into North SeaTac Park -- the largest park in SeaTac -- and the city built a popular Community Center there.  The Southern park of North SeaTac park remained undeveloped and became overgrown.  The property  was leased to the City of SeaTac when the City incorporated in the 1990’s.

The South end of North SeaTac Park is home to a BMX racing track and a remote control car track.  The old neighborhood road has become a popular dog walking area, and is also popular with bicyclist.

The City of SeaTac's Parks and Recreation Department has been working on restoring the Southern end of North SeaTac Park for sometime.  Initial work was started by the Washington Conservation crew in 2012.  Washington Native Plant Society Stewards (WNPS) became involved in the Spring of 2014 and will be working on the site until the Spring of 2016.  

The restoration site still contains many remnants of the old neighborhoods, such as roads and ornamental plants.  Unfortunately, being left unmanaged for so long has allowed invasive plants to run wild.  English Ivey, Holly, and Laurel are all major issues to the site.  There is also himalayan blackberry, herb robert, creeping buttercup, and black locust.

Since beginning work in July of 2014 WNPS Stewards have cleared a half acre of the proposed acre restoration site.  The Stewards are currently in the middle of planting natives species on the site.

Stewards will be planting Red flowering currant, Mock Orange, Salal, Kinninnick, Tall and Short Oregon Grape, Ocean Spray, and many other native species to create a diverse understory and future canopy.

On November 1st at 10 AM there will be planting event open to the public.  If you are interested in joining us to plant and learn about native species please contact the Stewards at seatacstewards@gmail.com.