About
Strategic Action Plan
A Long-Term Vision and Short-Term Action Plan for the Green Seattle Partnership
Welcome
As we celebrate 20 years of the Green Seattle Partnership (GSP), we have taken time to reflect as a community on all that we have accomplished and learned together in 20 years, and where we want to continue to grow in the years ahead.
We are excited to bring this new strategic action plan to life with you: our community of volunteers, program participants, partners, restoration professionals, and fellow Seattle residents.
Introduction
A Long-Term Vision and Short-Term Action Plan
Our work together is intergenerational, grounded in an understanding that nature works in long timeframes. In this plan, we take inspiration from the trees around us to look across two planning horizons:
Long-Term Vision (2026-2035)
A 10-year roadmap that guides us as we grow outward and upward.
Short-Term Action Plan (2026-2028)
We have crafted an action plan for the next 3 years that marks our growth, each year’s actions expanding our durability and influence like another tree ring.
Strategic Planning Process Overview
Early and Broad Engagement
We started the strategic planning process by listening and hearing from partners, community members, and leaders on what their experiences with GSP have been, and what they hope to see or partner on in the future.
Steering Committee
A cross-section of the Partnership community led as members of a steering committee that was responsible for building on community input to set the 10-year vision, identify the pillars, and steward the plan’s development.
Pillar Workgroups
Detailed action plan development was led by “pillar” (key focus area) workgroups comprised of subject matter experts, community leaders and impacted partners. Each pillar workgroup came together in three intensive planning sessions to develop priority outcomes and strategies.
Follow-Up Engagement
Before finalizing the plan, we went back to the Partnership community. We conducted a series of briefing meetings, open houses, and interviews to gather feedback and validation from community on the draft plan, ensuring it met the needs identified in the original listening sessions.
Seattle Parks and Recreation Leadership
Throughout this process, Seattle Parks and Recreation leadership contributed valuable input and support.
Thank You to Our Community
Green Seattle Partnership is deeply grateful to our incredible community who contributed their expertise and perspectives through surveys, focus groups, committees, work groups, and more to shape this plan.
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Amanda Barnett, Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities
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Caroline Borsenik, Delridge Neighborhood Development Association
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Chris Hoffer, Tilth Alliance
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Danielle Devier, Seattle Parks and Recreation
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Francesca Murnan, Seattle Office of Intergovernmental Relations
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Girma Gizaw, Serve Ethiopians Washington
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Hoda Gray, Seattle Parks and Recreation
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Jacob de Guzman, Seattle Parks and Recreation
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Justin Hellier, Seattle Parks and Recreation
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Lauren Urgenson, Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment
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Lisa Ciecko, Seattle Parks and Recreation
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Lisa McGinty, GSP Forest Steward and Friends of Lincoln Park
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Miguel Raimilla, EarthCorps
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Miranda Perez, ECOSS
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Nagessa Dube, Serve Ethiopians Washington
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Shameka Gagnier, Futures Rising: Restoration and Co-creation
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Stephanie Shelton, Seattle Parks and Recreation
Celebrating 20 Years
Celebrating 20 Years
A 20-Year Plan
Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) was originally designed as a one-time, 20-year investment in Seattle parklands, charted by a 20-year strategic plan with a mighty dual goal to:
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Restore and maintain the forested parklands and designated natural areas of Seattle; and
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Expand and galvanize an informed, involved, and active community around forest restoration and stewardship.
Twenty Years Later
Twenty years later, we are still here, growing and deepening our work. It is now clear that GSP is bigger than a single point-in-time program and that our work exists in much longer ecological timescales. We’ve created a powerful ecosystem of partners and volunteers, and together we are proving it is never too late to repair the land and waters for generations to come.
Looking Forward
We’ll be focusing our efforts so that we can engage more meaningfully with our many partners, create pathways for more residents to connect with Seattle parklands, and harness all our learnings towards building resilience for the ecosystems that support us.
Our Evolution
We’ve changed a lot in 20 years! As we’ve responded to the changing world around us and adapted the work we do and how we do it, we’ve grown in many ways:
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From point-in-time project to core convener. We’ve become an essential connector across a wide network of people working on restoration efforts across Seattle: partner organizations, City of Seattle departments, Forest Stewards, community-based groups and schools, and volunteers and participants.
