Please join the City of Auburn, the Veterans Conservation Corps, the Washington Conservation Corps and a score of other volunteers to help plant over 7000 trees, in a bid to restore Fenster Park to a more native setting.

Volunteer for the Fenster Nature Park Fall Planting project on Saturday, October 11  Register now to volunteer!Auburn’s Fenster Nature Park Fall Planting project is just around the corner and you’re invited to volunteer for this fun volunteer event scheduled for Saturday, October 11. This volunteer effort will entail planting and mulching approximately 8,000 native plants at the Fenster Nature Park along the Green River. The plantings are a part of a larger levee setback project just completed in cooperation with the City of Auburn and King County. The project will improve salmon habitat, and provide flood protection from the Green River. Service clubs, social service agencies, faith-based groups, scouting troops, businesses, and individuals are being asked to come together and work on this beneficial environmental project. Limited tools will be available so volunteers are being asked to bring shovels, pitch forks, buckets, wheelbarrows, and gardening or work gloves). Participants are encouraged to wear t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, or other clothing that identifies their volunteer group.  The morning agenda for Saturday, October 11 is as follows: 8:00 a.m. – Check in at Fenster Nature Park Project Site (located at 2033 4th Street SE). The city will provide volunteers with juice, coffee, pastries, and granola bars.  8:10 a.m. – Welcome and Project Instructions  8:15 a.m. – Volunteer Project starts We encourage you to register on-line via the City’s website or you may also download registration information and return the form by mail or fax. Many thanks for any support you can provide. For additional information about the Fenster Nature Park Planting project, please call Jamie Kelly at 253-931-4011 or email jwkelly@auburnwa.gov.

History on the project is described below.

The City of Auburn and King County will begin construction of the 2nd phase of the Fenster Levee Setback project at the Fenster Nature Park on July 7. This is a stream restoration project that involves replacing approximately 520 feet of the existing rock levee along the Green River shoreline with a new buried rock revetment located further away from the river. The project is expected to be complete in mid-September.  The area of the Fenster Nature Park located between 2nd St. SE and 4th St. SE will be closed to the public.

During construction, nearby residents will notice the use of trucks and heavy construction equipment, which can generate increased levels of noise and dust. Trucks will generally enter the project area via 2nd St. SE and exit via 4th St. SE. Measures to minimize the potential effects of construction on neighboring residences will be employed for the duration of the project. Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery funds provide 50% of the total funding for this project ($631,456).

The project will reconnect the river to nearly 2½ acres of its historic floodplain and provide for a more natural shoreline, while maintaining the existing level of flood protection for neighboring homes, streets, and infrastructure. This project is the final segment of a larger Green River corridor restoration effort extending nearly two miles upstream from the Fenster Nature Park.

When completed, this project will:

  • Enhance and improve habitat for endangered salmon, steelhead, and other aquatic species
  • Improve water quality and increase flood water storage by reconnecting the river to a portion of its historic floodplain
  • Remove invasive noxious weeds and re-plant over 4 acres of stream bank and surrounding site with native trees and shrubs
  • Re-establish riparian forest that will provide shade to maintain the cool water temperatures that fish need to survive
  • Relocate the existing gravel access road to re-connect the 2nd Street SE gate with the rest of the Fenster Nature Park
  • Construct a buried rock revetment to maintain or enhance the existing level of flood protection for homes, streets, and infrastructure

For more information about this project, please contact Chris Andersen, Environmental Services Manager, at 253-876-1962 or candersen@auburnwa.gov.