This past
year I have been able to volunteer with and lead a variety of restoration
events for the benefit of the environment. More recently I have been completing
the acreage required for the environmental stewardship portion of my
performance plan.
I assisted a work party of 10 individuals over three
weeks at Leavenworth’s Ski Hill, where we cleared brush and improved mountain
bike trails. The lead agency for the work we were doing was the Evergreen
Mountain Bike Alliance. We also assisted with pulling out non-native plant
species. I also had the opportunity to lead four weekly volunteer trail crews
at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. The hatchery received donations of
wood chips from the Chelan County Natural Resources Department. The Chumstick
Wildfire Stewardship Coalition organized a few days for free brush disposal at
the Dryden Transfer Station this past Spring, so all of the wood chips came from
those events. The chips had to be used within the apple maggot quarantine area,
so the hatchery was a great fit.
Once we acquired the wood chips, we worked hard to
distribute them on the public access horse trails around the hatchery. I also
spent some time helping with maintenance efforts at a few of the sites that
Cascadia works on. One of the publicly accessible sites is the Cashmere Sportsman’s
Association club, where a restoration project has been ongoing for a few years.
All of these
events have been a satisfying way to give back to the community that I have
called home for the last 11 ½ months. I’ve worked to remove tires from
embankments, planted dozens of native species in riparian areas, pulled noxious
weeds, improved and maintained bike and horse trails, and have educated the
public on the importance of native plants. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know
this area and hope to continue living here and appreciating everything this
valley has to offer. Thank you.
