From Andrea Faste, Board President

Groundswell NW Events

Sun, 09/19: Salmon Bay Natural Area Workparty

Please join us to clean up and weed the Salmon Bay Natural Area and surrounding stretches of the Burke Gilman Trail and NW 54th St. We'll provide tools and refreshments - bring work clothes and gloves.

Other Events

Sat, 08/07: Spokespeople Ride to Green Lake

Join Spokespeople for a ride from Wallingford to Green Lake. We'll stop for a free snack provided by our good friends at the Green Lake PCC, and then rest for a bit and admire Green Lake before returning back to our starting point in Wallingford. This will be a relatively easy ride, and you are always welcome to walk any hills you cannot ride.

Spokespeople rides leave at 2 p.m. from the SOUTH end of Wallingford Playfield (at Densmore and N 42nd) on the first Saturday of every month and ride on the road to an adjacent urban center. New riders are welcome -- in fact, getting new riders on the road is the reason we do the rides! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come no later than 1:45 if you are new to riding on the road, new to riding in groups, or if you need any help with adjusting your helmet or bike. Please also call a day in advance if you'd like to buy a good quality helmet from us for $10 and we'll bring our sack of helmets. Helmets are required on our rides. If there is heavy rain, we won't do the ride.

Only heavy rain will cancel the ride. Give a call if you plan to come and don’t know if the ride is on. Expert commuters, please join us. As our rides grow larger, we welcome good bicyclists who can offer encouragement and model good road riding techniques for new, returning and reluctant cyclists. This is a Bike Smart Seattle ride. All ages and skill levels are welcome. All Spokespeople rides are led by Cascade Bicycle Club certified ride leaders.

Sun, 08/08: Llandover Woods Work Party

Llandover Woods is a pristine serene urban forest with abundant native plants and wildlife - we work on restoration the 2nd Saturday of every month.

Please RSVP each month by email so we can plan our work sessions.

Wear sturdy clothes and bring water, coffee, or snacks. We provide gloves and tools.

Sat, 08/21: Carkeek STARS Volunteer Work Party

Sat, 08/21: Ballard Art in the Garden Festival

The 10th Annual Art in the Garden Festival at the Ballard P-Patch.

Discover gorgeous dahlias, ripening tomatoes and giant sunflowers as you stroll through the gardens while viewing art by 24 local artists (see Garden Map). Enjoy live music all day and stop for food and refreshments which will be available in the patio. Be sure to stop by our annual bake sale featuring home baked goods created by our talented gardeners. Don't just come for the morning! Spend the day with us at our community garden and get inspired by the beauty, art, and music that surround you.

Sat, 09/04: Spokepeople Ride to Ballard Corners Park

Spokespeople will ride to Ballard Corners Park starting from the Wallingford Playfield at 2 p.m. This sweet park on 17th NW between NW 62nd and NW 63th is furnished with a concrete "living room" couch, chair, lamp and tables. This will be a relatively easy ride but a bit longer than usual, and you are always welcome to walk any hills you cannot ride. Spokespeople Ride Leader Michael Snyder and Kathi Hull will be along on the ride. Jim Mathieu will also co-lead this ride.

Spokespeople rides leave at 2 p.m. from the SOUTH end of Wallingford Playfield (at Densmore and N 42nd) on the first Saturday of every month and ride on the road to an adjacent urban center. New riders are welcome -- in fact, getting new riders on the road is the reason we do the rides! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come no later than 1:45 if you are new to riding on the road, new to riding in groups, or if you need any help with adjusting your helmet or bike. Please also call a day in advance if you'd like to buy a good quality helmet from us for $10 and we'll bring our sack of helmets. Helmets are required on our rides. If there is heavy rain, we won't do the ride.

Only heavy rain will cancel the ride. Give a call if you plan to come and don’t know if the ride is on. Expert commuters, please join us. As our rides grow larger, we welcome good bicyclists who can offer encouragement and model good road riding techniques for new, returning and reluctant cyclists. This is a Bike Smart Seattle ride. All ages and skill levels are welcome. All Spokespeople rides are led by Cascade Bicycle Club certified ride leaders.

