On May 4th I had the pleasure of working with the Green Seattle Partnership to help restore a section of the Burke-Gilman Trail near 77th. The Burke-Gilman Trail has not always been a great route for the Northwest's many cyclists and runners. “In 1885 Judge Thomas Burke, Daniel Gilman, and ten other investors decided to establish a Seattle-based railroad so that the young city could gain a place among the major transportation centers and reap the economic benefits of trade.” ("Seattle Department of Transportation: Bike Program."). The trail was a railroad that served regional logging areas called the Burlington Northern Railroad, however it was abandoned in 1971 ("Seattle Department of Transportation: Bike Program."). Now, as we all know, it's a very busy paved trail that goes from the Gas Works to the University of Washington to Fremont. “The trail can at times be busy and even crowded with cyclists, hikers, runners and skaters.” People use the Burke-Gilman for commuting and recreational purposes. When I arrived at the workplace, I was greeted by the organizers, Steve and Jim. I worked mostly with Steve, a very exuberant and funny older gentleman. It was inspiring to see someone his age with so much spirit and passion for the work he is doing to help restore the historic trail in his community. Steve entertained us students and energetic people early one Saturday morning with all his stories and knowledge about the local species along the trail. Before starting work, he briefly explained to us what we would actually do to restore the area. This included the extraction of invasive species and the spread of wood chips that had been deposited by the city of Seattle. I spent most of my day just......in the middle of paper......es of wood chips, we are helping to solve multiple problems. In figures 2 and 4 you can see before and after pictures showing how we spread the mulch. It was quite exhausting work. As student volunteers, our work was important because without our labor, the two organizers simply would not have been able to move so much mulch or pull so many invasive species out of the ground. With our manpower we were able to clear and prepare a very large area along the Burke-Gilman trail. That section of trail is now ready for planting. One of the most rewarding aspects of working along this route was the immense amount of thanks we received from ordinary citizens passing along the route. Thanks to my work, and that of my classmates, that stretch of trail is no longer a sight for sore eyes. I'm excited to see what the ecosystem will look like a year from now.