Mercer Island Open Space Projects PROGRESS REPORT 2005

Transcription

1 PROGRESS REPORT 2005 City of Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department th Avenue SE Mercer Island, WA

2 Page 2 of 17` Overview This report summarizes the first year of implementing the Mercer Island Open Space Vegetation Plan that was completed in Partnerships with the non-profit organizations EarthCorps and Mountains to Sound Greenway were the core strategy of this effort. A combination of volunteer and contracted crews removed invasive plants on 27 acres in eight parks. Volunteers and contracted crews also planted a total of 1938 trees, including 950 trees planted through a King County Natural Resource Stewardship grant. Volunteer participation was significant overall, but highly variable depending on the site and the involvement of the local neighborhood. Background In late 2002, the City s vegetation management efforts in parks, open spaces and rightsof-way became an issue of debate and community interest. In 2003, a citizens' initiative to eradicate invasives from public property became eligible for the ballot. The measure was subsequently defeated at the polls in March of Shortly thereafter, City Council authorized the Parks and Recreation Department to developed a plan for managing the vegetation on open space properties based on the functional benefits of each park and open space property. The plan was presented to City Council at its October 4, 2004 meeting. Council chose to fund the recommended alternative for the biennium. The plan described three Levels of Service. Level C was the minimum level of service to limit the loss of vegetation function over time. Level B was a level of service to maintain the current functional levels of vegetation. Level A would improve the overall function of vegetation and result in increasing benefit over time. The recommended alternative assumed that the Pioneer Park Forest Management Plan would remain the guiding document for that property and would be funded accordingly. Its goals approached a Level A service. It then recommended a Level B service for five second priority sites and Level C service for nine third priority sites. Stewardship Level C Level B Level A vegetative cover maintain vegetative cover to conserve soil and prevent erosion plant new trees to maintain tree canopy while maintaining the ground layer plant a diversity of native vegetation to provide multiple layers of vegetation tree health ecosystem health cut ivy vines in trees to reduce tree loss remove Class A noxious weeds as required by law vegetation. clear all invasive plants from the base of trees to reduce competition identify and prevent invasion of intact or functional native plant communities cover remove invasives from the ground layer in forested areas remove invasive plants from all areas and prevent their regrowth Level of Service Objectives (From the Open Space Vegetation Plan)

3 Page 3 of 17` The plan recommended that priorities be somewhat flexible, influenced by the generosity of the community. All properties, including unprioritized properties could receive accelerated plan implementation and/or a higher level of service commensurate with the level of neighborhood participation. Priorities would shift as a result of this approach. The plan also called for seeking grants and donations to accelerate plan implementation were feasible. Restoration Priorities In 2005, Parks and Recreation staff began to implement the different Levels of Service based on the Open Space Vegetation Plan. The priorities for 2005 were as follows: Level A: Pioneer Park, Ellis Pond Level B: Mercerdale Hillside Park, Upper Luther Burbank Park, Island Crest Park, and SE 53 rd Open Space, Wildwood Park Level C: North Mercerdale Hillside Park Wildwood Park and Ellis Pond were moved to higher Levels of Service commensurate with the levels of neighborhood involvement in those parks. At both locations the neighbors host two large work parties each year to remove invasive plants, plant new plants and clean up the park area. Results Summary Invasive plants were removed on a total of 18.4 acres of City property. This consisted of selective hand removal of blackberry, ivy, holly and laurel in areas that have sufficient native plants to recolonize the area. In highly invaded areas of SE 53 rd Open Space and North Mercerdale Hillside, the focus was on creating "survival rings" around trees to prevent ivy from killing them. A total of 933 survival rings were created on an additional nine acres of open space. These activities illustrate the Open Space Vegetation Plan's strategy of focusing on areas with good native cover, while preventing tree loss in heavily invaded areas. Another strategy of the plan is to plant new trees to maintain tree canopy over the long term. In total, 1938 new trees were planted in Many of these trees were planted in "canopy gaps" - areas where trees are sparse or missing in an otherwise forested setting. Others were planted in areas of mature deciduous trees to provide new conifers to replace aging trees as they die. The 77 scheduled volunteer projects attracted 668 volunteers. Volunteer participation was highly variable. A few projects attracted 40 or more people, but a typical volunteer count was 4 to 10 people. Sunday projects were the surprising success, involving people who are normally busy on Saturdays. The Ivy Olympics gained the program needed visibility. Web advertising helped attract people from off-island looking for service hours. Similarly, outreach to schools and scheduled Monday afternoon projects targeted students looking for service learning opportunities. This was the first year of consistently publishing a calendar of environmental volunteer projects.

