Last week was a big week once again for the South Sound Wildlife and Interpretive Center on Phillips Road. Clover Park Rotary along with The Northwest Youth Corps, who has been very active with the Wildlife Center for a number of years, once again spent the week improving the Wildlife center.
The Northwest Youth Corps began in 1984 and was the brainchild of Art Pope, who earlier worked for the seasonal “Youth Conservation Corps”. Its first office was in a defunct gas station in Eugene Oregon. With youth unemployment hovering at 50% at the time, NYC’s goal was (and remains) to educate and engage young people and teach them important life skills, while improving the natural environment and paying the youth stipends for their work in some cases. Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) provides a challenging education and job-training experience that helps youth and young adults from diverse backgrounds develop the skills they need to lead full and productive lives.
Several Youth Corps Groups worked to place indigenous plants in the “Prairie Restoration” area of the park and in the “Endangered species study pond.” Plants included: 100 Western Serviceberry, 225 Pacific Ninebark, 200 Snowberry, 125 Douglas Spiraea, and 255 other indigenous plants. In addition to the 805 plants, the teams planted over 1000 plugs of “Roemers Fescue,” a grass also native to our area.
These plants were purchased with funds awarded by a Pierce County Watershed grant this year.
When asked about the importance of planting indigenous flora to the park, Alan Billingsley indicated that planting indigenous plants is crucial because they are well-adapted to the local climate and ecosystem. They provide essential food and shelter for native wildlife, which helps to maintain biodiversity and prevent soil erosion. He indicated they also require less maintenance compared to non-native species.
“Essentially, they play a key role in sustaining a healthy natural balance within a region,” he said.
Over 400 total volunteer manhours were expended in this effort over the week before the Thanksgiving holiday. In addition, there were 5 State employees helping in assuring all planting were accomplished according the generally accepted procedures.
This long-term effort has seen the efforts of many service clubs, Boy Scout groups, and citizens at large, in addition to the work of Lakewood’s two Rotary Clubs, Clover Park (Lakewood) and Lakewood Rotary.
The next big push For Clover Park Rotary, is to finish a fence that has been extended down Phillips Rd from the park entrance toward Onyx Dr. Several Rotary clubs will be endeavoring to finish the final section of fence next year.
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