MLK Jr Day Planting Party – January 15th

Join us Monday, January 15 at 1515 West Bay Drive for a big day of planting native plants and shrubs into Stormwater Park North (the northern unit of the West Bay Woods) by the heron and salmon sculptures at the West Bay Art Crossing. We will be underplanting this section of shoreline forest, recently freed from English ivy, with conifers and native understory plants to reboot forest succession for the next generation. We will also be spreading mulch and doing some light weeding.

Walk or ride your bike if you can. If you are coming from the Northwest Neighborhood, you can walk down the Woodard Ave NW Pathway. We’ll have tools, snacks, water, hot tea & coffee to share (bring your own mug!).

Where: 1515 West Bay Dr. NW, Olympia, WA 98502

When: Monday, January 15th, 10AM – 2PM

Where to park: Limited parking is available at the end of Woodard Ave. Overflow parking is available at Smyth Landing (1801 West Bay Drive NW).

What to bring: Appropriate clothes for the weather, boots, work gloves, water. We will provide all other tools and refreshments.

Why it’s important

This project consists of a detached remnant shoreline forest that includes the impervious slabs of now demolished out-buildings of a defunct plywood mill. The hillside forest is dominated by bigleaf maple and red alder.

The understory and successional conifers, however, are largely absent, as the area has been long neglected and is now covered in a think blanket of English ivy, that has inhibited natural regrowth.

This area presents a meaningful opportunity to address water quality issues with green infrastructure and forest restoration. Our long-term goals are to install neighborhood-scale green infrastructure to treat 730,000 gallons per day of urban runoff that currently flows directly into Budd Inlet and to create a publicly-accessible community space that supports education, recreation, and art.