Chinook Bend Natural Area in Carnation was a new site for Squad; being a twenty year-old restoration site, it was gratifying to see how lush and established our own stewardship efforts may look in the future! King County Parks was given the land from Nestle who had purchased it from local dairy farmers. Prior to restoration, the majority of the site was just pasture, now it is resplendent with native vegetation, many paths, wetland features and a pond–all along the Snoqualmie River.
Our task was to target the noxious weed tansy ragwort / Jacobea vulgaris, a regulated weed that is toxic to livestock in particular & also humans. Additionally, we passed large stands of noxious common tansy, a different species entirely which looks a bit more ferny, it is less appealing for livestock, though also toxic. We kept an eye out for poison hemlock (one of several troublesome weeds in the carrot family) and pulled it out with gloves on, make sure you know how to identify it. We saw a bullfrog, herons, eagle and handled a plump garter snake.
The river was fun to play in until the thunder rolled in. This is a neat quiet spot to enjoy the river and walk the wild trails. One volunteer’s employer matched the service hours at a donation of $25/hr! Very cool, don’t forget to log your hours if you have a matching program.
