Hi Everyone:
Matt Knox, the Green River Natural Resources Area site manager, invites
everyone to come on out tomorrow and help w/ a volunteer planting project.
You will be planting trees in the dry forest area. We all had a great time
at the previous planting project, and Matt fed us a great lunch. The trees
that you will plant will eventually grow into a climax forest of fir,
hemlock, and cedar. Come on out and see it now, and then observe the
changes that will occur for many years. Eventually this forest will grow
and will screen the area from the nearby road, and will support diverse
bird and animal life.
Tomorrow should be a sunny day. Be sure to keep a lookout for raptors and
geese flying overhead (maybe the Ross's Goose). Bring your binoculars if
you want to observe nature while you work. Last time the kids found a
salamander, and some garter snakes, and we saw several kinds of birds.

Recent (Mar.14) interesting bird sightings in the area include the
following:
Barn Owl - Anderson Park, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser
Scaup, Hooded Merganser, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk,
Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestral, Peregrine Falcon, Mew Gull, California
Gull (1 only), Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Hermit Thrush (1 in thicket along
the NE Gate Ditch), Northern Shrike (an imm at the SE corner),Yellow-rumped
(4 at the NE woods), Lincolns Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and American
Goldfinch.
(See directions to the area below).

Saturday, March 20, 1999
Time: 9:00 - 1pm

Please bring shovel, gloves, boots, work clothes and rain gear (if
necessary).

Lunch will be provided around 11:30 am

To sign-up call (253) 437-2051
PLEASE RSVP IF YOU WISH TO BE FED! (The food was great.)

The meeting place is the nursery bldg. at the far SW corner of the Green
River Natural Resources Area (Kent Ponds) on Russell Rd. This is south of
S. 212th street on the east side of the Green River.
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DIRECTIONS:
On I-5 south of Seattle take exit 152 (near SeaTac Airport). Go east (it's
Orillia Road) down to the Kent valley and continue on Orillia (which turns
to S 212th) to the Green River (approx. 2/3 mile after getting down to the
flats). Go over the Green River and take an immediate right (go south) on
Russell Road. Russell Rd. is on the east side of the Green River. Go past
little Anderson Park on the left. Go south past a couple of parking lots
for the GRNRA on the left. Go past some businesses and a few houses.
About 1 mile south of S. 212th on the left is the nursery bldg.
If traveling on I-167 take the S 212th exit which is just north of Kent.
Go west on S 212th past 64th Ave. and past the KOA. The Green River is
past the KOA but you can't turn left there. Go all the way west about 2/3
mi to the left turn lane, do a U-turn there and come back to the Green
River on 212th. Turn south on Russell Rd. (follow above directions).

Reported by Carol Schulz
DesMoines
linusq at worldnet.att.net