Local non-profit Friends of North Creek Forest (FNCF) is starting a new Living Tributes program, offering tree and shrub dedication to mark significant life events such as marriages, birth of a child, anniversaries, or death of a loved one. Proceeds from the Living Tributes program will support FNCF’s mission to maintain and improve the ecological function of North Creek Forest through Education, Stewardship and Conservation in perpetuity. Now that North Creek Forest is owned by the City of Bothell and permanently protected, FNCF’s work will focus on providing careful access to North Creek Forest through trail development and educational programs that invite the public into the forest without harming it.

Donors will be given the opportunity to select from a variety of native trees and shrubs including: Snowberry, Twinberry, Red-flowering currant, Nootka rose, Vine maple, Bigleaf maple or Western red cedar. For those looking to plant a specific tree/shrub in honor of a loved one, there will be a bi-annual planting event occurring in the Spring and Fall. Cost of donation ranges from $250 to $1,000, based on tree selection. Donors will receive two certificates to commemorate their donation, containing a picture of their chosen plant and a quote of their choice.

Donors, honorees and loved ones will be able to walk in to North Creek Forest and visit their tree.

“We want these (dedications) to be near trails so that people can get to them to be able to see them change throughout the seasons,” said FNCF Executive Director Emily Sprong.

There are also plans to plant a tribute garden on the edge of the forest that will be more accessible for those looking to visit their shrub without having to go into the forest. Regardless of location, dedicated plants will be marked by a plaque containing the name of the honoree and donor. Each plaque will also contain a QR code that, when scanned on a smart device, will display additional information and/or pictures of the honored/memorialized subject.

Longtime FNCF volunteer and board member, Jeri Molloy, is kicking off the program with the dedication of a Nootka Rose in honor of her late sister, Nancy Murphree. Molloy lost her sister, who was raised in Washington, in a car accident in Texas 45 years ago.

“When we were talking about having this program, I knew that I wanted to work on this because I’ve always wanted to dedicate something in her memory here,” Molloy said. “Nancy’s grave is in Texas, so it will be so nice to know that there is finally something here in memory of her.”

For more information on the Living Tributes program, contact Jeri Molloy at 425-485-5108 or sign up online at http://www.friendsnorthcreekforest.org/living-tributes.html.