Burien, WA. The Weed Warriors, Nature Stewards Program has continued to serve the King County community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. “Of course, our activities and events have changed,” says Grace Stiller, the program’s President. Volunteers with the Weed Warriors must maintain social distancing protocols, but according to Stiller, the program is still active and engaged.
While the COVID-19 crisis has forced many organizations to close their doors, the Weed Warriors continue to do essential work in Burien’s New Start Community Garden, pictured above. The community garden includes personal patches as well as many feature gardens, and a stage that, before the COVID-19 crisis, was used for community events. According to Stiller, the Weed Warriors’ work in the community garden is “an important part of being able to plant and harvest food for the food bank.” “Volunteers are always needed,” says Stiller, “we always need help in the community garden, and at Mathison Park in Burien.”
Earth Day event 2019 – Students installed Native Plants in the New Start Community Garden, Edible Native Plant Section.
2018 – Produce harvested from the New Start Community Garden for the food bank.
The Weed Warriors program also partners with the National Wildlife Federation to provide the Gardens for Wildlife program. The program includes Zoom Workshops on topics like sustainable gardening practices and controlling invasive, non-native weeds, as well as a restoration event at a community garden or park. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, this year’s restoration events will follow social distancing protocols and forgo large group interactions. According to Stiller, the National Wildlife Federation’s goal to protect wildlife complements the Weed Warriors’ mission to “protect the habitat that gives the wildlife homes.”
Kid’s Native Bird Workshop and Birdhouse Building project 2019 – Kids built their birdhouses at Seahurst Park.
Stiller co-founded the Weed Warriors in 2008 to help students meet their community service requirements, and the program has grown since then. The Weed Warriors, Nature Stewards Program provides educational workshops, habitat restoration, and community service opportunities. Stiller explains that “when people understand our relationship to nature they’ll respect and advocate for nature and advocate for policies that continue to allow for harmony with nature.”
From Weed Warriors, Nature Stewards Program:
We’re advocates for healthy habitats for both people and wildlife. We connect kids to nature through education and the arts, empowering them to steward the earth and change the world. Our vision is to see the world living in harmony with nature.
