LYNNWOOD — One stretch of the Interurban Trail in Lynnwood is looking more loved these days.
For the first time, a local business has adopted a portion of the trail.
Now, the city is looking for more volunteers, businesses and community groups to get involved in a new program, called Adopt-a-Trail.
The Interurban Trail runs parallel to I-5 from Edmonds to Everett, with 3.8 miles within Lynnwood city limits.
That section is especially popular with cyclists, said Eric Peterson, the city parks superintendent.
Shanon Tysland has owned the Experience Momentum wellness center in town since 2005. Last year, the business moved to 4030 Alderwood Mall Blvd. More than 200 yards of the trail runs alongside the new location, Tysland said.
The trail was in bad shape, he said.
His team called the city and asked what they could do. That led to a couple of work parties this year, most recently on Earth Day.
That’s when Tysland closed the business for the day, and about 40 employees, customers and family members came to help with trail cleaning and planting trees and shrubs. They also walked a mile in each direction to pick up litter.
Tysland’s team agreed to care for the new saplings as they grow.
Altogether, that work party added up to some 100 volunteer hours, Peterson said.
“It was a homerun,” he said. “It really went great.”
The idea for Adopt-a-Trail came as city officials saw a need for more organized volunteering programs, Peterson said. People are always looking for new ways to volunteer, he said.
“The Interurban Trail seemed like a great opportunity to go that direction,” he said.
The city still is working out the details. Folks who want to adopt likely will need to commit to a half-mile segment of trail for at least two years.
The tasks for volunteers include pulling weeds, gathering litter, reporting graffiti and doing landscaping.
“It could be planting some trees, maybe doing a small flower bed at a public corner, something like that,” he said.
In other Interurban news, grant money is being used to create a new trail head at 40th Avenue W with a drinking fountain and a service station for bicyclists, skateboarders and scooter riders, Peterson said.
“I have a lot of volunteer opportunities here in Lynnwood, and we’re developing more all the time,” he said.
For more information, go to www.lynnwoodwa.gov or call Peterson at 425-670-5595.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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