Gen Z is here, and are stepping up as the next generation of environmental leaders around the world, and here in Seattle. The Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) provides youth engagement programs to build the next generation of stewards and leaders in Seattle’s forests. These programs foster a connection with and passion for the environment, and […]

2020 looked different for the Green Seattle Partnership in many ways. The pandemic disrupted our volunteer events, reduced funding committed to restoration work, limited training activities, and hugely impacted partnerships with youth and school programs, not to mention its impacts on the day-to-day lives of the individuals that make up the partnership. Despite the pandemic […]

GSP Forest Monitoring Program turns 10! Did you know that the Green Seattle Partnership has been systematically monitoring the structure and composition of Seattle’s forested parklands for ten years?!? While inventorying and measuring vegetation have been ongoing in our parks for decades, the official launch of the GSP Forest Monitoring Program occurred in 2010. It […]

The numbers for 2019 are in and they are absolutely incredible! Over the course of 72,248 volunteer hours, there were 90,233 native plants installed, and 2,925 trees saved from English ivy. This work took place across 155 parks and at 1,522 volunteer events, which is nearly 5 events for every single day of the year! […]

In 2015 REI closed their doors on Black Friday for the first time to launch their #OptOutside campaign. This year they’re doing more by encouraging community members to take action and #OptToAct!⁠ Now its time to plan for the next 52 weeks of action. We’ve got a couple ways for you to Opt To Act […]

Bird Alley: A Hostpot for BiodiversityDiscovery Park’s Bird Alley is properly named due its hotspot status for bird abundance and diversity. In Seattle’s largest park, this area is very high profile and visible to the public due its proximity to popular nearby trails. Seattle Parks and Friends of Discovery Park have built a new trail […]

What is maintenance? We refer to the latter phases of GSP restoration, phases 3 and 4, as establishment and maintenance respectively. This work happens after initial invasive species removal has occurred, and native plants have been installed. In these phases we focus on plant establishment by weeding, watering, mulching and planting additional plants as needed […]

As we wrap up our year end reporting, we measure ourselves using metrics that are easily quantified: 170,697 native plants installed in our projects, 4,177 of trees saved from the grips of invasive English ivy, 76,920 volunteer hours dedicated in support of our ambitious goals. These numbers easily tell us that we had another successful […]

The Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) brings communities together to restore our public spaces through forest restoration events. These events bring neighbors together from all walks of life to work toward a shared goal of greening the city. There are several ways to get local neighbors involved in restoring our local parks. One way is to […]

Ed Deal, from the Seattle Cooper’s Hawk Project, has had a busy year of monitoring our resident population of Cooper’s Hawks. He and his dedicated team of volunteers made over 700 sight visits this year to increase our understanding of Cooper’s Hawk nesting in Seattle. Before reading his 2018 report below, you can find an […]

This is an exciting time for the Green Seattle Partnership. This month marks a major milestone: ONE MILLION VOLUNTEER HOURS! That is 6 zeros! Which equates to $24,501,670 of volunteer leverage! The Timeline As we head toward this achievement, we consider the timeline that got us here: Decades ago, the community realized the declining state of […]

In January 2018, Green Seattle Partnership and Seattle Parks and Recreation partnered with research scientist Amanda Bidwell to conduct a study examining the effects of urban pollution on Seattle’s forests. The objective for this study was to identify ‘hotspots’ of heavy metal pollution in both moss tissue and soil samples collected across 25 priority restoration […]

In 2017 the Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) made some serious on-the-ground impacts in forested parklands across Seattle. On the Ground Green Seattle has the ambitious goal to restore all 2,500 acres of forested parklands by 2025, and staff knew that 2017 had to be a big year for new acres and maintenance. This bump […]

Forest Stewards are dedicated. Nearly 160 community volunteers spend hours each week removing invasive plants, planting natives, and keeping an eye on our urban forest health. And, on top of all that work, many attend continuing education workshops offered throughout the year. In 2017, Washington Native Plant Society offered 10 workshops to Seattle Forest Stewards […]

“Not all efforts will succeed, keep trying. Not just about getting volunteers (though that is important) it is also about being PART of your community.”- Lewis Park Steward How do Seattleites learn about volunteering at a Green Seattle restoration site? In a Forest Steward orientation last year, attendees shared how they learned about Green Seattle. Some […]

Children playing in the dirt – muddying their pint-sized sweater vests and exposing themselves to billions of bacteria – may not be most parents’ idea of good health. A growing body of research, however, suggests exactly the opposite. From infancy to old age, immersing oneself in the natural world can have dramatic positive effects. Studies […]

It’s that time of year. Temperatures are dropping and everyone is busy holiday shopping. Storefronts and front yards are decorated and dazzling for the holiday season; so we wanted to get in on the fun and to share some DIY holiday decorations with you that will help to restore your holiday decor! Thanks to the […]

Amidst the clamor of the Ballard Locks – loudspeakers blaring, trains rumbling, bells ringing, visitors shouting, and sea lions barking as they scoop up migrating salmon – you may catch the sound of an avian squawk. Looking closer, into a canal-side grove of red alders, you may spot a cluster of nests dotting the treetops. […]

“Five years ago I would never have believed there would be at least 44 nest-building pairs in Seattle.” ~Ed Deal As the Green Seattle Partnership continues to restore Seattle’s forests, it is important to keep an eye on the local fauna gracing our parks. The Seattle Cooper’s Hawk Project, an annual volunteer-run survey, does […]

There is life up in the tree canopy. Amanda Bidwell climbs bigleaf maples. Finishing her Master’s work at University of Washington last June, she just shared some dazzling and troubling results about hot-spots of heavy metal pollution in our epiphytic mosses. Her analysis distinguishes between local and long-range sources of pollution. Many of the metals her […]