Kids pledge to help save Mukilteo’s Japanese Gulch
Published 12:01 am Saturday, January 22, 2011
MUKILTEO — Some of the city’s kids just got behind the effort to preserve Japanese Gulch.
All thanks to 10-year-old Explorer Middle School student Anushri Ramanath.
Anushri and three of her friends stood up before the Mukilteo City Council on Tuesday and asked the officials to involve more middle school and high school students to help preserve the large forest stretching through Mukilteo and Everett city limits. The four belong to the new Japanese Gulch Youth Group, which Anushri helped start.
Much of the undeveloped gulch land within the Everett city limits is for sale, and groups are trying to keep it from being developed. Mukilteo already owns portions of the land and wants to buy more, but money is tight.
The Japanese Gulch Youth Group’s first meeting is planned for today, said Debby McGehee of the Japanese Gulch Group, a nonprofit trying to educate people about the area and raising money to purchase more land in the gulch.
“Anushri is quite an amazing child. Not what you would call shy,” McGehee said.
About 20 kids already said they would join the group. They will meet at City Hall. They have grand plans to clean up trails, team up with high school students and speak at schools to get others interested. There are opportunities for fun, too, such as geocaching and other activities.
“I guess, now our main thing is to get more people into the group,” Anushri told the City Council. “Our goal is to have a community that cares about the gulch.”
Maddy Munroe, 11, and brothers Avery and Hadyn Hammerman, 9 and 12 respectively, stood with her before the smiling councilmembers.
It wasn’t Anushri’s first time speaking to officials. She addressed the Everett City Council last year on the same subject.
“I was a bit nervous, but I knew I could overcome my fears, she said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
Join the group
The first meeting is planned for 2 p.m. today at Mukilteo City Hall, 11930 Cyrus Way. For more information contact Debby McGehee at debbymcgehee@comcast.net or Anushri Ramanath at kids@japanesegulch.org.
