Community Service
River Cleanups
Green Snohomish members organize and conduct monthly trash pickups in our local Snohomish River and Pilchuck River riparian zones. A riparian zone is where lands interfaces with water and this area performs many beneficial functions:
- Reduces runoff pollutants
- Reduces excessive sedimentation
- Stabilizes stream banks and reduces floodwater velocity
- Offers shelter and food for many aquatic animals
- Shades water limiting temperature ranges in the water, which is critical for our salmon
- Provides recreation opportunities and scenic beauty
We focus our efforts on about 4 different areas that regularly suffer from trash pollution.
Dubuque Road Bridge
During summer months, people enjoy accessing the Pilchuck River at this popular spot off Dubuque Road. Unfortunately, a lot of litter is left behind.
Old Snohomish Monroe Road Bridge
At times, this bridge becomes a shelter for unhoused people and there is often a lot of trash associated with those situations. We periodically cleanup at this site, but only remove obvious trash piles and leave structures if they have not been abandoned.
Lowell Snohomish River Road
This road is infamous for its illegal dumping issues and encampments. There is seemingly always trash to be cleaned up on this road. We hope our efforts, along with cleanup efforts from other groups as well, make some difference for the plants and animals that inhabit this area.
Saving Trees in Snohomish
Invasive ivy can slowly strangle a tree over time. We look for trees throughout Snohomish parks and other properties that are suffering from this condition. Cutting the stalks of ivy down below kills off the tendrils going farther up the tree and give the tree a chance to recover. This is an ongoing battle however, as the ivy is difficult to remove completely from the ground below.