Sat, 09/04: Sustainable Ballard's 2nd Annual Golden Gardens End of Summer Party

Sat, 09/11: Upper Golden Gardens Workparty

Sat, 09/11: Crown Hill Tree Walk

Sat, 09/11: Small Faces Playground Dedication

On Sept 11th at 11am - Small Faces will dedicate their new playground, followed by a 35th anniversary celebration.

Sept 11th, 9am - meet at the corner of 13th Ave NW and NW 95th for the Crown Hill Tree Walk.

Sat, 09/18: Festival of Fruit at Carkeek Park

Join the Friends of Piper's Orchard, Seattle Tree Fruit Society, City Fruit, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Carkeek Park Advisory Committee on Saturday, September 18 for the 4th annual Festival of Fruit, a harvest celebration. The festival takes place at the park, 950 NW Carkeek Park Rd., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Festival highlights include:

• Dr. Bob Norton speaking on making hard and soft cider, as well as other presentations on non-toxic pest management, orchard history, permaculture and viticulture.
• Pie baking contest: bring a home-baked pie to enter in the pie contest. Judging starts at 10 a.m.
• Sample fresh-pressed cider.
• Café offering pies and cider.
• Visit the historic 119 year-old orchard.

For detailed schedule information, please visit the web at www.pipersorchard.org or email pipersorchard@gmail.com.

Tue, 09/21: Urban Forestry Open House

The City of Seattle will be hosting an Urban Forestry Open House.  The Open House is an opportunity to hear about all of the City’s efforts to expand and enhance Seattle’s urban forest, including proposals to revise existing regulations for private property and street trees.  City staff will provide an overview of the City’s existing policy, programs, and resources as well as the specific regulatory proposals being considered.  Staff from the Office of Sustainability and Environment, Dept of Planning and Development, Dept of Transportation, Parks, Public Utilities, and City Light will be available to answer questions, connect citizens with programs, and take comments on the proposals. A discussion of some of the issues can be found in this Seattle PI article.

For more information on city-wide tree efforts and the Urban Forest Management Plan, go to: www.seattle.gov/trees/.  

For more information about DPD’s Tree Regulations Update process, go to: www.seattle.gov/dpd/planning/trees/.

Thu, 09/23: Wild & Scenic Film Festival

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival is coming to Seattle with local habitat restoration and stewardship organization, Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (FCRW). We will feature a series of short and long films highlighting nature, activism, wild places and wild people. The Friends will also feature a short of our latest project, the Watershed Report.

The Wild and Scenic as told by the festival producers: "By taking the Wild and Scenic Film Festival on tour, we empower it to become larger than itself and realize its social obligation to bring the message of these films to a larger audience. Film is a powerful medium and is a common ground that everyone enjoys. When placed in this setting, environmentally conscious films can foster an open forum where people of different opinions can start finding solutions." Wild and Scenic, 2010

Tickets: $8-$25

Fri, 09/24: Wild & Scenic Film Festival

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival is coming to Seattle with local habitat restoration and stewardship organization, Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (FCRW). We will feature a series of short and long films highlighting nature, activism, wild places and wild people. The Friends will also feature a short of our latest project, the Watershed Report.

The Wild and Scenic as told by the festival producers: "By taking the Wild and Scenic Film Festival on tour, we empower it to become larger than itself and realize its social obligation to bring the message of these films to a larger audience. Film is a powerful medium and is a common ground that everyone enjoys. When placed in this setting, environmentally conscious films can foster an open forum where people of different opinions can start finding solutions." Wild and Scenic, 2010

Tickets: $8-$25

Sat, 09/25: Mayor's Walking Tour of Crown Hill

Tue, 09/28: Ballard Locks South Entry Landscape Open House

The Army Corps of Engineers will hold a public open house from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 28 to provide information about plans for their south entry garden improvements and answer questions related to proposals. See this Ballard News Tribune article for more info.

Comments may be sent to southentrycomments@usace.army.mil and should reference the “South Entry Draft Evaluation and Management Proposal Plan” in the subject line.

Wed, 09/29: City Council Budget Hearing

First (and only north end) hearing on the proposed 2011-2012 City of Seattle Budget.

Sign up to speak starting at 5pm, hearing starts at 5:30.

For more info on the hearings, click here.