Duwamish Hill Preserve is one of the most beautiful wild spaces in all of Tukwila.
Why, you ask? Because of people like you!
Green Tukwila volunteers regularly come together to help maintain the park by planting new vegetation and removing invasive species.
It’s a great way to meet new people and learn more about how to keep our forests and waterways healthy. Join us on November 18 for another work party. No experience is required.
Check out the fun we had when we were there last!
It’s finally fall, and you know what that means—it’s time for scavenger hunts!
Explore the always amazing Duwamish Hill as you hunt with friends and family through Tukwila’s favorite wooded area on Saturday, September 23.
Children and adults alike will be able to see the Puget Sound Salish Cultural Garden and dig into some treats from Mighty-O’s Donuts!
Our history begins first with acknowledging that the City of Tukwila is located on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people. We acknowledge their continuing connections to the land, waters, and culture. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present, and emerging.
It’s easy to appreciate the many wonderful experiences our city offers today. But learning about how Tukwila came to be makes those experiences even more rewarding. Join us as we travel down memory lane and take a look back at what propelled Tukwila to the amazing city it is today.
Tukwila is a hub of culture, commerce, and all-around great times. People from all over Washington visit our wonderful city to experience sights, sounds, and activities they can’t find anywhere else. Behind those experiences is a rich history of a little city south of Seattle making waves along the banks of the Duwamish and Green Rivers.
Like all cities in the area, Tukwila was first and foremost Tribal land. The Coast Salish people were the original peoples who made their homes here. Shaded under lush forests along the banks of the Black, Green, and Duwamish Rivers, they eventually settled on the name Tukwila, which is Chinook jargon for the Duwamish word for hazelnut. A reference to the hazelnut trees that grew in the area.
European pioneers arrived in the Tukwila and surrounding Seattle area thousands of years after the Coast Salish people. A common name seen around the city today, Joseph Foster was the most well-known among the first European settlers. His namesake is strewn across Tukwila, including Foster High School and the much-loved Foster Links Golf Course.
As industry ramped up across the country, Tukwila’s location at the confluence of three major rivers (now two) put it right at the center of the action. Dozens of riverboats carrying valuable resources like coal traversed these waters daily, boosting the local economy and shaping the future of our city. Prosperity struck again when a newly electrified America introduced electric rail lines to our area. Soon enough, starting in 1902, people could peruse the region aboard electric trains on the Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway. A route that is now a 14-mile multiuse bike path linking Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, and other South Seattle regions.
Tukwila was officially incorporated as a city in 1908, just a few years before Boeing airfield was built—one of the city’s most defining features throughout the twentieth century. A new exciting era was swiftly ushered in on the wings of developments in transportation. This propelled the city in a direction that created more jobs and welcomed more people from all kinds of backgrounds to the Tukwila area. The city’s residents spent the next few decades balancing enhanced industrialization with commercial business creation.
Tukwila is still making history every day. Home to the Seattle Seawolves, our city is making waves in the world of professional sports thanks to incredible opportunities made possible by Starfire Sports Complex. We also have a bustling culinary scene with unique restaurants and food halls like Spice Bridge making foodies from all over rave about this best-kept secret.
Time may evolve how our city looks, but one thing remains constant across generations: a deep appreciation and celebration of diversity, friendship, and opportunity. All are welcome here in Tukwila. We hope to see you around soon!
Happy Earth Month, Tukwila! Our beautiful city is home to over 150 acres of open space, including 20 parks and 12 miles of multi-use trails. This month, we’re highlighting our Green Tukwila Partnership and showcasing the many ways you can get involved in protecting Tukwila’s open spaces. The more people that lend a hand, the easier it is to create a healthy ecosystem in which both wildlife and the Tukwila community can thrive.
In 2016, Tukwila became an official “Green City” after the city council adopted a 20-year Green Tukwila Partnership Stewardship Plan led by Forterra. Together with Forterra, EarthCorps, Duwamish Alive Coalition, Dirt Corps, King County Parks, and the Tukwila community, the partnership works to restore and maintain 138 acres of Tukwila’s urban forest.
