Join us for a night of learning about the bears and coyotes that we share a home with in and around Issaquah. Learning from a panel of professionals and experts we will discuss their biology, role in our local ecosystems, and how city initiatives are influenced by coexistence and empathy. This is a space to provide community members with tips on how best to coexist and engage in the support of carnivores.

FLSSP will host a table at the Issaquah Sustainability Fair at nearby Pickering Barn on Saturday, March 30tth from 10 am – 3 pm. We would love for you to stop by and say hi, pick up a native seed packet, and learn about our restoration projects and other work for 2024. The Issaquah Sustainability Fair is a great place to learn more about sustainability and sustainable living, sign up to volunteer, or just spend an afternoon exploring more about the City of Issaquah. The fair will give you an opportunity to check out local products, participate in an interactive art piece or go on a mini-field trip to see a salmon habitat restoration site. To learn more please visit: issaquahwa.gov/SustainabilityFair. We look forward toseeing you there!

After visiting the FLSSP booth at the Issaquah Sustainability Fair, we hope you’ll celebrate National Take a Walk in the Park Day on March 30 th . This day was designated as a way to celebrate our local public parks and lands as part of our journey to health and stress management. Walking in the park is an excellent way to clear your mind and improve your health through exercise and clean air.

Lake Sammamish State Park serves as an incredible location to take a daily stroll and is an oasis in our growing urban environment. FLSSP has been working to support trail improvements and maintenance at Lake Sammamish State Park for the past several years. To support our efforts to improve our trails and your walk in the park please consider donating to support FLSSP on National Take a Walk in the Park Day. We truly value your support!

Join IATC and WA State Parks as we continue work to eradicate invasive plants, mainly European Holly, on Squak Mountain. Years ago there was a Holly farm in the neighborhood and because European Holly spreads well in our climate it is very prolific and eventually chokes out our Western Washington native plants. We will provide know-how and most tools, but this is a big project so we need your help! 

Saint Patrick may have driven the snakes out of Ireland, but here in Washington State, snakes are an important part of our natural ecosystem. Join a Washington State Parks Interpreter for a fun look into all things snakes in this family friendly, all ages program where we will learn more about these often-misunderstood critters.

Meet the Sunset Beach Building at 1 pm. This program will take place in a covered area with open sides, so dress for the weather. Building is ADA accessible.

FLSSP is continuing our work on our Tibbetts Creek Restoration site on March 16th from 10 am – noon. We will continue our work to protect the young trees we planted with wire cages and to pull any sprouting blackberry or other non-native plants during this event. Join us to have some fun and get some work done!

Grab some friends and join Mountain to Sound Greenway for an epic night of Greenway-themed Trivia and Tomfoolery hosted by Compass Outdoor Adventures at their South Fork North Bend restaurant and bar location.

Learn more

Join Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park for a Painting in the Park party!

FLSSP is excited to welcome Brandy from Paint Local to host our Painting in the Park party. Please join Brandy for a delightful morning of creativity, relaxatrions and good company at the kitchen shelter at Lake Sammamish State Park. Brandy will be walking us through painting a gorgeous Lake Sammamish inspired scene. 

No prior painting experience is required; just bring your enthusiasm and a desire to have some fun. We will provide all the necessary art supplies, including canvases, brushes and paints. This event will be limited to 15 people recommended for ages 12 and up. 

Brandy started teaching PNW inspired paintings over 5 years ago. She has an easygoing personality to make everyone feel at ease, she cracks jokes and helps you fix anything you might not love about your painting. Find her other events at her facebook page: https://fb.com/paintlocalseattle 

Whether you're looking for a fun day out with friends or a creative way to unwind, this event promises to be an unforgettable experience. Space is limited, reserve your spot now!

