MLK Day of Service Success
Last Monday, staff and volunteers at Nature Consortium gathered in the West Duwamish Greebelt to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service – and it was a huge success! We had the pleasure of meeting Mayor Ed Murray, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, and Miss Seattle (an outstanding student from West Seattle High School), who all joined us in the greenbelt to pitch in. Here’s a look at what you accomplished:
Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen (left) and Nature Consortium Executive Director Merica Whitehall (right) on MLK Day – Photo by Kim Doyel
- 140 volunteers attended
- 560 native plants installed
- 6 cubic yards of mulch spread
- 3 musicians performed
- 32 art project participants
Students from local universities, as well as neighbors and community members, gathered in the morning to learn how native plants support our local ecosystem and our city. Volunteers were so excited to dig into the soil that we quickly ran out of plants; all 560 trees and shrubs were installed in nearly two hours! After lunch, we moved on to mulching. Placing rings of wood mulch around our newly installed plants will help the root systems to establish in their new home and protect the plants from any weeds that may try to sprout up. Volunteers formed a fast and efficient bucket brigade to transport mulch from the top of the hill to our planting sites.
Volunteers reflect on service and gratitude with time-capsule art projects
Of course, no Nature Consortium event is complete without art. While we worked, clarinetist Ben Smith and friends played popular tunes that brought an extra spark of excitement to our bucket brigade. After the last bucket of mulch was spread, we gathered on the playfield to celebrate our hard work with more music, refreshments, and a reflective art project led by Carol Williams. Bringing art to the outdoors allows volunteers to connect with their creativity, their surroundings, and with each other in new and unexpected ways.
Volunteer photographer Kim Doyel was there to capture the magic.
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In the News
Check out the news coverage of this event on the West Seattle Blog, as well as on Mayor Murray’s blog.