For Earth Month, we sat down with Tukwila Parks & Recreation’s Olena Perry to talk about the importance of the Green Tukwila Partnership and the impact it’s had on Tukwila’s urban forest and community.
Experience Tukwila: How much progress has Green Tukwila made in the preservation of Tukwila Parks and Wildlife since the Green Tukwila 20-Year Stewardship Plan started?
Olena Perry: Walk through one of the restoration sites — Tukwila Park, Green River Trail by Bicentennial Park, Crystal Springs Park, Cottonwood Corner and Duwamish Hill Preserve — to see the impact. As the program installs a diverse pallet of plants and trees, and removes invasive plants like English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry, we will see the return of wildlife and a balanced ecosystem. We measure the success of the partnership by carefully tracking the square feet of noxious weeds removed and the number of native shrubs, groundcovers, and trees planted.
ET: What makes Tukwila’s landscape special in the broader Duwamish watershed?
OP: Tukwila landscape is unique for many reasons; we have a wide variety of habitats that lend themselves to various native plants and wildlife, from upland forests and riparian zones to grasslands. Healthy green spaces work as filter systems, cleaning stormwater, and airborne pollutants. Tukwila’s impact on the Duwamish River directly affects Orca, salmon, and marine life in Elliot Bay.
ET: Where would you like to see Green Tukwila go in the future? Any exciting new things on the horizon?
OP: Lots of excitement for Green Tukwila; the partnership is growing. Every year we see more and more volunteers and stewards join the conversation and the work. We have launched environmental programming with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Partner in Employment is returning with their Green Jobs program, Dirt Corps is starting a large project at Crystal Springs Park, and the Service Board has returned for another year of stewardship at Duwamish Hill Preserve. The work is essential, and the community is strong; Green Tukwila is growing and making significant yearly impacts.
ET: What’s Tukwila Parks’ message to people during Earth Month?
OP: Earth Day is a time of reflection, to think about our impact on this precious planet and what you can do to support a healthy tomorrow. Get involved in Green Tukwila’s events, learn about your local environment, and make an impact! www.Tukwilwa.gov/earthmonth
Interested in answering Olena’s call to action and getting involved with Green Tukwila? Check out these upcoming Earth Month events:
Experience Tukwila regularly highlights Green Tukwila work parties, so keep an eye out on our events page and social media to catch future volunteer opportunities!
There’s no better place to celebrate Earth Month than with a work party at Duwamish Hill Preserve.
This unique ecosystem has deep connections to local Indigenous communities and is celebrated by everyone in Tukwila. Fun fact: the hill is older than Mt. Rainier!
Join resident Forest Stewards and a group of volunteers to help remove young blackberries and clear spaces for fall planting. All tools, materials and training will be provided at the beginning of the day. No prior experience required!
Join Green Tukwila to help protect native habitat while having a great time outside! Duwamish Hill Preserve is kicking off 2022 with a Saturday work party, March 19th, 10am -1 pm. Local stewards need volunteers to help remove invasive plants and protect young native plants. All tools and education will be provided.
Sign up for the Volunteer Restoration Work Party here.
The Green Tukwila initiative is a regional collaboration of cities working to steward natural open spaces that the city joined in 2017. The initiative brings together Forterra, EarthCorps, Duwamish Alive Coalition, Dirt Corps, King County Parks, and the Tukwila community to care for public parks and natural open spaces across the city. Throughout the next 20 years, the partnership will work to restore and maintain 138 acres of Tukwila’s urban forest.
To do this work, they need the community’s help! Join friends, neighbors, and bring your families outside to learn about trees, shrubs, invasive plants, how to use tools, and much more. Work parties are being planned for community members and businesses to care for precious urban forests and to ensure healthy, safe, and beautiful public spaces to enjoy in the future.