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From forest focus to full ecosystem view. We have worked together to innovate our practices, expanding from weed removal and tree planting to a broader understanding of recovery and care opportunities for a variety of forest systems as well as marine and freshwater shorelines, creek watersheds, and meadows.
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From traditional conservation principles to environmental justice. We prioritize benefits and accountability to plants and people, understanding that this work isn’t just about conservation, it’s about re-building positive relationships with the land and water, ensuring the benefits of healthy natural areas are shared across Seattle neighborhoods.
Where We Are Today
In our 20 years of existence, we have streamlined restoration to connect people directly to the forests, parklands, and plants they live alongside. Getting tools and knowledge in people’s hands has led to many more community members building relationships with their local parks.
Alongside partners, volunteers, ecological restoration professionals, and supporters that make it possible, we are proud to have made huge strides for Seattle parklands, including:
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2,064 acres being restored across 174 parks, representing forests, meadows, wetlands, marine and freshwater shoreline, and riparian creek corridors
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170+ active volunteer Forest Stewards leading events in their neighborhood parks, with 494 Forest Stewards trained since 2005 and 71 Stewards accomplishing 10 years of service
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1,438,942 total volunteer hours, with youth contributing 23% of those hours
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1,507,386 total native plants planted, including 355,238 trees
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62,249 trees freed from climbing vines
In 2024 alone, we accomplished:
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74,000 native plants planted, including 7,640 trees
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64% of activities concentrated in neighborhoods with the highest need
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210 participants in our paid job pathways program, including 100+ youth
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1,500+ community events hosted with partners across the city
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78 schools engaged in land care work
Our Strategic Vision
The Next 10 Years
Vision
We see Seattle as a thriving, equitable city that supports urban ecosystems and community members. We remain committed to restoring Seattle’s urban forests, waterways, and natural areas, while fostering a culture of belonging and connection that benefits the health of the Salish Sea region.
In service to our vision, we share stewardship programming, restore ecological health, expand access to greenspaces, and reconnect people to land care. Our work is relational, guided by accountability, anti-racism, and environmental justice values that support a healthy environment for all.
Guiding Values
Our planning and the actions we take to bring these plans to fruition are guided by the following values:
1. Fostering a Culture of Reciprocity
We prioritize respect and mutually beneficial relationships with each other and the land. We believe that long-term ecological health is dependent on relationships where people work together to provide for and benefit from our ecosystems.
2. Nurturing a Sense of Belonging
We prioritize efforts that create a welcoming environment where people feel invited, safe, and connected to one another. We are committed to building and sustaining a generational legacy of care for the environment and each other.
3. Holding Ourselves and Each Other Accountable
We invite and hold space for direct and honest feedback and encourage transparency with our partners and community. As a collective, we are accountable to identifying and opposing racist ideas, policies, systems, and actions; centering the lived experiences and leadership of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color; and prioritizing programs, policies, relationships, and approaches that actively advance environmental justice.
Our Action Plan
The Next 3 Years
January 2026-December 2028
Strategic Priorities Overview
Our strategic plan is rooted in three priority areas, or pillars. These pillars represent the core of who GSP is: our programming that we offer to support community; our care of the land, water, and ecosystems; and the partnerships that bring it all to life.
Plan development focused closely on identifying areas where GSP should see essential improvements through deliberate and intentional efforts, naming areas to shore up the program’s foundation and prioritizing commitments to delivering equitable and inclusive programming. As such, the pillars, strategies and outcomes identified below reflect thoughtful analyses and input from GSP stakeholders to ensure accountability and alignment with our GSP Values.
Partnership Building Pillar
Vision
Sustaining a cooperative structure that includes pathways for accountability, inclusive leadership, and coordinated investments to meet shared goals.
Foundation
The partnership model is central to who GSP is and how we work. Every day, we’re coordinating and collaborating across many different scales and partners, including participating in City of Seattle inter-departmental collaborations, supporting intersections with programs like Youth Green Corps, and facilitating cross-Partnership affinity groups and events. This pillar focuses on strengthening our partnership work.
Outcome
A clear Partnership structure affirms our mutual responsibilities and shared strategies, while building space for diverse voices and accountability.
