Spend a ‘Day in the Park’ improving trail in

King County's Grand Ridge Park trail in Issaquah is going to get a little TLC on Sept. 29 as part of Earth Share of Washington's annual "Day in the Park" clean-up event.

It's one of eight scenic locations in King and Snohomish counties where volunteer-based work parties will restore native vegetation, remove invasive species and improve trail conditions from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 29.

The Washington Trails Association, a long-time King County Parks' community partner, will work with volunteers in the High Point area of the Grand Ridge Park trail.

Interested volunteers can sign up individually or as a group through the Day in the Park Web site, http://www.dayinthepark.org/. Directions and additional information will be sent out after registration. Earth Share of Washington is expecting more than 600 volunteers to participate at its eight project sites for the 2007 event.

Winding through tall cedars and lush ferns and more than nine miles in length, Grand Ridge Park is popular with hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. The trail is just 30 minutes from downtown Seattle.

King County plans to extend the Grand Ridge trail from High Point Way near I-90 north to Duthie Hill Park on the Sammamish Plateau, where King County Parks and the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club are developing a mountain bike skills-building park.

King County Parks - Your Big Backyard - offers more than 25,000 acres of parks and natural lands, including such regional treasures as Marymoor Park and Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, 175 miles of regional trails, plus pools and a world-class aquatic center. By cultivating strong relationships with non-profit, corporate and community partners, King County Parks enhances park amenities while reducing costs. Learn more at http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/

Earth Share of Washington, a statewide federation of environmental organizations that partners with businesses, government agencies, and other workplaces to encourage employees to give to the environment through payroll giving programs and volunteer involvement, is organizing "Day in the Park" volunteer events at eight parks in the greater Seattle area. Learn more at: http://www.esw.org and http://www.dayinthepark.org.

Washington Trails Association (WTA) is a non-profit membership organization that works to protect and enhance hiking opportunities in Washington State. Founded in 1966, WTA advocates protection of hiking trails, takes volunteers out to maintain them, and promotes hiking as a healthy, fun way to explore Washington. WTA volunteers contribute over 74,000 hours each year to build and maintain trails in all corners of the state. In 2007 alone, WTA has organized 125 volunteer trail work parties in King County Parks, for a total of nearly 12,500 volunteer hours. Learn more at: http://www.wta.org.