City Awarded $10,000 Grant for Wetlands Restoration in Luther Burbank Park

The , in partnership with Mountains to Sound Greenway and Friends of , has been awarded a $10,000 matching funds grant from the King County "Wild Places in City Spaces" grant program, according to a press release.

The $10,000 grant will be used to fund the removal of invasive trees which currently prevent volunteers from restoring portions of the western buffer of the wetland in Luther Burbank Park. The City of Mercer Island and its partners will recruit volunteers and coordinate ten events in which invasive species will be removed and native species will be planted.

Although the grant program required a match in funds from , no additional city funds were required for the project as the matching fund amount was already dedicated in the Open Space Vegetation Management project.

The goal of the city in restoring the wetland and its buffers, according to the press release, is to preserve and enhance a natural area that is critical for wildlife and important to the larger Lake Washington ecosystem. Intact wetland buffers are crucial to the health of the wetland they surround. An improved wetland buffer to the west of the North Wetland would provide numerous benefits, particularly by stabilizing soils and reducing erosion. These benefits include filtering sediments and harmful substances in runoff from the hillside and providing shelter and food sources for wildlife.

For additional information, contact Forest Steward Alaine Sommargren with the Parks and Recreation Department at 206-275-7879 or alaine.sommargren@mercergov.org.