Sammamish commission hears restoration briefing, asks for more volunteers

The Sammamish City Sustainability Commission on a recent agenda focused on habitat restoration, noxious-weed management and volunteer recruitment after a presentation by the city's habitat restoration specialist, Sebastian Ritaka.

Ritaka told the commission there are "19 active restoration sites in the city that cover 42 acres," and described the department's approach to restoring degraded park and green-space sites, training volunteers and managing legally designated noxious weeds. The meeting also included a public comment from longtime resident and Washington native plant steward Mary Wictor, who urged the city to treat tansy ragwort and similar invasive species more aggressively.

The briefing explained why the work matters: many restoration sites begin as heavily disturbed areas dominated by aggressive invasive plants that reduce biodiversity, increase erosion risk and can be harmful to people and animals. Ritaka described a four‑phase approach used to guide management and set work plans, from initial removal and planting through long‑term monitoring.

Ritaka said…