More than 60 volunteers turned out for a City of Mountlake Terrace-sponsored work party to clean up Veterans Memorial Park and the Civic Campus on Saturday morning in honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day.

Activities during the three-hour community event included pruning, raking, spreading wood chips, invasive plant removal, clearing debris and picking up trash. In addition to work gloves and protective clothing, volunteers were encouraged beforehand to bring their own garden implements such as rakes and non-electric pruning tools in order to help ensure there was enough tools on hand.

Participants assisted a volunteer group known as The Ivy League with removing invasive plant species and debris from areas of Veterans Memorial Park. And efforts at the Civic Campus focused on cleaning up several planting beds located throughout the property.

Ivy League volunteers adopted Veterans Memorial Park last year and they meetup monthly to remove invasive ivy from the forest floor and trees. Amelia Anthony, who is part of the group, said that due to the increased number of people at Saturday’s event “it was a huge improvement and it’s amazing how much more work” was accomplished today.

She noted that their cleanup efforts had helped to remove more than two times the amount of materials from the park that the group has typically been able to do in the past at its regular work parties. Ivy League members reported that several of those in attendance Saturday had signed up to participate in the group’s regularly scheduled efforts.

Crystal Lovelace said her family of four attended the cleanup event after her husband learned about it online and together they all decided, “Let’s do it.” She added they also signed up on Saturday to help out at The Ivy League’s future efforts “so we’ll be back next month.”

Mountlake Terrace City Councilmembers Laura Sonmore, Doug McCardle, Steve Woodard and Erin Murray, along with members of city boards, commissions and staff, also pitched in at the event. Organizations with representatives that helped participate in the cleanup included MLT Ballinger Organic Garden, the Edmonds Heights’ robotics team Atomic Robotics, and Cub Scout Pack 76.

Molly Luna, who volunteers on the Mountlake Terrace Recreation and Park Advisory Commission, brought her gardening implements and helped clean out planting beds located along the edge of the Civic Campus. Luna said she was happy to come lend a hand, “Everybody says (the) government doesn’t work and it’s like well you got to get out there and help it out, that’s what a democracy’s about.”

Parks and Facilities Superintendent Ken Courtmanch said volunteers filled three large metal containers — two at Veterans Memorial Park and one at the Civic Campus — with the various debris cleaned up on Saturday. He estimated they removed approximately 30-40 yards worth of materials from the landscapes focused on.

Courtmanch also noted that an Eagle Scout candidate, working on a project in coordination with city staff, was helping remove invasive plants and prepare areas for at Terrace Creek Park for improvements planned at the disc golf course. He said the work accomplished there on Saturday would require one to two dump truck loads in order to haul away the debris collected.

The weather was sunny and the total number of participants was approximately two times as many that turned out during last year’s spring cleanup at Ballinger Park when the weather was rainy.

Courtmanch said he was pleased with Saturday’s results and appreciated the efforts of everyone involved. “We’ve learned over the years to pick projects where it (weather) doesn’t matter,” he added. Nice weather “can really help us but at the same time however much they get done is a help…and it’s just an improvement no matter how we look at it.”

After the event, pizza lunch and dessert were provided for volunteers in the new City Hall and many in attendance relaxed outside at the Jerry Smith Town Center Plaza.

— By Nathan Blackwell