Last Saturday morning, a small fleet of kayaks gathered on the shore at Seattle’s Terminal 107 Park, slipped into the Duwamish River, and spread out in search of garbage. Aspect’s Mark Bruce and Steve Germiat were aboard two of them as part of the Duwamish Alive! biannual restoration and cleanup event.
Mark, Steve, and other volunteers plucked 286 pounds of litter and debris from the river itself. A total of over 400 volunteers on land at other sites along the river cleared blackberry, knotweed, nightshade, and other invasive weeds from 18,870 square feet of restoration area and planted 40 plants, including 12 trees.
The cleanup was led by the Duwamish Alive Coalition, a collaboration between local nonprofits, municipalities, and businesses within the Duwamish River Watershed that work to preserve and enhance its ecological health. This was the 10th anniversary of the Duwamish Alive! restoration events. Aspect staff have participated since 2012.
