Every April since 1970, people around the globe have gathered to stand up for the environment. From clean water to climate change to environmental justice, pro-Earth causes get the attention they so dearly deserve. Green Seattle Partnership’s restoration work is crucial in maintaining the health of our planet, our region, and ourselves. By restoring forested […]

It’s official: Spring is here! This means it’s time to close the door on our annual planting season, and to celebrate our season’s accomplishments. Each year, we officially kick-off the planting season with our Green Seattle Day celebrations in November, and continue to plant through the end of winter in March. From last year’s Green Seattle […]

Seattle has 485 parks and natural areas. Ever wonder how they got there? Each park has a unique story, a messy assemblage of history and ecology. Though this brief post cannot do justice to them all, it will tell a broad-stroke story of the park system. Early Days The Denny Party, credited as Seattle’s founders, […]

It’s been a wild few days of weather – from spurts of hail to howling winds to shiny blue skies. While this cannot be completely attributed to climate change, it follows a trend of intensifying weather events. And it makes you wonder how the changing climate will affect our region. We have some predictions already. […]

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 […]

Are you curious about the natural world? Want to connect with others to care for a park near you? The Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS), Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the Green Seattle Partnership are recruiting now for the Master Native Plant Steward Program! No previous experience is necessary. The comprehensive 100-hour training will include information […]

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing to help others?’” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year, make MLK a day on, not a day off, by volunteering with the Green Seattle Partnership! Help to move us toward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a beloved community by getting […]

“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 […]

SAVE THE DATE for the annual GSP Shareholders Meeting on January 27th at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center! This year’s theme will focus on “Telling Our Story.” Moving into the 14th year of our 20-year plan to restore our forested parklands, we want to educate more members of the community about the program while continuing to […]

The plants that the Green Seattle Partnership(GSP) plants are very young, babies really, and we need to do everything we can to set them up to be able to grow and thrive. These helpful hints can be used for plants and trees in your yard as well as forest restoration sites. Two simple things: timing […]

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. […]

This year we broke some Green Seattle Day records and it’s all thanks to you, our volunteers! Despite being the coldest November 4th on record since 1973, we still had over 1,200 volunteers come out to 22 parks for our 12th annual Green Seattle Day celebration! With volunteers braving the cold across the entire city, […]

“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 […]

Trees are the legacy of Green Seattle Day My first Green Seattle Day was 2008. I was a 25-year-old AmeriCorps volunteer with the Cascade Land Conservancy and it was my term’s opus to coordinate this volunteer event at Seward Park. 9 years later I can go back to the scene and see what has […]

The end of summer heralds a new and exciting phase for the Green Seattle Partnership. As fall descends, many forested parklands are set to either begin their restoration, or start building on work first undertaken in 2016. One of these sites is Flicker Haven Natural Area, which borders the Jackson Park and Pinehurst neighborhoods. Located […]

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 […]

Wildlife is one thing some people hope to spot in their favorite park, or even in their backyard. Green Seattle Partnership caught up with Professor Mark Jordan to hear some insights about a multi-year carnivore study his Seattle University Wildlife Lab is carrying out in some of Seattle’s forested parks. Jordan and his students get […]