To cover costs, FLSSP is asking for a donation of $10, but FLSSP events are open to all members of our community, regardless of ability to pay; we have resources available to cover fees for those that may need assistance to attend our events. Please reach out to Jessica Schafer, at director@flssp.org, to request use of these funds and to register for the event

Join IATC to learn more about the coal mining history of Washington state. They will be leading a hike on Feb 25th from 2 – 4 pm. You must register for this event so please visit IATC event page.

Join FLSSP for a celebrated American birding tradition! This is also a unique opportunity to take part in citizen science! Birds will be observed and counted and the results reported to the Audobon Society. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.

Come out to Lake Sammamish State Park and learn about birding and start your lifelong bird count.

Welcome to a new year!

Let’s get back into the Restoration swing of things!

FLSSP will be hosting our first restoration event of 2024 on Feb 17 th from 10 am – noon. We will be

continuing work on the Tibbetts creek site putting up cages to help protect our 150+ newly planted

trees, continuing to monitor and pull invasive plants, and putting in more trees. Please register here to

join us as we kick off our monthly restoration events for 2024 and help our park thrive!

Join us for our brand new event, Stewardship Saturdays! A monthly community event held every second Saturday, dedicated to revitalizing Issaquah's Anthology Open Space, in collaboration with Green Issaquah and Trout Unlimited. Immerse yourself in the spirit of environmental stewardship as we actively engage in removing blackberries and planting native trees and shrubs, aiming to restore a wetland along Issaquah Creek. Sign up for the kick-off event on February 10th

Online Registration is now closed!

Please join us and register at the event!

Make a splash at the Polar Plunge at Lake Sammamish State Park !

Polar Plunge returns on New Year’s Day 2024. Festivities will begin at 10:30 a.m. with registration, music, and merriment on the shores of Sunset Beach. The crowd will “plunge” at noon.

You may have heard that other lakes within King County are experiencing algae blooms right now. We have confirmed with Public Health Seattle & King County that the water at Sunset Beach is safe for plungers! PHSKC analyzed water samples collected on December 26th and found no toxins present, observed no algae in the water, and have not received any reports of algae in the water in the southern half of Lake Sammamish. If you are concerned about plunging, we still invite you to come join the merriment on the beach, warm up by the fires and with a cup of chowder, participate in a First Day Hike with State Park staff, and ring in the new year with your community!

The first 300 registered participants will receive a Polar Plunge souvenir pair of socks, souvenir pin, commemorative sticker and other coupons and swag from our event partners, including Ivar's. Registration fee is a $10 minimum donation per person.

Spectators are welcome to come out to cheer on the athletes as they takea dunk in the chilly waters of Lake Sammamish.

Schedule for the Plunge:

Registration opens 10:30

• First Day Hikes w/WSP Interpretive Specialist: 10:30 & 11:00

• Costume Contest judging: 11:30

• Plunge at 12:00

Washington State Parks also invites the public to ring in the new year during its annual First Day Hikes event on Jan. 1, 2024. Hikes will be an invigorating 15 to 20 minutes. An all-ages experience, these roughly half mile hikes will feature uneven terrain. Weather dependent the trail may be slippery, icy or snow-covered. Please dress for the weather and bring sturdy shoes. Meet the WSP interpretive specialist at the registration table for a 10:30 or 11:00 hike. 

First Day Hikes is a national initiative led by America’s State Parks, encouraging people to get outdoors on New Year’s Day. Last year, nearly 55,000 people hiked over 133,000 miles during these free events throughout the nation. New Year’s Day also marks the first state-managed land free day of 2023. Visitors will not need a Discover Pass to park at Lake Sammamish State Park.

Ivar’s will be onsite to serve complimentary clam chowder! Coffee and other beverages and donuts will also be available.

Costume Contest:

Gather your friends or colleagues together and organize a team, or just come solo. Costumes and team t-shirts are encouraged!

This year’s costume contest includes three categories:

1. Holiday Festiveness- antlers, polar bears, dreidels, oh my! Any way you celebrate the season, we want to celebrate with you!

