By Claire Waltman
Those of you who are regulars at Marymoor Park may be wondering what all the new paths leading out from the Meadow Loop Trail are for. No, they are not for birding access further into the natural area but were made in preparation for the plant installations the Marymoor team has planned for this fall.
Before any soil disturbance can be done on King County property such as digging a hole for a new plant or removal of a Himalayan blackberry root ball, the county must clear the site to be certain there are no significant historical artifacts present. The rough trails were bushwhacked by the Marymoor Park maintenance staff to give access for the King County archeologist to make an assessment and provide cultural clearance for our restoration work. Since indigenous peoples are known to have inhabited the area for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers, ensuring that our restoration work does not disturb significant artifacts is essential.
Although it was not necessary for our planting to have such extensive paths, it will facilitate our getting plants in the ground this fall, helping to diversify the plant palette with species that provide the most benefit to our local birds and shade out non-native species such as Himalayan blackberry and reed canary grass. If you’re interested in helping with the restoration, please sign up for one of our work parties occurring on the first Saturday of the month.
Planting will be starting this fall on November 7th at 9:00 AM.