4 Page 4 of 17` Invasives removed (acres) Tree survival rings Crew Days Volunteer Events Total volunteers Trees planted Pioneer Park Mercerdale Hillside Upper Luther Burbank Island Crest Park Ellis Pond Wildwood Park North Mercerdale Hillside SE 53rd OS Totals Summary of Open Space work in 2005 Park Summaries Pioneer Park Pioneer Park is a 113 acre park that consists of 3 adjacent 38 acre quadrants separated by Island Crest Way and SE 68 th St. Pioneer Park received the highest level of service. This included removing all invasive plants from the project sites, and planting a diversity of native vegetation with emphasis on re-establishing the tree canopy. To carry out these objectives, EarthCorps removed invasive plants where there were large gaps in the canopy so that native trees could be replanted. This year their work focused in Area 11 in the Northwest quadrant of Pioneer Park (see the Management Area map below). The main invasive plants in the park were Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, Cherry laurel, and English holly. In May, the Mercer Island High School's Day of Service focused five teams on this site. EarthCorps crews also worked in Area 7 and 21, removing the regrowth of invasive plants where clearing and planting had occurred in In addition, they completed a small turnpike repair project in the Northeast quadrant near the ravine. Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust hosted three events at Pioneer Park to remove ivy from trees. From Pioneer Park Forest Management Plan

5 Page 5 of 17` At the end of February, Puget Sound Energy removed 25 trees along SE 68 th Street that were likely to fall into the transmission lines there. EarthCorps replanted the area with 100 trees supplied by PSE and removed invasive plants as well. The plantings were maintained by Parks and Recreation seasonal staff through the summer, in cooperation with Mercer Island Fire Station 92. Parks and Recreation staff also applied herbicide to larger laurel and holly in the EarthCorps project areas listed above. The King County Natural Resource Stewardship grant program provided grant funding to test the efficacy of mulch and irrigation supplements on new tree plantings. This grant assisted with the clearing and replanting of 2.2 acres of the park at two additional sites in Pioneer in the fall of One site was along 84 th Avenue SE in the northwest quadrant, and the other was off 92 nd Avenue SE in the southeast quadrant. Three hundred and eighty trees were planted at these sites. Areas of Invasive Removal and Tree Planting Project Work in Pioneer Park for 2005

6 Page 6 of 17` In total, there were 36 crew days and 17 volunteer events at Pioneer Park in These efforts resulted in removing invasives from 5.3 acres of the park and planting of 652 trees in those areas. Mercerdale Hillside Park Mercerdale Hillside Park is located southwest of the Town Center and covers 18.5 acres. Local community members have been steadily working in the park for a number of years cutting ivy vines in trees and planting new trees throughout the hillside. EarthCorps focused work near the 34 th Street entrance. Because Mercerdale Hillside Park is a Level B park, the restoration work here is focused on restoring tree canopy and removing invasive plants from the ground layer. The main invasive plants at Mercerdale are English ivy, Cherry laurel, English holly, and Himalayan blackberry. In the large canopy gap to the north east of the park entrance, EarthCorps applied the blackberry cut/ re-cut method. In the other restoration sites where there was at least 50% native vegetation cover, EarthCorps implemented total invasive removal. Cherry laurel and English holly were treated with the cherry laurel/ holly cut/ re-cut method (see page 7 regarding restoration methods). The whole restoration area was planted with native conifers. Mountains to Sound Greenway hosted two events here to remove ivy from trees. The King County Natural Resource Stewardship grant program assisted with the clearing and replanting of 1 acre at the south end of the hillside in the fall of Two hundred and sixty trees were planted at this site. In total, there were 32 crew days and 26 volunteer events at Mercerdale Hillside in These efforts resulted in removing invasives from 2.9 acres of the park and planting of 410 trees in those areas.

