The Wetlands pages are now located on the Neighbors of Seahurst Park site, clicking the menu items will redirect you there.

What's this all about?
Where are these work parties?
Complete list of events in Seahurst, Shorewood and Eagle Landing Parks
Seahurst Park Event schedule
Shorewood Park Event schedule
Eagle Landing Park Event schedule
Major Events in all parks
Past Events

Burien's Parks and Recreation Department program sponsors volunteer events to help maintain and improve local parks. One of the biggest problems facing parks all over the northwest [and probably the world] is invasive plant species. The worst and most obvious offenders locally are Himalayan Blackberries, English Ivy, English Holly, Old Man's Beard [Clematis] and English Laurel. All of them spread rapidly and overwhelm native species.

One of the most critical things to do is to keep them from spreading, especially preventing them from going to seed. See the Invasive plants section on our wildlife page for more information about some of these plants. Shorewood On The Sound also has an excellent page with information about ivy, why it's a problem, and what you can do in your own yard to help. Unfortunately it's about more than just ivy, there are a number of invasive plants that are beginning to cause huge problems. This Seattle PI article shows how big a problem holly and ivy are, and how much effort is going into controlling them.

Volunteers are needed in several different parks, a Google Map showing the location of the work parties is next to each schedule. There are work parties in Shorewood Park on the second Saturday of every month. There are monthly work parties in Seahurst Park on the fourth Saturday of each month. Eagle Landing Park will have an occasional work party instead of regularly scheduled ones, details coming soon.

Tools and gloves will be available for volunteers to use. We have pruners, pruning saws, and hand mattocks as well as rubber palmed work gloves. Most times we'll have a weed wrench or two. Feel free to bring any similar tools of your own if you'd like. If you prefer to use your own gloves, heavy leather gloves are best if you have them.

You can just show up, but if you're bringing a group please try to let us know so that we can be sure to have enough tools. You can contact Lisa at the Parks Department at (206) 988-3700, or <email me> and I'll pass it along.

• Saturday January 16, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Google Map for Salmon Creek Ravine
• Saturday, January 23, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Google Map for Seahurst Park
• Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Vegetative Management Plan review for Eagle Landing Park, City Hall.
• Friday February 5, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Eagle Landing Park. Google Map for Eagle Landing Park
• Saturday February 13, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Friday, February 26, 2010: Moonlight Beach Walk in Seahurst Park.
• Saturday February 27, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Google Map for Seahurst Park
• Saturday March 13, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Google Map for Salmon Creek Ravine
• Saturday March 27, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Google Map for Seahurst Park
• Saturday April 10, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday April 24, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Google Map for Seahurst Park
• Saturday May 8, 2010: Ivy [and more Out] in Salmon Creek Ravine. Google Map for Salmon Creek Ravine
• Saturday May 22, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday June 12, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday June 26, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday July 10, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Location to be determined.
• Saturday July 24, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday August 14, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday August 28, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday September 11, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Location to be determined.
• Saturday September 25, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday October 9, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday October 23, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday November 13, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Location to be determined.
• Saturday November 27, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday December 11, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday December 25, 2010: No project this month due to the holiday.

Starting in 2010 the Shorewood Park group will also begin working in the Salmon Creek Ravine to reclaim that area and make it suitable for returning salmon. Work parties will alternate between the two areas each month, please check the schedule.

Seahurst Park is large enough that the starting point will vary depending on the project. A link for the location will be added after each date once the project is decided on.

• Saturday January 23: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Google Map for Seahurst Park

  We worked on both sides of the road near the parking lot entrance and cleared the ivy from the base of about 15 trees, some of which are very heavily overgrown. This will eventually kill the vines further up the trees, hopefully before the berries ripen. Ivy adds thousands of pounds of dead weight and a lot of wind surface to trees, so killing the ivy will help prevent the trees from falling. Watch the ivy die in some of the trees to the right as you pass the stop sign on the way into the park. We also pulled out some small holly trees that were just getting started, and picked up a bunch of garbage.

• Friday February 26, 2010: Moonlight Beach Walk in Seahurst Park. See the Environmental Science Center's website for more information.
  
  
• Saturday February 27: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Google Map for Seahurst Park

  We'll be working on the main entrance road into Seahurst Park, near the entrance to the upper parking lot. Park just inside the lot, and come across the street to help us clear ivy from trees along the road. This is a good time to kill ivy in the park because the underbrush is down for the winter, allowing relatively easy access to trees that can't be reached later in the year. We'll spend the next few months working this area. Removing ivy from trees is a priority because vertical ivy goes to seed and when the berries are eaten by birds and animals the seeds end up scattered all over the area, spreading the ivy much farther than the vines creeping along the ground can. We'll spend at least 3 sessions in this area.

• Saturday March 27: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Google Map for Seahurst Park
• Saturday April 24, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Google Map for Seahurst Park
• Saturday May 22, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday May 22, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday June 26, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday July 24, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday August 28, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday September 25, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday October 23, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday November 27, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park. Location to be determined.
• Saturday December 25, 2010: No project this month due to the holiday.

• Saturday January 16, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Google Map for Salmon Creek Ravine

  Our first event in the Salmon Creek Ravine was at the south end, nearest Seahurst Park. We cleared ivy from about 35 trees in the gully along 16th Ave SW between SW 130th and SW 131st St. We also picked up garbage, cut down some holly trees that are going to seed [hopefully the berries will rot before they fully ripen] and removed some of the yard waste that had been dumped in the ravine. See this article and photos in the B-Town Blog.

