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On May 4th, I had the pleasure of working with the Green Seattle Partnership to help restore a section of the Burke-Gilman trail near 77th. The Burke-Gilman trail wasn’t always a beautiful pathway for the Northwest’s’ many cyclists and runners. “In 1885 Judge Thomas Burke, Daniel Gilman and ten other investors set out to establish a Seattle-based railroad so that the young city might win a place among major transportation centers and reap the economic benefits of trade.” (“Seattle Department of Transportation: Bike Program."). The trail used to be a railroad that serviced the regional logging areas called the Burlington Northern Railroad, however it was abandoned in 1971 (“Seattle Department of Transportation: Bike Program."). Now, as we all know, it’s a very busy paved trail spanning from Gas Works to the University of Washington to Fremont. “The trail can at times be busy and even crowded with cyclists, walkers, joggers and skaters.” People use the Burke-Gilman for commuting as well as recreational purposes. When I arrived at the job site, I was greeted by the organizers, Steve and Jim. I worked mostly with Steve, a very exuberant and entertaining elderly gentleman. It was inspiring to see someone his age with so much spirit and passion about the work he’s doing to help restore the historic trail in his community. Steve kept us students entertained and energetic on an early Saturday morning with all of his stories and knowledge about the local species around the trail. Before we started working he gave us a quick run down of what we would actually be doing to help restore the area. This included pulling invasive species and spreading wood chips that had been dropped off by the City of Seattle. I spent most of my day simpl... ... middle of paper ... ...es of wood chips, we are helping to solve multiple problems. In figures 2 and 4 you can see the before and after images that show how we spread the mulch. It was quite exhausting work. As student volunteers, our work was important because without our manpower, the two organizers simply would not be able to move that much mulch or pull that many invasive species from the ground. With our manpower we were able to clear and prepare a very large area along the Burke-Gilman trail. That stretch of trail is now ready for planting. One of the most rewarding parts of working along this trail was the immense amount of thanks we received from normal citizens that were passing by on the trail. Because of my work, and the work of my fellow classmates, that stretch of trail is no longer a sight for sore eyes. I am excited to see what the ecosystem looks like one year from now.

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