Ten students interning with the city of Sammamish have big plans for one of the city’s parks.

The Tesla STEM High School interns joined volunteers Saturday to complete one aspect of their Big Rock Park project: habitat restoration.

About 19 people helped plant 190 native plants, like red osier dogwood, twinberry and crab apple, at the park located off Southeast Eighth Court.

About a year ago, the city received 40 applicants from the Redmond-based science, technology, engineering and mathematics school to participate in the unpaid, 18-week internship.

The selected 10-person group worked with city staff and professionals to design a four-part project. In addition to the habitat restoration portion, the students also worked to create interpretive signs, an environmental program that supplements elementary education and are still working on finding the funding to install solar panels and an electric vehicle charging station.

They participated in community events in Sammamish and Redmond, like the farmers market, to promote the project and to gain some public input.

The interns contributed a total of 550 volunteer hours to the project, Sammamish Parks and Recreation project manager Kellye Hilde said.

“They didn’t take a little bite out of this; they took a huge bite,” Sammamish Parks and Recreation project manager Kellye Hilde said. “I’m so proud.”

Big Rock Park, currently under construction, will feature natural playscapes, such as a zip line for ages 7-12.

Nivida Thomas, a STEM student, hopes the park will be a space where people can enjoy themselves and learn about the environment.

She aims to set up a website which will host educational instructions for experiments and field guides for anyone to access, Thomas said. This will allow people to learn how to test things like turbidity — how clean the water is in the little creek that flows through the park.

“Here, they’re getting an opportunity to learn,” Thomas said. “It’s definitely a worthwhile project that we’re going to find a lot of interest in.”

The interns hope local elementary schools will take advantage of the resource and will use the park as an outdoor classroom.

During habitat restoration, the group worked with city volunteer coordinator Elby Jones to design and implement a plan that increases the health and ecological value of the existing stream corridor, Thomas said.

“There are a lot of aspects that need to be considered when repairing a riparian zone,” she said during an October presentation to the Sammamish City Council.

The group studied the topography of the land and stream velocity in addition to consulting Jones.

The signs, which will be installed along the central boardwalk, will be put in prior to the park opening in spring.

“The interpretive signage is probably the most artistic aspect of our project,” Thomas said.

The information relies heavily on graphics to highlight specific features of the area.

Maya Gupta, another intern, wants to set up a solar-powered charging station at the park. It would serve as an example of how the city could set up these stations throughout the city. Through the process, Gupta faced the challenges associated with a budget and is still trying to find the funding.

“That’s a real-world issue,” she said. “It’s been kind of fun.”

Gupta had been looking for grant money to fund the solar panels needed, which she estimates would be about $12,000.

“All the work and planning has been done and now it’s a matter of funds,” she said.

After being denied twice for grant money, she is now submitting to an academic competition.

Big Rock Park was donated to the city in 2011.