Herrera Environmental Consultants joined Washington Water Trails (WWTA) and Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) employees Saturday, March 10, in a restoration work party held on the northwest shores of Blake Island. Volunteers planted 1,300 dune grass shoots, replaced fire rings, removed invasive plants, picked up trash along the beach, and helped to stabilize an eroding bluff. Blake Island is a 475-acre Washington State Park located eight miles southwest of downtown Seattle. The northeast portion of the Island is Tillicum Village, a cultural center providing Northwest Coast Native American meals, dance performances, and historical information. WWTA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the recreational use and environmental stewardship of Washington State waterways, has assisted Washington State Parks in restoring the Island’s Cascadia Marine Trail campground for three consecutive years. The site is a popular marine camping area set aside for people arriving in non-motorized boats.

The day began with a 45-minute Argosy cruise from Seattle’s Pier 55 to the Island. After arriving at the Island, the work group strolled through mature forest to the project site, enjoying spectacular water views along the way. Then it was time to get to work. “This Styrofoam is just never-ending,” one volunteer remarked after picking up hundreds of tiny pieces throughout the campground. Other garbage that had washed up from the Puget Sound waters included a small boat, porta-potty door, rusty cell phone, and barnacle-covered light bulb. The youngest volunteer that day, 4-year-old Natasha Wozniak, helped to plant the dune grass which will work to stabilize the beach during high tides and strong winds. Snacks provided by WWTA (repackaged in baggies so as to avoid leaving “microtrash” – tiny bits of manmade debris – on the beach) kept volunteers fueled until it was time for their rainy lunch break.

The bluff stabilization project around the corner from the beach campground required serious teamwork, as people passed dozens of sword ferns up the bluff to the next person in line until the plants reached their new homes. Heavy buckets of topsoil were also passed up the slope. Much of the good soil had washed away because people had been using the area as a walking trail. The ferns were transported from a nearby fern grove in small all-terrain vehicles, which State Parks also used to remove the garbage collected from the work site. After a quiet walk back to Tillicum Village, volunteers boarded the boat along with the tourists and returned, muddy but happy, back to the mainland. Thanks to WWTA and State Parks for a wonderful day!