A Great Partnership with REI Continues at the Bergsma Property

From our earliest days we have partnered with REI. When the club was too poor to publish a new or revised hiking guide to one of the Issaquah Alps, Harvey Manning received a small grant from the REI Foundation. Both REI and its foundation have grown since then and they are now supporting large grants across the whole country. In 2018 REI invested $8.4 million in non-profits.

One way REI is giving support to local groups is through volunteering with work parties doing trail work, restoration and related activities. We were contacted by Brooke Miller with the "Digital Group" about working with Issaquah Alps on a project. One of our first thoughts was the ivy infestation on the newly acquired Bergsma property on Newport Way.

Pulling ivy is a way to put a big group to work with a minimum of tools and training, but is also work that when done by a big group really leads to a real sense of accomplishment. Early on we contacted the city of Issaquah, and as land owner they needed to lead the project. We had amazing support from the city.

City staff, several club members and friends from Save Cougar Mountain along with nearly 30 REI employees joined us on a cloudy morning. We took a lunch break at the city's Harvey Manning Park in Talus and received a big thanks from the mayor and park director.

The picture of the full dumpster speaks to the success of the event!