7 Page 7 of 17` Areas of Invasive Removal and Tree Planting Project Work in Mercerdale Hillside for 2005 Upper Luther Burbank Park Upper Luther Burbank Park is located east of the Town Center and covers 19 acres. Local community members have been very active in this park's restoration. This park has also been a focus of the YFS VOICE program in the summer. In 2005, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust led 18 volunteer projects to remove invasives in a corridor adjacent to 84 th Avenue SE and on a knoll in the southern portion of the park. The work was total invasive plant removal, with ivy and blackberry being predominant. MSGT crews worked on steeper slopes removing invasives and installing wattling to prevent erosion. EarthCorps helped out by watering newly planted trees in November. The King County Natural Resource Stewardship grant program assisted with the clearing and replanting of half an acre in the south end of the park in the fall of One hundred and forty trees were planted at this site. In total, there were 11 crew days and 18 volunteer events at Upper Luther in These efforts resulted in removing invasives from 4.4 acres of the park and planting of 387 trees in those areas.

8 Page 8 of 17` Areas of Invasive Removal & Tree Planting Project Work in Upper Luther Burbank Park for 2005 Ellis Pond This four acre park has the only year-round pond on Mercer Island. This park enjoys strong community support. Community members in the neighborhood have been working to enhance this park for many years. While EarthCorps only worked here for a total of three days, they reported that this was where their work was most appreciated. Since the community has been so involved in this park, this park was raised to a Level A of service for This includes total invasive plant removal and planting a diversity of native plants including trees, shrubs, and groundcovers. The work this year focused on the west side of the park where neighbors have already been working to remove invasive plants and plant native plants. The three crew days at Ellis Pond were dedicated to preparation, implementing and clean-up of the fall planting event. Project management

9 Page 9 of 17` time was also spent coordinating the spring work party, developing a work plan for Ellis Pond, coordinating the October Mercer Island High School Day of Service, and coordinating the fall planting event. Island Crest Park This park is a Level B park and has roughly 30 acres of open space. Until this year, the park has had only intermittent volunteer participation in restoration efforts. Since this park is a Level B park it received some of the same restoration methods as Mercerdale Hillside Park. Areas of Invasive Removal and Tree Planting Project Work in Island Crest Park for 2005 In canopy gaps where there was mostly Himalayan blackberry the blackberry cut/ re-cut method was applied and in areas where there were higher concentrations of natives, total invasive removal was implemented. Restoration sites were also planted with native conifers. Most of the work this year was focused in the northeastern section of the forest, between the main parking lot and the main ravine. Mountains to Sound Greenway also hosted two events here to remove ivy from trees.

10 Mercer Island Open Space Projects Page 10 of 17` The King County Natural Resource Stewardship grant program assisted with the clearing and replanting of 1.5 acres in the south end the park in the fall of One hundred and sixty trees were planted at this site. In total, there were 34 crew days and 9 volunteer events at Island Crest Park in These efforts resulted in removing invasives from 5.3 acres of the park and planting of 406 trees in those areas. SE 53rd Open Space This 25 acre open space is a Level B park. It is located in the southern area of the park and is bordered by S.E 53rd Pl., a residential area, and E.Mercer Way. The topography is very steep; there is one main ravine in the middle of the open space and several springs and seated wetlands that make access difficult. There are also no trails at this time into the open space. Because of these conditions there has been no prior restoration work in the open space. The restoration focus at this open space is to get survival rings around all the trees first before removing invasive plants off the ground. Almost all of the trees in the open space have some amount of ivy growing on them, with many dangerously close to toppling due to the weight of the ivy. This year EarthCorps focused work along the SE 53rd Pl. road and also into the open space from the entrance on E. Mercer Way. In total, there were 21 crew days and 1 volunteer event at Mercerdale Hillside in These efforts resulted in 624 survival rings being created around trees. There was also an eighth of an acre cleared of ivy as a result of the Ivy Olympics that occurred here in May.

