For the fourth year in a row, Kirkland has been chosen to participate in the University of Washington Restoration Ecology Program.

Local organizations submit proposals each fall, but only a limited number are chosen.The program is a three-quarter, 10-credit course that gives students an opportunity to complete a restoration project in the Puget Sound area.

This year, six students – five from UW Seattle and one from UW Bothell – will work with the Green Kirkland Partnership and the Highlands neighborhood to restore a section of Cotton Hill Park.

The park, like many of Kirkland’s urban forests, has been heavily invaded by English ivy and Himalayan blackberry, which smother and kill native plants and trees. With the help of many volunteers and previous UW students, more than half of the park has already been restored.

The students will spend Fall quarter researching and writing a proposal. Winter and Spring quarters will be spent clearing invasive plants, installing native plants, mulching the site, and writing a final report.

The students also plan to involve the Kirkland Junior High Biology classes in the spring.Volunteers will be needed to help the UW students. The first work party, to clear the site, will be held on Martin Luther King Day of Service, Jan. 16, 2012.

For more information, contact Cotton Hill Park Steward, Karen Story, at karen@tinyisland.com.