2. 80’s Throwback- crimped hair, leg warmers, neon. Synthesizer music optional

3. Pacific Northwest- we want to see your creativity!

Entry to the Costume Contest is included with Polar Plunge registration (only registered participants are eligible to participate in the contest). Costume contest participants will indicate interest at check in and receive entry marker. Costume contest will occur on the main stage at 11:30.

A winner in each category will be chosen and a grand prize winner will receive a prize pack donated by Patagonia. Runners up will receive FLSSP prize packs.

Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park is a 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to enhancing and improving Lake Sammamish State Park for the benefit of the entire community.

Glimpse of 2022 Polar Plunge Fun at Lake Sammamish State park

Join Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park for a Painting in the Park party!

FLSSP is excited to welcome Brandy from Paint Local to host our Painting in the Park party. Please join Brandy for a delightful morning of creativity, relaxatrions and good company at the kitchen shelter at Lake Sammamish State Park. Brandy will be walking us through painting a gorgeous Lake Sammamish inspired scene. 

No prior painting experience is required; just bring your enthusiasm and a desire to have some fun. We will provide all the necessary art supplies, including canvases, brushes and paints. This event will be limited to 12 people recommended for ages 12 and up. 

Brandy started teaching PNW inspired paintings over 5 years ago. She has an easygoing personality to make everyone feel at ease, she cracks jokes and helps you fix anything you might not love about your painting. Find her other events at her facebook page: https://fb.com/paintlocalseattle 

Whether you're looking for a fun day out with friends or a creative way to unwind, this event promises to be an unforgettable experience. Space is limited, reserve your spot now!

This event is now full! To be put on a waitlist, please email operations@flssp.org

Join the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and Green Issaquah at this kick off work party as we embark on a new restoration site at Park Pointe. We will be removing invasive species, primarily blackberry bushes, to protect the forest and clear space to plant trees. Planting more trees will help us meet our Issaquah Climate Action Plan goal of 55% tree canopy cover by 2035.

The Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park Restoration Commitee is excited to begin work on a new habitat restoration project along the buffer of Tibbetts Creek. We will kick off this work in September by clearing the site of invasive blackberry and continue by planting native plants in November. Join us this fall to transform this area from a sea of blackberry to a thriving habitat for the wildlife in our park! Thank you to REI and Dell for sponsoring this work!

Join the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and Green Issaquah at this final restoration party of the High School Trail. After months of fantastic work by community volunteers to remove invasive plants from this well-loved section of Tiger Mountain, we will celebrate with a tree planting event. Planting more trees will help us meet our Issaquah Climate Action Plan goal of 55% tree canopy cover by 2035. Come be an active part of this history!

Join IATC and Dan Hintz from the City of Issaquah on a guided hike along Pickering Reach to explore how riparian areas and wetlands are critical habitats for plant and wildlife diversity in the face of a rapidly changing climate.

This hike will focus on the City of Issaquah’s efforts to conserve and restore riparian habitat to support threatened salmon populations and a wide array of plant species and other wildlife that rely on these vital habitats along our rivers and lakeshores.

Registration is required. No pets allowed.

The King County Forest Carbon Program produces carbon credits by permanently protecting threatened forests and tree canopy in both urban and rural parts of the county that would otherwise be available for development or commercial timber harvest. Funds generated through the sale of carbon credits support acquisition of additional forestlands that are among the highest conservation priorities of the region, identified through the collaborative Land Conservation Initiative. In addition to providing climate benefits, protection of these forests provides a range of other benefits, including protecting salmon habitat, water quality and air quality benefits, and recreational opportunities.

This hike visits recent land acquisitions on Cougar Mountain that are part of the project. Our hike leader, Kathleen Farley Wolf of King County, will introduce us to this forest and explain how the forest carbon credits program works. This will be an interactive hike with stops for observation, discussion and Q&A.

