Take a drive through Klahanie and it might resemble more of a state park than a neighborhood.
At least that’s the look the community’s preservation club is going for.
“We spend an awful lot of time, effort and funds in keeping those natural areas as free as possible from invasive, non-native plants,” said Bonnie Anderson, chair of the Natural Areas Association of Klahanie.
The hard work has paid off in recent years as the 300-acre neighborhood was recognized with various awards by the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah, the Eastside Audubon Society, King County’s Noxious Weeds department, the Urban Grant program and the Humane Society of the United States, which certified Klahanie as an Urban Wildlife Sanctuary.
According to Anderson, a 25-year resident of Klahanie, things weren’t always this way.
“If you would have seen our natural areas eight or 10 years ago, they are night and day,” she said, noting there used to be an abundance of ivy, Scot’s Broom, blackberries and several other invasive species.
In order to combat the non-native plants, NAAK was formed approximately seven years ago by a former community member.
Anderson took the reigns in 2007 and has since played a major role in the restoration of native forests, wetlands and a 12,000-year-old bog. The club currently has three other members, including Walt Black, Diane Weinstein and Barb Justice. Community manager Marta Mckie works with all of them and several community volunteers to maintain the health of natural areas.
While NAAK itself has done a lot of projects, Anderson has also found several useful partners along the way, including EarthCorps and Puget Sound Energy.
Two years ago, PSE began removing large portions of invasive plant species and replaced them with more than 3,000 native plants near the power line system that runs through the middle of Klahanie.
“It’s worked out from a partnership standpoint that we’re both gaining,” Anderson said. “PSE is finding locations to meet their needs, and we’re gaining because we’re getting a lot of work done and a lot of plants for free.”
PSE has been involved in three major projects since 2010, including the restoration of large hillside, providing the supplies for a native garden and most recently, the removal a large portion of invasive plants near the power lines this February.
The native plant garden, which was completed in December 2010 by the Troop 682 Den 6 Webelos, was funded by PSE. It contains a wide variety of species including colorful plants like the Nootka rose and red flowering currant. It also has a detailed interpretive sign placed out front to inform residents.
“When we talk about native plants to the community they can actually go to a garden and see some samples of native plants and how really beautiful they are and how they might fit into their gardens,” Anderson said.
Anderson said NAAK plans to continue to work with PSE and other organizations to maintain Klahanie’s natural beauty — as there’s always work to do.
“Klahanie is very dedicated to keeping this asset that we have, both for the recreational activities we have for the people who live here and the wildlife who visit us,” she said.
