The Friends of LBA Woods is a volunteer stewardship group devoted to the restoration of wildlife habitat in the LBA Woods and to advocating for the protection and enhancement of the park for our community.
LBA Woods is the 133-acre wooded portion of the LBA Park & Woods, a city park in southeast Olympia, Washington. The main park entrances are at 3333 Morse-Merryman Rd. and 3500 Amhurst St. To locate additional pedestrian-bicycle entrances, consult the Park Map.
Thanks to everyone who joined our November 14th work party. We had a great turnout and planted about 80 native shrubs and trees on an old side trail off the Alderwood Trail. Soon, you won’t even notice there was a trail there at all. And the ferns, serviceberry, salmonberry, vine maples, and other plants will flourish and attract more wildlife. Extra thanks to Friends of LBA Steward Steve Rutkowski for artfully arranging the woody debris among the plants.
Next Work Party: Saturday December 13 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Join the Friends of LBA Woods’ volunteers and Olympia Park staff for this work party to remove invasive scotsbroom and Himalayan blackberry and plant native trees and shrubs to improve wildlife habitat. Meet at the main (east) parking lot off Morse-Merryman Rd. (not the smaller lot at the Amhurst St. dead end). Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes or boots. Snacks and hot drinks will be served but please bring a reusable water bottle. Youth under 14 must be accompanied by an adult; youth under 18 without an adult present must sign a waiver electronically by a parent/guardian online or on site.
Lichens & Moss Walk: Wednesday January 7th 10 a.m.-12 noon.
Join the biologist Marian Bailey (USFWS, ret.) on this popular walk of the LBA Woods trails to learn how to identify five species of lichen and five species of moss. Marian is a skilled educator and moss and lichen enthusiast. This is the perfect fun introduction to these often overlooked lifeforms in the woods. We will have magnifying lenses for everyone and hot tea and socializing after the walk. RSVP to lbawoodsoly@gmail.com This walk is limited to 10 participants. Meet at the LBA Park picnic shelter at the Amhurst St. entrance.
If you’re new to the LBA Woods, you might not know that there is a designated off-leash dog trail. It’s called the Chickadee Loop and is shown in a solid yellow line on park maps. The wooden signposts show where you are entering and exiting the off-leash trail. Elsewhere in the park, dogs are welcome but must be on leash (per park rules).
Visit our Friends of LBA Woods website to learn more about the LBA Woods and to sign up to receive this newsletter in your in box at www.lbawoods.com