Context
GSP is a partnership, above all else! To build on our 20 years of collaboration and set us up for greater success in the coming 20 years, we will put clear structures into place for how we work together, and what it is we commit to doing in support of one another. This includes considering how GSP is showing up for our partners, especially as many nonprofit organizations navigate challenging political and financial realities.
Strategies
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Refine the collaborative Partnership structure to clarify roles and commitments.
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Update systems for capturing and responding to partner and participant feedback to advance a culture of accountability.
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Outcome
The Partnership includes strong relationships with underrepresented communities and organizations.
Context
Our work is most impactful when it’s a collaboration of many different ideas, experiences, and identities, just like ecosystems are healthiest when they’re filled with diversity. The strategies in this outcome are focused on understanding and filling gaps in our current Partnership network, with a dedicated focus on relationships with Tribal Nations.
Strategies
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Pursue new organizational relationships to fill current representation gaps in leadership, programming, and participation.
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Advance relationship building with Tribal Nations who have stewarded and protected the Puget Sound region’s cultural and natural resources since time immemorial, and continue to do so today.
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Outcome
Diverse and sustainable funding streams support the long-term success of GSP’s work.
Context
To take on new priorities through this strategic plan, we need to make our pie bigger — not make each slice smaller. This will require dedicated investment into identifying and securing new funding streams for our work, now and for the long term.
Strategies
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Identify funding gaps and opportunities to expand the funding pool.
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Build case-making materials to support fundraising efforts across the Partnership.
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Community Programming Pillar
Vision
Growing a culture of care for Seattle’s ecosystems, where engagement opportunities prioritize belonging and connection, provide tangible benefits to participants, and are responsive to community relationships.
Foundation
Community programming is how most people come into contact with GSP. Our robust existing program includes providing 100 paid career exposure and job training opportunities annually; facilitating community land stewardship events; hosting trainings; and, of course, the Forest Steward program that supports 170+ volunteer leaders across more than 70 parks. All of these important programs will continue alongside, and be improved by, the priorities in this pillar’s action plan.
Outcome
School and student participation in land-based education programming is strengthened.
Context
By connecting young people with the land and equipping them with the tools and confidence to steward it, we nurture an intergenerational culture of care for Seattle’s parklands and natural spaces. Partnering directly with schools allows us to meet youth where they are.
While school programming is not new to GSP, our purpose here is to dig deeper on barriers to public school participation and to build coordination across our wide Partnership to grow student engagement.
Strategies
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Build our understanding of the gaps and opportunities to increase K-12 school participation and expand programming.
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Support teachers and schools in connecting Tribal sovereignty teachings with land stewardship programming.
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Implement an outreach and awareness campaign to increase high school student participation.
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Outcome
Expanded event offerings resonate with overburdened and frontline communities.
Context
We’ve heard clearly from community feedback that while connecting with the land and each other are important priorities, the “hands in dirt” volunteerism model can be improved. We’re committed to expanding our event offerings and delivery so that we are continuing to create land care access in the ways that resonate most with diverse communities across Seattle.
Strategies
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Craft and facilitate events that center frontline community priorities.
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Improve family-oriented program offerings, addressing participation barriers for caregivers and elders.
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Produce updated guidance for Forest Stewards and partner organization staff that improves the quality of GSP stewardship events, emphasizing best practices that promote belonging, joy, healing, and cultural connection.
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Outcome
Career exposure and job training programming have expanded reach and effectiveness.
Context
We’re excited about building not just a pipeline of land stewards, but also a pipeline of restoration professionals with technical skills and expertise for this important work. Green jobs training and career exposure programming have long been part of the Green Seattle Partnership. Creating intentional and strong pathways to employment is an important next step for our work together.
Strategies
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Build cross-Partnership collaboration space to improve career pathways programming.
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Formalize GSP career exposure and job training learning goals and assessment strategies.
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Support programming participants through the full career ladder, linking them with next-step opportunities to expand career exposure and job skills development.
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Stewardship and Land Care Pillar
Vision
Nurturing urban ecosystems that are rich in life, resilient in the face of climate change, and tended by an inclusive and collaborative network that invites diverse perspectives and emphasizes continuous learning.
