Snohomish County Healthy Forest Project

10/21/2026

Celebrate Halloween with Healthy Forest Project stewards and staff at Meadowdale Beach Park! Volunteers and staff have worked monthly to maintain the estuary project at the park and we'd love your help. Register online at the link in our bio.

The Meadowdale Beach Park estuary project restored a historic estuary by removing the lawn, uplifting the BNSF railway, removing undersized culverts, and reintroducing native plant communities. Now, this area is a sanctuary for young salmon and other fish. We've even seen salmon come here to spawn, with spawning usually over by mid-October. You can read more about the estuary restoration project online on SnoCo Parks' website.

This event is a great opportunity to learn more about the project, contribute to its success, and to view wildlife. At this work party, we'll focus on mulching our planting area and removing weeds like blackberries and bindweed.

Please wear closed-toe shoes, long sleeves, long pants, and dress in layers. You can wear an appropriate Halloween costume for an extra treat. Gloves and hand tools will be provided, but you can bring your own if you wish. Bring a water bottle and a snack. Don't forget to bring your rain gear as well! We will meet rain or shine, but may reschedule if wind gusts are expected to be over 25 mph or if there are lightning storms forecasted. Registrants will be notified in advance.

We will meet at the picnic bench near the parking lot by the access trail. Please plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early to find a parking spot and sign in. The parking lot can fill up early when the weather is nice. The hike to our work site is 1.5 miles each way and is steep in some sections. We'll start off by hiking down together and will return to the trailhead at our own pace starting at 12 pm.

10/05/2026

10/05/2026

10/02/2026

Come join us at the Focus on Farming & Forestry Conference! Learn from speakers in 7 different tracks. This year's forestry track is all about wildfire resilience, preparation, and prevention.

Calling all forest landowners! This year the Forestry track at Focus on Farming & Forestry is focused on wildfire prevention. We will be joined by many experts including Dan Rankin, Mayor of Darrington and a tree farm owner. He will speak on topics such as stand density, fuel loading and managing a forest when wildfire risk is on the rise. In addition, Dan will touch on concerns small forest landowners face about the future of the industry. Come join us November 4 at the Evergreen State Fair!

Ticket price goes up October 2!

Tickets and more information at www.focusonfarming.org

09/16/2026

Join Healthy Forest Project stewards and staff for a maintenance work party at Meadowdale Beach Park on Sunday, September 27 from 9 to 11:30 am. Volunteers and staff have worked monthly to maintain the estuary project at the park and we'd love your help. The Meadowdale Beach Park estuary project restored a historic estuary by removing the lawn, uplifting the BNSF railway, removing undersized culverts, and reintroducing native plant communities. Now, this area is a sanctuary for young salmon and other fish. We've even seen salmon come here to spawn, with spawning usually over by mid-October. You can read more about the estuary restoration project online on SnoCo Parks' website.

This event is a great opportunity to learn more about the project, contribute to its success, and to view wildlife. At this work party, we'll focus on removing weeds like blackberries and thinning broadleaf trees. We're hoping to host more events this fall, so stay tuned for more postings. Sign up using the link in our bio.

Please wear closed-toe shoes, long sleeves, long pants, and dress in layers. Remember to bring rain gear if rain is in the forecast. Gloves and hand tools will be provided, but you can bring your own if you wish. Bring a water bottle and a snack. Don't forget to bring your rain gear as well! We will meet rain or shine, but may reschedule if wind gusts are expected to be over 25 mph or if the air quality index is over 100. Registrants will be notified in advance.

We will meet at the picnic bench near the parking lot by the access trail. Please plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early to find a parking spot and sign in. The parking lot can fill up early when the weather is nice. The hike to our work site is 1.5 miles each way and is steep in some sections. We'll start off by hiking down together and will return to the trailhead at our own pace.

Please wear long sleeves, long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty or snagged on prickly plants. Bring a full water bottle and a snack. Hand tools and gloves will be provided, but you can bring your own if you wish. Remember to bring rain gear if rain is in the forecast.

09/14/2026

Looking for plans to kick off your weekend? A Creative Ecology Event is happening Friday, September 18 from 3–7 pm at Raising Cane Ranch in Snohomish. This family friendly event features local artists, a farm tour, raffle prizes, and more: https://loom.ly/RWqQrVE

09/08/2026

Rescheduled to Friday 9/25

09/08/2026

The Healthy Forest Project is joining with Forterra Northwest to bring you another Forterra Friday event on Friday, September 18 from 1 to 4 pm. We need your help to remove blackberries next to North Creek with plans to install native plants later in fall.

Less blackberry means less competition for light and water and less damage to the trees and understory that make up the forest. When we replant the restoration project, the native plants installed will provide better food and shelter to the critters that live there. They will also slow down and absorb storm water, store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and release oxygen more effectively than blackberries. Not only are the native plants better for the environment, but they're also easier for our operations and maintenance staff to manage! Your help goes a long way, so we hope to see you there.

Register online using the link in our bio. Please wear long sleeves, long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty or snagged on prickly plants. Bring a full water bottle and a snack, though some snacks and water refills will be provided. Hand tools and gloves will be provided, but you can bring your own if you wish. Remember to bring rain gear if rain is in the forecast.

We may reschedule for safety if wind gusts are expected to be over 25 mph, the ambient temperature is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, or the Air Quality Index is over 150. If air quality is poor, we recommend wearing an N95 mask while exerting yourself outside. There is plenty of shade at this work site and the terrain is mostly level with some rocks and roots in the trail.

09/04/2026

Want to learn what can and can’t be recycled, how to reduce waste and why individual and community-level actions make a difference toward climate change? Become a WSU Snohomish County […]

09/01/2026

The Snohomish County Healthy Forest Project is hoping that you will help with a research project about western monarch butterflies. Monarch butterflies occasionally occur in western Washington, but some butterfly researchers, lepidopterists, theorize that climate change will make their occurrence more frequent. This study will test this hypothesis by providing important habitat for monarch butterflies to study their use of the site. Volunteers will remove grasses and weeds in a 11.5 by 11.5 foot plot and then transplant showy milkweed plants. Thanks to Nico Strickland, Western Washington University graduate, for recommending the study and arranging this work party with us! Sign up using the link in our bio.

Please wear long sleeves, long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty or snagged on prickly plants. Bring a full water bottle and a snack. Hand tools and gloves will be provided, but you can bring your own if you wish. Remember to bring rain gear if rain is in the forecast.

We're still experiencing summer weather, so remember to bring your water bottle and wear loose-fitting, breathable clothing in layers that you can remove. If the temperature is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, mandatory cool-down breaks will be enforced. There is plenty of shade at this work site, but no drinking water source, so please take the necessary precautions to have a fun time with us!