11 Page 11 of 17` Areas of Invasive Removal and Tree Planting Project Work in Island Crest Park for 2005 Wildwood Park Wildwood Park is a three acre site to the south of Pioneer Park. In the Open Space Vegetation Plan, it was an unprioritized site, with no Level of Service assigned. However, neighbors of the park have been very active in the park for several years removing blackberry and other invasive plants at its spring and fall workparties. Therefore, it received Level B service this year. Activities included removal of blackberry and ivy, and planting of several hundred trees and shrubs in restoration areas. There were two crew days and two volunteer events at Wildwood Park in 2005, with two-tenths of an acre being cleared of invasive plants and replanted. North Mercerdale Hillside This six acre open space is located just to the north of Mercerdale Hillside Park. This park was the first to receive the Level C service, with the goal of delaying the decline of the vegetation. The main restoration focus here is to create survival rings around all the

12 Page 12 of 17` trees. EarthCorps has completed approximately 90% of the site. In total, 14 crew days and two volunteer events produced 270 survival rings. Restoration Methods Blackberry cut/ re-cut This method is prescribed for areas where there are large canopy gaps with a high percentage of invasive plants (mainly Himalayan blackberry) and little or no native vegetation. The method is to cut and pile the Himalayan blackberry without removing the roots, except for a 5 ft diameter circle around newly planted trees. This method will be used in 2 nd priority parks where the focus is on establishing tree canopy and not on total invasive removal. The blackberry will be re-cut on a regular basis to repress growth and allow native plants to grow. Cherry laurel/holly cut/ re-cut The cherry laurel and holly were treated by cutting and removing most of the trunk and branches, but leaving a stump about 3-4 feet tall. To prevent regrowth of these invasive plants, all new growth will be removed as it appears. The purpose of this is to starve these plants and prevent growth without the use of pesticides. This method was applied in Mercerdale Hillside Park and Island Crest Park. Total invasive plant removal Total invasive removal is the prescribed method for 1 st priority parks and areas in 2 nd priority parks where there is at least 50% native vegetation present on the ground layer. This method involves cutting and piling Himalayan blackberry and English ivy onto on site compost piles. The roots are also removed and piled on top of the compost piles. Survival rings This is the main method used to remove English ivy from trees. The ivy vines on the tree are cut at 4-5 feet above the base of the tree. Then the vines are pulled from the base of the tree, leaving the vines above to die. The lower vines must be pulled back 5 feet from the base of the tree creating a survival ring. The roots of the ivy vines will also be removed within this 5 foot diameter circle.