Foundation
GSP restoration work happens across Seattle parks, in forests, fresh and saltwater shorelines, meadows, and wetlands. We treat restoration as an ongoing process for long-term health. To make sure we’re always bringing the best and newest techniques into Seattle parks, we participate in local, regional, national and international spaces that help us hone our craft.
With this pillar, we intend to go deeper into how and where we focus our restoration, and how we continue to expand the body of knowledge we’re working from.
Outcome
School and student participation in land-based education programming is strengthened.
Context
By connecting young people with the land and equipping them with the tools and confidence to steward it, we nurture an intergenerational culture of care for Seattle’s parklands and natural spaces. Partnering directly with schools allows us to meet youth where they are.
While school programming is not new to GSP, our purpose here is to dig deeper on barriers to public school participation and to build coordination across our wide Partnership to grow student engagement.
Strategies
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Build our understanding of the gaps and opportunities to increase K-12 school participation and expand programming.
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Support teachers and schools in connecting Tribal sovereignty teachings with land stewardship programming.
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Implement an outreach and awareness campaign to increase high school student participation.
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Outcome
Ecological restoration sites are being invested in based on the greatest needs and opportunities, using a climate justice lens.
Context
Where we choose to prioritize restoration is just as important and impactful as how we do it. We’re committed to prioritizing restoration activities in natural areas and communities that have been most impacted by injustices like pollution, redlining, extreme heat events, and climate change, and that can benefit the most from ensuring parkland ecosystems are healthy.
Strategies
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Update site prioritization framework to drive equitable project delivery.
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Update restoration project tracking systems to ensure priority restoration sites are moving successfully through the restoration process and into long-term care.
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Outcome
Knowledge sharing is facilitated to improve ecological restoration outcomes and climate resiliency, reflecting diverse perspectives.
Context
There are many different bodies of knowledge and expertise for how to care for the land, but government-funded restoration has historically used a more narrow set of ideas. The strategies in this pillar are dedicated to helping us expand how we think about and practice restoration, so that we’re considering as broad a knowledge base as possible. It’s also important to us that we improve access to information and grow our collective understanding of the many ways to steward land while being sensitive about protected knowledge (i.e. Traditional Ecological Knowledge).
Strategies
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Expand formats, participation, and topics shared through land care workshops and learning circles to engage people on the day-to-day practice of land care and long-term ecological restoration outcomes.
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Produce case studies to capture and share-out cross-Partnership learnings, amplifying diverse perspectives and practices.
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Apply learnings by collaboratively evaluating and refining best management practices.
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Implementation
Continuing Our Critical Programs
Across each of these pillars, we have 20 years of history and strengths. In our next 20 years, we’ll continue to lean into these critical programs that make us who we are — delivering professional restoration efforts, advancing partner-led programming, and supporting Forest Steward to lead at their sites — in addition to the strategies, actions, and outcomes named in our strategic plan.
Alongside these priority actions, we are committed to continuing to move forward large-scale restoration across Seattle, enrolling an average of 30 new acres in restoration each year and continuing care of an additional 300 acres annually. This work is coordinated by Seattle Parks and Recreation with field leadership by Parks and Recreation’s Natural Area Crew, contracted professional crews, partner organizations, and Forest Stewards.
Aligning closely with Seattle Parks and Recreation’s leadership with the Thriving Environment Initiative, we are building climate change resilience into Seattle’s urban fabric by stewarding and protecting urban forests and natural spaces, grounded in principles of environmental and climate justice.
Bringing the Plan to Life
Our Strategic Action Plan will live with the collective Partnership. To advance strategic actions, Seattle Parks and Recreation Green Seattle Partnership staff will weave in leadership and support from partner organizations, restoration professionals and Forest Stewards into annual scopes of work.
Key to our collective success bringing this plan to life as a Partnership are the GSP Working Circles: small groups with expertise in a given topic that will lead analyses and evaluation, inform programming direction, and expand relationships. Working Circles will build on the existing Pillar Action Plan strategies, bringing diverse voices to lead the Partnership.
These Circles will include:
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Cooperative Partnership Structure
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New Relationships
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Fiscal Resilience
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Student Engagement
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Career Pathways
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Restoration Assessment
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Knowledge Sharing
Each pillar includes its own set of metrics for tracking accountability, which will be overseen by the Working Circles. Dig deeper into Working Circles and accountability metrics on our full Action Plan PDF.
