On April 19th, 2008, 200 People For Puget Sound volunteers weeded out invasive plants, planted native trees and shrubs, spread mulch, and cleaned up trash at Codiga Park in Tukwila. In four hours of work, they dug out Himalayan blackberry, common tansy, and other weeds amounting to about 30 cubic yards over an area of 42,000 square feet.

They also planted 900 native trees and shrubs, including Oregon ash, Pacific ninebark, cluster rose, Douglas fir, black hawthorne, red osier dogwood, red flowering currant and tall Oregon grape, and applied 15 cubic yards of mulch around these plantings.

Codiga Park was just one of 8 Duwamish Alive! work sites that drew an estimated 800 volunteer. The 27-member Duwamish Alive! Coalition received the national Coastal America Award for outstanding efforts in conservation of coastal environments and public engagement.

The presentation included Ron Sims, King County Executive, Virginia K.Tippie, Director of Coastal America, and Timothy R.E. Keeney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Kathy Fletcher, Executive Director of People for Puget Sound, accepted the award for the partners, many of whom were on hand to collect their commemorative plaques.

-Eliza Ghitis, People for Puget Sound