Volunteer Habitat Restoration

Engaging volunteers in restoring our watershed through hands-on service and education

Nisa Karimi Habitat Restoration Program Manager email or 206-297-8141

We improve the ecological health of our watershed through community engagement and volunteer-based habitat restoration. We strive for each participant to leave our projects with an appreciation for their ability to impact our local environment for the better. By incorporating environmental education lessons at each site we connect people to the natural world as they create healthy habitat corridors for wildlife.

Restoration activities occur year-round and are organized seasonally. In fall and winter, projects focus on planting native trees and shrubs; throughout the rest of the year tasks include invasive plant removal,  maintenance of restoration plantings (weeding, watering, mulching), monitoring restoration success, trail maintenance, and potting plants at a nursery and greenhouse.

 Habitat Restoration Project Sites

Event Details for Volunteers

Preparing For Your Volunteer Habitat Restoration Event

We begin each event with a project orientation, introduction to the watershed and natural area, and skills and safety training.  No prior experience is needed to participate and most projects are designed to accommodate all ages and skill levels. Environmental education presentations are regularly provided by Cedar River Salmon Journey naturalists, wildlife and fisheries scientists, native plant enthusiasts, and ethno-botanists.  Events occur rain or shine.

What to Bring: 

• Work clothes, boots or sturdy shoes - no open-toed shoes
• Always bring rain gear!
• Refillable water bottle and a sack lunch
• Work-study or community service time sheets, if applicable
• Any youth volunteers attending the event WITHOUT a guardian need to bring a signed copy of the youth liability waiver form. Waivers will be provided upon registration.

We Provide:

• All tools and gloves
• Morning orientation about the watershed and the project
• Youth liability waivers (provided upon registration)
• Community service verification
• Map and directions to the site
• Clean, portable toilet
• Active and fun experience in a beautiful park or natural area!

Team-Building and Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities

We would love to work with your team or business on a personalized restoration community service event. Team-building events are designed specifically for each group and typically last between 2-5 hours. Events can be scheduled Monday-Saturday, year-round.  Depending on the season, volunteer teams will join us in planting native trees and shrubs, removing invasives species, or weeding, watering, and mulching existing plantings. Your team will experience a tremendous sense of accomplishment while improving the health of our watershed.  All events occur rain or shine.  Parking is limited at all project sites; carpooling is necessary.  

What to Bring:  

• Work clothes, boots or sturdy shoes - no open-toed shoes
• Always bring rain gear!
• Refillable water bottle and a sack lunch

We Provide:

• All tools and gloves
• Morning orientation about the watershed and the project
• An interpretive program/presentation over the lunch hour
• Assistance organizing pre and post event logistics and communications materials  
• Map and directions to the site
• Clean, portable toilet for the day of the event.

We offer a variety of business sponsorship opportunities individualized sponsorship levels. Contact Nisa for more details.

Habitat Restoration Field Experiences for Youth Groups

Habitat Restoration Field Experiences are hands-on, service-learning opportunities for school classes or youth groups and are designed in conjunction with environmental and science lessons.  Each event is tailored to meet the education goals of your class and current curriculum. All events occur rain or shine.

Example Lessons Include:

• Native plant field walks focusing on plant identification and the relationship between people and plant uses
• Ecological site inventories
• Water quality testing
• Salmon biology and life cycle (seasonally)
• Vegetation and forest monitoring

Education lessons can be requested based on current classroom curriculum or other educational objectives such as earning badges for Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. Our events typically range from 2-5 hours, and occur rain or shine at a designated project site within the Cedar River/Lake Washington Watershed.

What to Bring:  

• Work clothes, boots or sturdy shoes - no open-toed shoes
• Always bring rain gear!
• Refillable water bottle and a sack lunch
• Teachers must organize a school vehicle for transportation to and from the site
• A copy of our youth liability waiver form signed by each participant’s legal guardian. Waivers will be provided upon registration.

We Provide:

• All tools and gloves
• Project overview letter and youth liability waiver forms
• Targeted educational lessons and activities
• Map and directions to the site
• Clean, portable toilet for the day of the event

Legacy Project Series

Take your lessons out of the classroom and into the field! If teachers are interested in organizing a series of activities, we develop tailored projects where students have the opportunity to participate in all phases of a restoration project and leave a lasting legacy. Each project will be coupled with an educational unit and are usually organized seasonally.

Examples of Legacy Projects:

• From the Greenhouse to the Greenhouse Effect
  Students play an active role in one of the first phases of restoration - potting native plants at a greenhouse to be used on future restoration sites. Students then learn how the project relates to the carbon cycle, fossil fuels, and our changing forests on a geologic scale.

• Basic Forest Structure and Function
  Students learn the functions and various values of forests, and how they integrate river and terrestrial ecology. We discuss factors impacting these ecosystems based on our restoration project. For the field service project, students help remove invasive species to prepare for future re-vegetation or assist with on-going maintenance of previous plantings.
• Vegetation Monitoring and Ecological Site Inventories
  Students become “citizen scientists” as they track the success of our previous restoration efforts by conducting vegetation surveys and site inventories. Students learn real-life forest ecology data collection procedures and help assess natural ecosystem progressions and restoration outcomes.

Nisa Karimi, Program Manager, Volunteer Habitat Restoration Program

contact: online or 206-297-8141