UPDATED PRESS RELEASE from DRCC:

Environmental, tribal, community, and government forces will join together at the semi-annual Duwamish Alive! Earth Day river restoration event on Saturday, April 16th. Starting at 10:00am volunteers will roll up their sleeves at multiple sites along Seattle’s industrialized watershed to perform cleanup and restoration
work in the ongoing effort to keep Seattle’s only river alive.

A special ribbon-cutting and site dedication will happen from 1-2pm at the end of the work party at T-107 Public Access site at 4700 West Marginal Way in Delridge/West Seattle. Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/TAG, The Rotary Club of West Seattle, People For Puget Sound, and the Port of Seattle have partnered since fall 2010 to improve a hand-carry boat launch for kayaks and canoes, and
design an interpretive sign and memorial bench for the site.

The ribbon-cutting and site dedication will be led by The Duwamish Tribe's Chairwoman, the Honorable Cecile Hanson, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin. A Northwest Coast Salish cedar canoe called the Blue Heron, and local kayakers from Alki Kayak Tours will officially open the new hand-carry canoe and kayak launch.

The Rotary Club of West Seattle will also dedicate a memorial bench in honor of the late Ken Wise, a longtime West Seattleite and member of the Rotary Club of West Seattle.

UPDATED PARKS & REC PRESS RELEASE:

Duwamish Alive! brings together more than 30 conservation groups, businesses, and government entities, organizing hundreds of volunteers to work at 13 work sites, including seven Seattle Parks and Recreation parks, in the river’s lower watershed.

Seattle Parks and Recreation sites include:

• West Duwamish Greenbelt (Pigeon Point)
o Nature Consortium and EarthCorps host 300+ volunteers
o This is the site of Pathfinder School and the after party.

• West Duwamish Waterway Park
o EOS Alliance and Parks staff hosts shoreline restoration
o Puget Soundkeeper Alliance hosts shoreline cleanup

• Herrings House
o Parks staff hosts shoreline restoration

• Roxhill Bog
o Friends of Roxhill Bog host wetland restoration

• Gateway Park Acquisition
o Cleanscapes and Duwamish Cleanup Coalition host shoreline restoration

• Seacrest Park
o West Seattle Wildlife Habitat hosts beach restoration at Seacrest Marina

• Longfellow Creek at Bradner Street
o Longfellow Creek Watershed Council and King Conservation District host this work party

Work sites include a river cleanup by kayak and canoe, shoreline salmon restoration, and native forest revitalization. Families, company groups, clubs, individuals, schools, fraternities and sororities are encouraged to participate. No experience is necessary.

These volunteer restoration projects complement government efforts to clean up the contaminated sediments at the bottom of the Duwamish River. Improvements in the health of the river will benefit people, wildlife, and runs of threatened salmon on the Green/Duwamish River.

At West Duwamish Waterway Park, volunteers take to the river in kayaks to remove marine debris and plastics, which are harmful to both water quality and marine life. Also at this site, volunteers will conduct park beautification and pick up trash in the surrounding neighborhood. Working at Duwamish Waterway Park are Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/TAG, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, Argosy Cruises, and Alki Kayak Tours.

Another large project will take place at the West Duwamish Greenbelt site, where volunteers working with EarthCorps and Nature Consortium will improve Seattle’s largest urban forest through native tree restoration work.

The workday at all sites begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m.Refreshments will be provided. After the work parties, Nature Consortium is sponsoring an Earth Day Festival that includes free food, hands-on arts projects, live music, and informational booths from local organizations. The Festival takes place from 2 – 4 p.m. at Pathfinder K-8 School, on SW Genesee Street in the Delridge neighborhood of West Seattle. More information on sites, volunteer signups, sponsors and participating organizations can be found at www.DuwamishAlive.org.

To volunteer, visit www.DuwamishAlive.org and RSVP to the contact for the site you choose, email contact@duwamishalive.org, or call 206-923-0853.

Media Contacts:

Overall event: Cari Simson, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/TAG (206) 234-5102