Our Past, Present, and Future
Our Past:
Weed Warriors launched their first project in February of 2008 with the massive ivy removal and habitat restoration of the Newcastle Historical Cemetery, and later became a WA State Non-Profit Charity with an IRS 501c3 designation.
Our Present:
Volunteers have removed various species of invasive noxious weeds in many locations in King County, improved wildlife habitat in public parks and open spaces by planting native plants and trees, improved the wetland function at the Myers Ways wetlands near upper Hamm Creek, participated in Nature Stewards workshops on various environmental topics, and hosted a community-wide art event in 2021 at the New Start Community Garden in the Highline School District. Participants totaled an impressive amount of volunteer time totaling 32,423.25 hours from 2008 through 2021. Many youths earned community service for school requirements as they participated and gave volunteer time to local stewardship projects. The benefits of our weed control and restoration projects are priceless, since the projects relieve the cost and labor burden of the local jurisdictions. If a price could be put a value of the total volunteer service hours, this would total $921,791.81, using the annual volunteer value rate of each year for the State of Washington, as determined by Independent Sector. Thank you, Volunteers!
We’ve grown and evolved since our initial “Boots on the Ground” weed removal and restoration projects in 2008. In 2014 we developed and expanded our scope to include more community education and outreach programs. The Nature Stewards Program now includes workshops, events, art in nature activities, classroom presentations, nature trail walks, rain garden installations, and advocacy for environmental issues – all activities supporting our mission to impart and nurture the responsibility of environmental stewardship. Yes, volunteers still have the opportunity to get their gloves dirty with our “Boots on the Ground” projects, as we continue to offer community engagement and community service opportunities with our new programing.
Our Future:
Weed Warriors will continue to support communities and jurisdictions through weed removal and restoration projects by removing non-native weeds in public places, and continue to offer creative, engaging educational events and activities with the Nature Stewards Program. We welcome all who are interested in a healthy environment to participate, attend meetings, and help with educational outreaches.
Our Esteemed Volunteers
Volunteers and supporters include adults, elementary, middle and high school students from the community; University of Washington, Bellevue College, Hazen High School, Liberty High School, Hazen’s Girls and Boys Cross Country Teams, Northwest Outdoor 4-H Club, Hazelwood Brownie Troop, Girl and Boy Scouts from the Eastside Community, Hazen High School Earth Core Club, Hazen Key Club, the Newport Woods Association, the International School in Bellevue, members from Newcastle Trails, the Newcastle Historical Society, the Hazelwood and Newcastle Elementary Schools PTSA’s, West Seattle Timebank, Riverton Heights Bible Fellowship, Village Green Nursery, Highline High Schools, the New Start Community Garden, and many more….
Our Professional Partners
The Weed Warriors organization partners with other non-profit organizations to increase our effectiveness and establish collaborative relationships. Visit our Partner page. We are an active partner with the National Wildlife Federation to establish community wildlife habitats around Puget Sound, and ECO Net, (Education, Communication and Outreach Network) a Puget Sound-wide network of professionals working to help save Puget Sound from the negative impacts of urbanization effecting the Sound’s ecosystem. ECO Net draws on the combined experience, skills and community-level knowledge of local organizations and individuals, while linking to and benefiting from regional resources and a comprehensive vision for restoring Puget Sound. Other Weed Warrior partnering organizations and jurisdictions include the Cities of Newcastle, Renton, Bellevue, Seattle, the North Highline Unincorporated Area, and the Stream Team in Grays Harbor County.