Ben Lawry takes on park project

A group effort helped Bellevue resident, Ben Lawry, complete his Boy Scout Eagle project on Halloween.

The senior at Issaquah High School took on a project of clearing dense brush at Issaquah's newly-acquired Berntsen Park and prepared the area for replanting with native plants. Members of the 29 troop, Rotary and community volunteers joined Lawry to complete the 187 hour project which was completed with the cooperation of the City of Issaquah Parks and Rec Department and the Washington Native Plant Stewards.

Berntsen Park sits on the banks of Issaquah Creek. The park was formerly a residential property that had become overgrown with invasive plants such as blackberries, ivy and holly. Eagle project volunteers dug out the invasive plants, laid thick layers of cardboard to inhibit future growth, and covered the area with mulch.

The Washington Native Plant Stewards will replant the area with native species that will improve the park, both for land animals as well as for the salmon that spawn in Issaquah Creek.

Lawry, 17, is the son of Tom and Jenny Andrews Lawry of Bellevue. In addition to Scouting, Lawry is a black belt in Tai Kwon Do and a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Academy and Washington Business Week.