Join members of the Olympic Fly Fishers of Edmonds and the Healthy Forest Project on Saturday, Sept. 16, as they continue to restore and improve the marine habitat at Picnic Point Beach.

The fall cleanup event runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Representatives from the Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will be on hand, along with Picnic Point Forest
Stewards.

“Our involvement in the Healthy Forest Project allows club members to partner with others who also care about the environment and want to help protect these habitats for future generations to enjoy,” said Greg Sission, president of Olympic Fly Fishers of Edmonds.

“We host meetings and outings throughout the year that allow us to gather around the sport of fishing, but this event gets us out of the “club” setting,” Sisson said “It allows us to connect with others who share our values of camaraderie, conservation, and community.”

Volunteers will focus on habitat work in preparation for planting within the beach area late fall or early winter. This will include the ongoing removal of any blackberry and ivy that’s grown back since the cleanup this spring. Volunteers will also move compost piles to make room for planting and spread dead ivy and blackberry onto exposed soil as mulch.

A healthy, pest-free wooded beach will cool down stream temperatures, provide habitat for birds and fish, and slow down erosion. It’s been a tremendous year for pink salmon and cutthroat trout along Picnic Point. The goal of these work parties is to give them every advantage possible.

“We chose the county’s Healthy Forest Project because it gives us a chance to help maintain and improve the local habitat for our existing parks and streams, which seem to be lacking support,” said Ed Kellison, conservation committee chair of Olympic Fly Fishers of Edmonds.

“We’ve been thrilled by the number of volunteers who turned out for previous events, not only from our club but from area schools and the general public,” Kellison said. “It shows that the community does want to be involved, and they truly do care about our local habitats. They just need to be given the resources and opportunity.”

This event is open to the public. All ages and levels of ability are welcome.

Learn more or sign up by visiting the county’s site for this event: snohomishco.greencitypartnerships.org/event/47/.