13 Page 13 of 17` Native Tree Planting Most restoration sites in 1 st and 2 nd priority parks were planted with a mixture of native conifers including Western hemlock, Western red cedar, Douglas fir, and Sitka Spruce (only at Mercerdale Hillside Park). The spacing for these trees is 15 feet apart. All trees were flagged for later monitoring Volunteer Events and Recruitment The Open Space Vegetation Plan heavily relies on volunteer efforts to accomplish the extensive restoration work needed in Mercer Island Parks. Although volunteer activities have taken place on Mercer Island for many years, the plan formalizes the need for these volunteer efforts and also a need to increase volunteer involvement in Mercer Island Parks. A large part of the Mountains to Sound and EarthCorps partnerships is to establish volunteer events on the island, increase community involvement in the parks, and create a base of community volunteers. There have been many challenges to accomplishing these objectives including: Lack of interest among most neighbors to adjacent parks Finding the right venues for advertising volunteer events Interest and time available from Mercer Island groups and clubs Lack of access and knowledge of local parks. Despite these challenges there were many successful events through these partnerships. Upper Luther Burbank Park accomplished more with volunteers than any other park. This was the result of several factors. One is the strong core organization of local neighbors who are involved in the park. These neighbors provided continuity to the projects and were highly successful in tracking and reporting their progress. They provided hospitality to outside groups coming in to work in the park, improving the rate of repeat volunteers. Volunteer involvement also benefited from substantial involvement of YFS youth programs. The park was a core part of the summer VOICE program, and the high school E Team made school year projects here a priority as well. Finally, Mountains to Sound Greenway provided solid volunteer project organizing, and recruited corporate groups from off the island to participate. These efforts help make this site a success. Ellis Pond is another example in which the local neighbors have taken ownership of their local park. Ellis Pond has two work parties a year, one in the spring, and one in the fall. The Spring Work Party has been a yearly event for many years, while the Fall Planting Event was new this year, but will hopefully continue due to its great success. Reasons for this success could be due to the neighbors who have lived in the area for a long time and have a lot invested in the park, and also because these work parties are more like community gatherings (complete with potlucks) than volunteer events. There are also a

14 Page 14 of 17` number of neighbors who are very active in the park and have been responsible for organizing work parties in the past. Wildwood Park is a situation similar to Ellis Pond, but the neighborhood group is newer, and the sense of ownership in the neighborhood is not quite as strong. Nevertheless, the Wildwood Park neighbors have made considerable progress improving the park. Pioneer Park is different situation of successful volunteer involvement. This park is owned and managed by citizen board, the Open Space Conservancy Trust. It is the most visited open space and one of the most popular parks on Mercer Island. It is also very close to Islander Middle School. Volunteer activities here included the Mercer Island High School Day of Service, an annual Fall Planting Day, and weekly service projects to meet the needs of 8 th graders who must meet a requirement of 10 service hours per quarter. While the Day of Service and Fall Planting Day were successful, the weekly events met with mixed results. In the late spring and early summer these events had at least 10 volunteers per event. In the late fall weekly events, volunteer numbers were never over three. This could be due to the weather or changes in teachers at Mercer Island High School. There were also volunteer events at Mercerdale Hillside Park, Island Crest Park, and North Mercerdale Hillside. These events in general had lower volunteer numbers, likely due to it being the first year to have organized events here. Mercerdale Hillside and Island Crest Park have potential for increased volunteer numbers with more advertising and events scheduled with larger Mercer Island groups and clubs. North Mercerdale Hillside has very steep slopes, and limited access, and is not recommended for volunteer activities unless the local community around the park becomes more interested. The last and most noteworthy event on Mercer Island this year was the Ivy Olympics. This event took place on May 7 th, National Ivy Out Day, at SE 53 rd Pl Open Space. The Ivy Olympics involved teams competing in different ivy removal competitions, as well as an Open Space Fair with informational booths and ivy crafting. The ivy removal competitions were a success with teams getting into the spirit, and accomplishing a lot of work. The Open Space Fair and ivy crafting were not as popular. This event also brought a lot of publicity to the problem of English ivy on the island, and was a really exciting event for the volunteers. It is highly recommended that this event happen again and if not on Mercer Island continue to participate as a team

