Adopt-a-Park Program
Shorewood on the Sound Community Cares for City of Burien’s Shorewood Park. Park Stewardship Begins Close to Home.
Work parities are held twice a year at Shorewood Park. The next one will be in Spring of 2019. Contact Jean Spohn at jeanspohn@centurylink.net.
Work Parties
Date for next Work Party to be determined.
(see above)
Shorewood Park Work Party History: In January 2009 11 folks participated. Some pulled ivy from an area graced by two Noble Fir trees planted by Fred Henzi 20 years ago, and others planted Coastal Strawberry plants which are a wonderful native groundcover. In February, volunteers placed 25 Sword Ferns along our trail and then removed many small English Holly trees and lots of English Ivy. In March 7 of us whacked back the big stand of Himalayan Blackberry at the lower entrance. In April lots of Ivy was pulled from around the intersection of trails near the steps. For the summer work parties mulch was placed around new plants and folks started peeling back the Ivy wasteland on the hill that borders 26th Place.
Why is English Holly a problem?
You might wonder – Why is English ivy a problem? English ivy is a woody, climbing vine that has been used extensively in the Pacific Northwest. Ivy used to be found in roadside plantings, on steep banks, as ornamental decoration and climbing on buildings, fences and other vertical surfaces. But English ivy is not native to the United States and has no natural predators or pests to keep it in check. It easily escapes from planting areas and invades natural areas, parks and urban forests. It creates “Ivy Deserts” – areas so dominated by ivy that no other vegetation survives. Ivy affects trees negatively, especially when it climbs into the canopy. By adding weight to limbs and reducing air flow around the tree’s trunk, ivy makes a tree more susceptible to canopy failure, wind stress and disease. It can also strangle trees around their base and reduce the flow of nutrients up and down the tree.
English ivy does not provide a significant food for native wildlife, but does provide habitat for rats. And banks covered with ivy are prone to landslide.
What can you do? Do not plant ivy. Remove ivy, especially from vertical surfaces where it seeds and is spread further by birds. Remove ivy from your yard. Participate in a Shorewood Park work party.
The first Shorewood Park Work Party of 2008 happened on February 16th, a lovely Saturday morning. Seven volunteers pulled Ivy from a side path that leads towards the school near the upper entrance to Shorewood Park. Areas close to the park boundary have the heaviest Ivy mats of infestation and so huge mounds of Ivy were built. These Ivy mounds will be left to rot and turn into soil. We found native Salal, Vine Maple and Oregon Grape struggling to survive underneath and so gave them a much better chance of survival.
