Members of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, North Bend Boy Scout Troop 466, community volunteers, and Mayor Rob McFarland came together for another successful Arbor Day event this weekend, and it was among the community that the North Bend mayor proclaimed November 12, 2022, as Arbor Day in North Bend. Read the proclamation HERE.
Thanks to more than 20 volunteers, native trees and shrubs are now freshly planted along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, across from the Snoqualmie Valley Trail at Southeast Tanner Road. In addition to celebrating Arbor Day, the planting event is part of a larger shoreline forest rehabilitation effort the City is pursuing in partnership with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. Planting trees and shrubs increase shading along the river, which in turn, helps to decrease river temperatures for fish, notably for endangered salmon downstream from Snoqualmie Falls.
Mayor McFarland expressed his appreciation for the outpouring of support from residents, Boy Scout Troop 466, and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. “Community events such as our annual Arbor Day provide an opportunity for all of us to get outside and work together as we actively nurture and celebrate our local environment,” he commented. “We acknowledge a shared responsibility in protecting the health of the Snoqualmie River, and that the efforts we make today will be felt many years from now.”
This year’s Arbor Day event was funded by tree mitigation funds from the Tanner Electric transmission line project. The planting area was a leftover space following the reconstruction of the Tanner Road intersection with Southeast North Bend Way that will now grow up with trees and shrubs to help protect the river. Following this event, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust staff will add elk-browse guards for specific trees to support growth as they mature.