• Saturday February 13, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park

  Come help clean up Shorewood Park. While it's in better shape than many forested parks (thanks to the dedicated work of a lot of volunteers) there are still plenty of invasives to remove. We also hope to be planting more native plants.

• Saturday March 13, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Google Map for Salmon Creek Ravine

  Our second event in the Salmon Creek Ravine will also be at the south end, nearest Seahurst Park. There are more ivy covered trees and a large blackberry patch in the gully along 16th Ave SW between SW 130th and SW 131st St. We will also be working our way further down the trail into the ravine. Park on 16th SW south of 131st or Shorewood Dr SW on the cutoff to Cove Point Road. Please be careful not to block any driveways. We'll meet by the Shorewood On The Sound sign on 16th SW.

• Saturday April 10, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday May 8, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Google Map for Salmon Creek Ravine
• Saturday June 12, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday July 10, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Location to be determined.
• Saturday August 14, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday September 11, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Location to be determined.
• Saturday October 9, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park
• Saturday November 13, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Salmon Creek Ravine. Location to be determined.
• Saturday December 11, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Shorewood Park. Google Map for Shorewood Park

• Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Vegetative Management Plan review for Eagle Landing Park, City Hall, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.

  Earthcorps is completing a Vegetative Management Plan (VMP) for Eagle Landing Park and there will be a Public Meeting on Feb 3 at 6:30pm at City Hall to report on the findings. Meeting Location would be Burien City Hall 400 SW 152nd St. Suite 300, Miller Creek Room, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. The VMP involved the collection of data on habitat types and plant inventories in order to summarize the vegetative palate within Eagle landing Park and provide recommendations for future vegetative management focus. The plan will consider short and long term goals and priorities, as well as identifying tasks that are well suited to volunteer efforts or staff and contracted work.

• Friday February 5, 2010: Ivy [and more] Out in Eagle Landing Park. 10 AM to 2 PM.

  Thanks to the hard work of many volunteers since Eagle Landing Park opened, it's in pretty good shape regarding invasive plants. But it requires maintenance, and this is the time to do it. The work party will last 4 hours, with the first hour spent walking the park and looking at the Vegetation Management Plan. Come for as much of the event as you can. The Parks Department will be providing tools and has some gloves available, but feel free to bring your own gloves.

• More events will be listed when they're available.

• Friday, February 26, 2010. Moonlight Beach Walks in Seahurst Park.

  Beach Naturalists from the Environmental Science Center, the Seattle Aquarium and People for Puget Sound will on hand to give talks, lead walks and answer questions. You'll need to bundle up against the weather and bring a flashlight with good batteries, wading boots, a warm hat and dry gloves. See the Environmental Science Center's website for more information.

• Saturday March 7, 2009: Washington Native Plant Society sponsored Nature walk through the north end of Seahurst Park.

  Leader: Jim Branson
  We joined Jim for an exploration of the park, where trillium (Trillium ovatum) was just starting to come up and skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum) was in full bloom. The nature trail loops from the beach into the upland forest and past wetlands and streams. We had a chance to identify lots of native and invasive plants. There are quite a few Pacific Yew trees in the park including one that is estimated to be about 400 years old. Another appears to be about 150 years old and has a large scar where it was probably scraped while it was still small when the area was logged in the late 1800s.

• February through May 2009: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park, North Maintenance Road Google Map

  Early in the year the City of Burien had hired goats to come in and clean up a section along the road that was covered in blackberries and ivy. The goats did a great job, but there needed to be some more cleanup done afterwards. Among other things garbage [mostly bottles and cans] that had been covered for years was exposed when they ate the brush. So we picked up a lot of that, cut down a bunch of holly and English Laurel [goats don't like either of them] grubbed out some blackberry roots, cut back some stems that were too big for the goats, girdled the ivy that went up trees too far for the goats to reach, and generally opened up the area. We also knocked down some nearby patches of ivy, laurel and holly, plus we were able to get a couple of infestations of Old Man's Beard [Clematis]. There's more to do in the area, including some stinky bob, blackberries, ivy patches and more, but nothing that can't wait for a while, so it's off to the beach.

• June through November, 2009: Ivy [and more] Out in Seahurst Park, near the South Shelter. Google Map

  As part of the south beach restoration native plant beds were put in along the shore near the south shelter. After a couple of years there were a lot of volunteer alders coming up that would shade out the plants we want. Other invasives including blackberries, Morning Glory, Japanese Knotweed and more were also starting to move in. There were some alders planted there that we wanted to leave, but the volunteers and invasives needed to removed. Many of the natives are doing great, including large patches of coastal strawberries. During the summer sessions volunteers cleaned up most of area from the bridge to the end of the planting beds. In October we were helped by about 15 volunteers from a Cub Scout Troop and a Boy Scout Troop. In November we finished removing a large patch of Scotchbroom growing on the beach just north of the new restrooms.

The event was a great success with over 50 people showing up to pitch in.

The group pulled ivy off of the old caretaker's house and a couple of nearby trees, removed several large holly trees, including one that was going to seed, and cleared blackberries and other invasives from two areas near the North Shelter. In one area ferns were planted to replace them. There's a photo album in our Photo Gallery.