(WSB file photo)
Looking at the week ahead – one of the biggest events on the calendar is the fall 2026 Duwamish Alive! mega-work party throughout the Duwamish River watershed and on the river itself, 10 am-2 pm Saturday (October 17). This time, the event celebrates “20 Years Caring for Our River,” and volunteers are needed! Here’s an update from Sharon Leishman, director of the Duwamish Alive! Coalition, explaining that you’re not just caring for our river, but all the lives that depend on it:
Duwamish Alive Coalition partners are local organizations with the collaborative stewardship goal of improving the health of our Duwamish River and Watershed. Community volunteers provide important support in caring for these areas of restored nature and the river by planting native plants, removing invasive plants, and mulching to improve soil health. Community members also help remove debris from the river in kayaks, lessening the harmful impacts on fish and marine life.
The Duwamish River ecosystem supports 5 salmon species including the threatened Chinook salmon, which is a critical food source for our Southern Resident Orcas; it also supports wildlife that includes river otters, beavers, bald eagles, and blue herons. Stewardship includes not only river health but also the land within the river’s watershed. With the help of community volunteers, vital habitat is being restored in this highly industrialized area.
Each native habitat sites supports this web of life while providing important environmental benefits to our communities. Its forested areas such as the West Duwamish Greenbelt, one of the largest in the lower section of the river, provides important air and water filtration of pollution, especially storm runoff one of the major sources polluting our waters. Tree canopy cover also reduces our summer heat domes, unequally affecting low-income communities of color to a greater degree. Duwamish Alive Coalition continues to nurture and expand tree canopy within our local communities which suffer the effects of pollution and heat domes
Join Duwamish Alive Coalition on Saturday, October 17th to celebrate and care for our Duwamish River and its Watershed. This event is founded on the understanding that by working together, we can continue to improve the health of our river and its lands while improving the health and wellbeing of its communities. Volunteers will be working at multiple sites throughout West Seattle, White Center, and Tukwila, including a kayak river cleanup to raise awareness that we are all connected.
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay will be the guest speaker at the Welcoming Ceremony, which kicks off the event at White Center Heights Park from 10 – 10:30 am. He will be introducing the county’s new program connecting community members with organizations that support the needs of their communities, which strengthens the wellbeing of communities and their members. (Details here.) Included at the Welcoming will be information about the program and opportunities to learn about local environmental information. Everyone is welcome to attend, both volunteers and those just dropping by.
For more information and volunteering go to DuwamishAlive.org for sites and registration. This is a family-friendly event — all are welcome! Join Duwamish Alive’s 20th anniversary celebration afterward at Duwamish Waterway Park in South Park from 1 pm – 6:30 pm as a part of the Current Festival with music, food, art, and kayaking!
To find a site where you can volunteer, go to duwamishalive.org ASAP and look for the list of locations – including signups for kayak cleanups!
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