ARLINGTON — Sound Salmon Solutions is partnering with the city of Arlington, the Stillaguamish Tribe, Banksavers, the Pilchuck Audubon Society, the Arlington Arts Council, Washington State University Extension’s Puget Sound Forest Stewardship, and the citizens of Arlington to present “Arlington Arbor Month.”
The funds for this project, provided by the USDA Forest Service administered through the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, will provide the community with tree workshops, volunteer opportunities and hands-on learning experiences.
The Stillaguamish Tribe and WSU Extension are holding a free workshop, open to the public, titled “How Trees Hug Back: The Social and Cultural Benefits of Trees,” on Wednesday, April 10, from 6-8 p.m. in the Utilities Office Building, located at 154 W. Cox Ave. Participants will be able to learn about the psychological, physiological and cultural benefits of trees, as well as make their own tree oil to take home, using a blend of native trees and a recipe that has been used for thousands of years.
Saturday, April 13, will see an Arlington Arbor and Earth Day Celebration run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jensen Park. Several partners are teaming up with Sound Salmon Solutions for this event, including the Pilchuck Audubon Society, which will be leading a bird walk at the nearby Portage Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, located at 20802 59th Ave. NE, and a backyard birding class from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at Jensen Park.
The Stillaguamish Tribe will be facilitating this riparian planting with donated plants and help from the Banksavers. The Tribe will also be leading cultural arts, activities and storytelling on site, while students from the Arlington School District will be demonstrating experiments and volunteer “Tree Tenders” will be leading tree-planting of their own in the park, as part of their urban forestry project. Other volunteer opportunities available during the day are set to include a creek clean-up and blackberry removal.
If you are interested in any part of this project, please contact Andrew Noone by phone at 452-252-6686 or via email at andrew@soundsalmonsolutions.org.