Trailhead: Harvey Manning Park at Talus
Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Hike Leader: Kathleen Farley Wolf, Forest Carbon Program Manager, King County

Issaquah Goes Apples! History Walk

Come celebrate Issaquah goes apples with us!

Did you know there's an old apple orchard at Lake Sammamish State Park? Come learn about the farming history of the park, and find the orchard, with FLSSP Board Treasurer, Rich Benson, a former Washington State Park's Ranger who worked at our state park for nearly 40 years!

The Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park Restoration Commitee is excited to begin work on a new habitat restoration project along the buffer of Tibbetts Creek. We will kick off this work in September by clearing the site of invasive blackberry and continue by planting native plants in November. Join us this fall to transform this area from a sea of blackberry to a thriving habitat for the wildlife in our park! Thank you to REI and Dell for sponsoring this work!

Join FLSSP to celebrate 10 years, the impact of volunteers, view auction items, and learn about what's to come!

Join Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park at our 2023 Annual Celebration on Thursday, October 12th from 5:00 – 6:30pm, where we will celebrate ten years of accomplishments, recognize volunteers and their impact, and highlight what’s to come! Light refreshments will be available and a short program will take place at 5:30pm. Get a final chance to bid on our 2023 Experience Issaquah and the Outdoors Auction items, and meet other park supporters. If you have supported FLSSP through a donation, gotten your hands dirty volunteering at a habitat restoration or landscaping event, helped at one of our signature events such as Walk n’ Wag or Camp S’more, or just want to know more about what we do, this celebration is for you!

No RSVP is required, but indicating your interest in attending is appreciated!

The Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park Restoration Commitee is excited to begin work on a new habitat restoration project along the buffer of Tibbetts Creek. We will kick off this work in September by clearing the site of invasive blackberry and continue by planting native plants in November. Join us this fall to transform this area from a sea of blackberry to a thriving habitat for the wildlife in our park! Thank you to REI and Dell for sponsoring this work!

Join IATC's new Executive Director, Nicole Assumpcao, for a fun jaunt around the forests of Tiger Mountain while swapping stories about what the Issaquah Alps mean to you. We'll climb partway up the mountain on the Section Line Trail, traverse the Talus Rocks and come back down into the plateau on the West Tiger 3 trail. This is a moderate hike taken at a conversational pace, make sure to bring yourself plenty of water and some snacks!

Join Rita Moore, a native plant steward with the Washington Native Plant Society, on a hike through the Klondike Swamp Trail on Cougar Mountain and along the way learn to identify native plants and their role within the local environment. Rita is also an active member of the National Wildlife Federation.

This will be an interactive hike with stops for observation, discussion and Q&A.

Join the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and Green Issaquah by restoring the High School Trail, a well-loved section of Tiger Mountain. We will be removing ivy, holly, and blackberry bushes.

Registration required.

The Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park Restoration Commitee is excited to begin work on a new habitat restoration project along the buffer of Tibbetts Creek. We will kick off this work in September by clearing the site of invasive blackberry and continue by planting native plants in November. Join us this fall to transform this area from a sea of blackberry to a thriving habitat for the wildlife in our park! Thank you to REI and Dell for sponsoring this work!

Calling all writers and might-be-writers! Come join us at our Lakeside Nature Writing workshop on September 9th, from 10 a.m.-12:00 p.m. 

With Lake Sammamish State Park as our muse, we'll have a brief discussion about the nature of nature writing and spend time exploring our environment and writing our observations. We will discuss the strengths and opportunities of everyone's writing. Sharing your writing with the group is not mandatory, but we highly encourage it. 

This workshop is open to all abilities and experiences. To ensure individual attention and feedback, we have limited the workshop to twelve participants. Friends of Lake Sammamish will provide pens/pencils and a nature journal that you can take home. Be sure to bring a water bottle! We're excited to see you and hear what you have to say!

Event is free of charge