UW Arboretum

For the first year, UW-REN is working with the Washington Park Arboretum, a 230 acre highly visited, beautiful public park located in Seattle on Lake Washington. The park features numerous plant collections, both native and non-native, and also manages a nursery on site. Students are focusing their restoration project in one of the holly collection areas. Work includes designing a way to reduce invasive plants and incorporate more native plants while also finding a creative management plan for the site's naturally high water table.

Yesler Swamp

Yesler Swamp is a 6-acre parcel and the former outfall of the now disconnected Yesler Creek. It is located near Lake Washington, at the Union Bay Natural Area, on the University of Washington's Seattle campus. The Capstone team has partnered with Friends of Yesler Swamp to reverse habitat degradation and to improve the quality of habitat for wildlife, including native birds and small mammals. This sloped site includes both wetlands and uplands. Check out the Facebook page created by the student team to learn more about their restoration efforts and to join them for a community volunteer work party.

Yesler Swamp Restoration Page

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park is a 40-acre property owned by the City of Shoreline. The majority of the park is maintained as native habitat and it is used by the community for recreation and access to the Puget Sound. This restoration project builds on previous years' efforts to restore coastal dune habitat. The Capstone team's goals include removing invasive species, stabilizing steep slopes and installing site appropriate native plants while maintaining a view corridor. Check out the blog created by the student team to learn more about their restoration efforts and to join them for a community volunteer work party.

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park Restoration Blog

Ravenna Park

Ravenna Park is a major City of Seattle park located in a residential neighborhood north of the University of Washington. Most of the park is dominated by a steep-walled, narrow ravine created by Ravenna Creek. This restoration project is a portion of a larger ravine restoration effort coordinated by the City of Seattle, the GreenSeattle partnership, and the surrounding community. The Capstone team is replacing invasive plant species with a native plant assemblage that will control erosion and initiate succession to a mature wetland forest community.

Pierce College Oak Woodlands

The Pierce College Lakewood campus is located in the southern portion of the Puget Lowlands, where native prairie and oak woodlands were formerly common. The Capstone team is working on the eastern side of the campus to restore an open slope and meadow from its current degraded state. Building upon a multi-year effort, invasive species are being replaced by native species to foster development of an oak – prairie complex. The capstone team is also exploring educational opportunities to involve students of all ages in the restoration process.

Yesler Creek

The Yesler Creek ravine headwater restoration site is located in the Sandpoint neighborhood of Seattle, adjacent to the Burke-Gilman trail. Two Capstone teams are coordinating restoration activities to build upon previous years' efforts upstream. The teams are removing dominant invasive species, using bioengineering to stabilize steep slopes, testing water quality and installing a variety of wetland and upland native plants. The goal climax ecosystem on this site is mixed forested wetland and riparian corridor. Support is provided by the City of Seattle and by the GreenSeattle partnership.

Yesler Creek Restoration Website

North Creek Forest

The North Creek Forest restoration site is located in Bothell, adjacent to I-405 and residential development. This 64 acre urban remnant forest is rated as "Priority Habitat" by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Capstone team is partnering with Friends of North Creek Forest to initiate restoration. They plan to remove dominant invasive species, strategically woody debris and install a diverse assemblage of native plants shown to have high value for wildlife. The goal climax ecosystem on this site is a typical Puget Trough lowland mixed coniferous deciduous forest.

Magnuson Park

This is the first year that UW-REN will be working with Magnuson Park. It is a 350 acre urban park that draws numerous local residents to its beaches, P-Patch, athletic fields and meandering paths through ongoing restoration areas. Magnuson Park offers a unique opportunity: being restored from a Navy airfield to a diverse natural landscape. Students will focus on a project that involves reducing invasive plants, working with impacted soils and establishing a native plant habitat in both wetland and upland sections.