Supporter Spotlight: Anne Newcomb
This month we are proud to feature Anne Newcomb! She has been involved in the Issaquah Alps Trails Club since 2017 and even served as the Board President in 2023. She continues to play a key role in habitat restoration and community engagement.
IATC Restoration Champion, Anne Newcomb
By Anne Newcomb
My initial involvement with the Issaquah Alps Trails Club (IATC) began in 2017 when I helped with the Friends of Winterbrook Farm project led by Val Moore. In 2018, my husband John was elected as Board President, and I started helping out with tabling events, including Salmon Days. As I engaged the public and learned more about IATC’s rich legacy, I realized a visual representation of the advocacy efforts led by IATC would be a powerful way to tell the story as well as help newcomers like me understand our history. I was connected with Matt Stevenson at CORE GIS, and longtime IATC members Ken Konigsmark, David Kappler, and Doug McClelland provided Matt and me with valuable IATC history. King County’s Kelly Heinz helped with boundary lines, while Tom Anderson contributed photos. Matt used his talents to create a beautiful map that tells IATC’s story! The map was finished in 2019, coinciding with IATC’s 40th anniversary, so it was titled Celebrating 40 years with Issaquah Alps Trails Club, Advocates for Land Preservation Through Partnerships. I was invited to join the board of directors in 2019 and served as President in 2023.
Thanks to Anne: Celebrating 40 years with Issaquah Alps Trails Club, Advocates for Land Preservation Through Partnerships
In 2021, the Green Issaquah Partnership was created and IATC was the first organization to adopt a park. We asked which parks were most in need, and Berntsen Park made the shortlist. Located along Issaquah Creek, helping to create a healthy habitat for salmon felt like an important mission, so we proceeded with the adoption of Berntsen Park! I enjoyed leading events as an IATC Forest Steward at Berntsen Park for a couple of years. It was rewarding to remove the blackberry bushes that were originally planted by the Berntsen family homesteaders to keep the coyotes out of the chicken pen. Removing the invasives created space for us to plant trees that shade the creek, creating a cooler habitat for our beloved salmon. The second park adopted by IATC was off the High School Trail. Matt LaBelle joined me as my Forest Steward partner at Park Pointe, where we just held our second planting event of 109 native trees and understory natives! Thanks to Forest Stewards like Matt, Jackson Varzali, and all of our amazing volunteers, we are making great progress! Every tree we plant brings Issaquah closer to our Issaquah Climate Action Plan goal of increasing tree canopy by 4% by 2035. This not only benefits wildlife habitat, but also helps sequester CO2 and keeps us all cooler during heat events.
Anne and IATC’s incredible volunteer crew at a recent Green Issaquah Park Pointe restoration event.
I am especially excited to be on the Green Issaquah team as we create a Miyawaki Forest! My good buddy August introduced me to this innovative method of transforming degraded urban soil into a lush pocket forest filled with diverse native trees and plants. Japanese botanist and plant ecology expert, Professor Akira Miyawaki, planted his first forest in Japan. Now, Miyawaki Forest projects are popping up all around the world! As always, our partners at Green Issaquah are a joy to work with, full of wisdom and support! November 16 will be our first volunteer event. Miyawaki forests also emphasize local connection and hope, so community involvement is a big part of the process!
My role as a Forest Steward has become even more rewarding over time. I love getting outside, getting my gloves dirty, and getting to know so many wonderful volunteers. I am having fun teaming up with State Parks Rangers Ellen Molin and Heather Hansen as we work with amazing volunteers to eradicate the invasive holly on Squak Mountain. Henry Mustin, our local holly removal guru, was kind enough to meet Ellen and I on Tiger Mountain to show us best practices for effectively removing holly. Each holly patch is a puzzle to solve and learning Henry’s method has been crucial. If you are free on Thursdays and like to spend time in the woods, please consider joining our restoration efforts!
Our warming planet is a huge concern for me, and sometimes the scale of the problem feels overwhelming. However, it feels empowering to volunteering my time to help mitigate the effects of climate change. While I also advocate for the transition to clean energy, helping care for the lands that IATC has conserved just makes sense. Getting out in the woods with wonderful volunteers as we restore habitats to increase forest health and sequester CO2 feels tangible, and the best part is we get to have fun while we are doing it!
I feel so lucky to live in the beautiful Issaquah Alps surrounded by great trails! My favorite trails are the ones right behind our home–mostly because of the easy access and their many legacy forest stands. The last time these woods were logged was over 100 years ago. Now, the smaller Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock that were left behind are now quite large and healthy. New trees have grown above a healthy and diverse understory filled with a variety of native huckleberries (yum!), salmonberries, Oregon grapes, salal, miner's lettuce, vanilla leaf, and mushrooms, showing us there is a vital fungal network. Birds join us on our walks, where we see the occasional black bear and local elk herd.
This winter, I am looking forward to outdoor time with my sweet hubby, our dog Doodles, and friends. We will enjoy skiing, kayaking, goat tending, and hiking together!
Anne out in the Issaquah Alps with her pup Doodles; photo courtesy of author.
Check out our events calendar to join Anne at our next restoration event!