15 Page 15 of 17` competing in the Ivy Olympics. Since this was the first year, there are a few recommended changes. First, there should be more prep time to recruit groups. Most community groups or corporate groups need a few months to organize for an event. It is not too early to start planning now. It is also recommended that the Open Space Fair be done on a smaller scale or re-worked somehow. All in all, the Ivy Olympics were a great move towards community involvement in Mercer Island Parks. Recommendations Pioneer Park Invasive removal is nearly complete in the canopy gaps of Area 11. There are two small areas on the north and western edges of these canopy gaps that still have Himalayan blackberry. These areas should be finished before moving onto another area. These areas should also be planted in late winter or very early spring. Area 11 will need to be monitored for the re-growth of invasive plants and some crew time should be spent doing weed sweeps next year. Trees should also be monitored for survivorship and replanted if there is mortality. In 2006, crews should also sweep through Areas 7 and 21 to catch any remaining regrowth of invasive plants. Recommendations for volunteer events and recruitment are as follows: Continue to post volunteer information at Islander Middle School and Mercer Island High School. Maintain contact with Islander Middle School teachers and search for a solid contact at Mercer Island High School. Partner with the VOICE team to include projects in the volunteer listings for the upcoming summer projects. Schedule monthly projects during the summer and limit projects in the winter to every other week or monthly. Mercerdale Hillside Park Mercerdale Hillside Park faces challenges in regards to volunteer recruitment as mentioned earlier. Volunteer recruitment should focus on recruiting large groups for Days of Service at the park. Mercerdale Hillside Park should be on the list for the Mercer Island High School Day of Service. This year a restoration site was established near the entrance to the park at SE 34 th St. This site will need to be maintained during the future, but it should also serve as a starting point for future restoration areas. Since this park received the blackberry cut/ re-cut method and the cherry laurel/ holly cut/ re-cut method, these areas will need to be monitored for re-growth. Cherry laurel and holly recutting can be done by volunteers, but due to the extensive amount in the park crew days may be needed to re-cut all of it. This re-cutting should be done two to three times during the next year. After that, these invasive plants should still be monitored for regrowth. Upper Luther Burbank Park Extensive amounts of invasive plants were removed in A significant part of the work in 2006 will be to maintain these areas and the new trees that were planted there.

16 Page 16 of 17` These area should be expanded as volunteer efforts allow. Cherry laurel and holly cut/recut treatment should be applied to new and existing project areas. The biggest challenge in future years will be the removal of invasive plants on the steeper slopes in the eastern half of the park. Work began on this in 2005 using Mountains to Sound Greenway crews. This work should be expanded in Ellis Pond Because of the park size and commitment by the local community, it is possible to return Ellis Pond to native habitat. In 2006, more crew days should be dedicated to Ellis Pond. It would take just a few extra days to make a large difference. There should be a crew for the Spring Work Party, the Fall Planting Event, and also the Fall Mercer Island High School Day of Service. A crew day for maintenance and invasive removal would also be useful. Island Crest Park This park is in a better condition than many parks on Mercer Island. Because of this it is highly possible to restore the park. The areas cleared and planted this year will need to be monitored next year and a weed sweep is recommended. New restoration efforts should expand outwards from this year s restoration area. This is also a great park for volunteer activities. It has great potential and volunteers will be able to see change here quickly because there is already so much native plant habitat. This park is also centrally located, has adequate parking, and good access to restoration sites, making it an ideal site for volunteer events and for any large corporate volunteer events. SE 53 rd Open Space This year EarthCorps completed 624 survival rings in the open space; this area covers 1/6 of the open space. The next steps should be to continue clearing survival rings throughout the rest of the open space, starting on the western side of SE 53 rd Pl. There is a proposed trail into the open space, and after this is built access will be easier and crews will be able to progress deeper into the open space. Wildwood Park Neighbors and contractors made significant progress in removing blackberry and replanting areas in the west and south parts of the park this year. Activities in the park should continue to remove invasive plants to maintain the health of the trees and plant new trees in the park. The native alder trees will be declining over the next 20 years, and replacement trees should be planted soon to insure continuation of the forest habitat. Maintaining the edges of the natural area will remain a focus as well, since this is where blackberry will continue to recolonize. North Mercerdale Hillside Ninety percent of the trees in this open space have been cleared of English ivy. There is a small section between the southern edge of the park and the stairs that lead up to the west that still needs survival rings. Even though the work focus at North Mercerdale Hillside does not go beyond survival rings at this point, it is necessary in the future to

17 Page 17 of 17` address the lack of conifer canopy. Currently the site is predominately Red alder and Big leaf maple. Most trees are in the same age class and there are very few conifers present with no conifer re-growth. To ensure that this open space remains forested, tree planting will have to occur in the future.