Issaquah celebrates Earth Day with 150 new trees

Published 4:06 pm Saturday, April 21, 2012

Rachel Hoff had a blast digging dirt out of holes, then putting it back in the ground.

But when it came down to it, the 6-year-old also knew the true value of what she and a group of more than 40 other volunteers were doing Saturday.

“It’s good for Mother Nature,” she shouted.

In recognition of Earth Day and Arbor Day, the City of Issaquah arranged for the planting of 150 trees near Pickering Trail along Issaquah Creek.

“What we’re trying to do is get a lot of vegetation along the creek,” said Matt Mechler, open space steward for Issaquah. “That way it helps provide shade to the creek and keeps the water temperature down. It’s better for the fish, better for the creek and just provides habitat for the wildlife, too.”

Volunteers gathered from a variety of locations, including Cub Scout Pack 638, which provided about half the support.

Cubmaster Jenine Hoff brought her three children, Rachel, Ryan and Nate to help with the project.

“It gives them some more appreciation for our environment and as Cub Scouts it’s important to do community service and give back,” she said.

There were a variety of trees planted, including Oregon ash, cascara, vine maples, sword ferns, birch and Douglas Fir.

Mechler noted that many of the trees along the creek now were once planted as part of similar restoration projects. He said the city normally tries to do one or two of these types of projects a year — normally in the early spring and fall.

Saturday’s project ran in conjunction with the Issaquah Farmers Market.

Mechler emphasized the importance of continuing to do similar projects in future years. He is also well aware, however, that it would be more difficult without those who give their time.

“There’s a lot trees out here,” he said. “For me to plant them all would take a long time. Getting groups like this and volunteers is fantastic. They can really assist a lot and plant a lot of trees in a short amount of time. And people have fun doing it too.”

Nate Hoff, 6, starts digging a hole to plant a tree on Saturday near Pickering Trail.