I've found another one. Forgotten, discarded and disregarded out-of-the-way parcels within the parks boundary but not considered "Discovery Park" by most visitors. Bay Terrace road briefly made "headlines" a few years back when it was raised as a possible property to give American Eagle (AE) in exchange for the Capehart parcel. AE indicated that the property had tremendous development value with many buildable parcels overlooking Salmon Bay to the north. Fortunately, this proposal was abandoned after plenty of shouting and yelling at a few well planned public meetings. But the lesson was clear. Ignore it at your own peril!
As you may recall, Bay Terrace road extends north from the North Parking lot traffic circle and supplies access to a group of private residential lots at the dead-end. The portion of the road that is within Discovery Park is lined by vacant lots that used to contain military housing, but were torn down in the 60's and 70's. Further down the road, outside of Park boundaries, the road accesses about 10-20 residential homes, most of which have the same valuable views to the north overlooking Shilshole marina. Since the road is a dead-end, only limited local traffic uses the road.
Unfortunately, because of the abandoned appearance of the vacant lots within the road, this portion has become a favorite hang-out zone for off-leash dogs and their owners, late night kegger partys and other less desirable activities. I've heard many complaints over the years from property owners about this.
My challenge to those with vested interests (property) on Bay Terrace Road is simple. If you don't want a)the City to sell it off to developers for money and b)unsavory types to use it for illegitimate purposes - take some ownership and responsibility! The property owners are the ones who benefit (and suffer) the most from its development or non-devwelopment. You should be the ones taking the lead. How to do this? Simple. First, planting of additional native conifers and deciduous trees along the road would greatly add to the habitat carrying capacity of the Park. The proximity to an active salmon migratory passage makes this an ideal habitat enhancer. And it would be very cheap to accomplish. Volunteer labor organized to plant a few inexpensive trees. Second, removal of the concrete pads along the road would further discourage illegitimate users, eliminate the "abandoned lot" appearance and enhance habitat. We've demonstrated elsewhere in the Park that removal of unused pavement is cheap, has widespread support among Parks staff and is relatively easy to achieve.
So remember the recent threat of development and learn a simple lesson. The more you treat it as your own, the less likely someone will try to take it from you.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
THE OLD BALLFIELD - TIME FOR A NEW USE?
Located just south of the Park's Visitors Center, an open field with a very old baseball backstop sits empty. I've been passing through this area for most of the past 10 years and have never seen an actual baseball game happening. Most of the time it's empty with the occasional dog owner playing fetch with her or his pet.
It strikes me this is an opportunity for the community to consider a new use for this open and relatively unused space. I think we should confront the reality that baseball in Discovery Park is not realistic. The lack of lights, maintenance and outstanding facilities in the nearby Magnolia Playfield next to the Catherine Blaine school, all suggest that to refer to it as the "ballfield" is a stretch.
What to do with it? First, we could do nothing - leaving it as is. It provides open space - but little else. It has no views like the parade ground. A nice place to play catch or throw frisbee. Second, we could plant it over with native vegetation. A combination of ground cover, native shrubs and trees. This could be done slowly, allowing the site to evolve over many years time. Enhancing the diversity of the Parks habitat and adding to it's overall wildlife carrying capability would certainly result in a better Park.
Lastly, a more creative approach would be to use it as a sort of volunteer native plant nursery. Currently, the City Parks nursery supplies plants to the Parks for native restoration. Unfortunately, the number and quality of stock received from the central Parks nursery is limited. We can do better. Given the nearby location of the Visitors Center (restrooms, watering supply), the maintenance yard and access roads, a cooperative volunteer-run native plant nursery would be an ideal use for this parcel.
It strikes me this is an opportunity for the community to consider a new use for this open and relatively unused space. I think we should confront the reality that baseball in Discovery Park is not realistic. The lack of lights, maintenance and outstanding facilities in the nearby Magnolia Playfield next to the Catherine Blaine school, all suggest that to refer to it as the "ballfield" is a stretch.
What to do with it? First, we could do nothing - leaving it as is. It provides open space - but little else. It has no views like the parade ground. A nice place to play catch or throw frisbee. Second, we could plant it over with native vegetation. A combination of ground cover, native shrubs and trees. This could be done slowly, allowing the site to evolve over many years time. Enhancing the diversity of the Parks habitat and adding to it's overall wildlife carrying capability would certainly result in a better Park.
Lastly, a more creative approach would be to use it as a sort of volunteer native plant nursery. Currently, the City Parks nursery supplies plants to the Parks for native restoration. Unfortunately, the number and quality of stock received from the central Parks nursery is limited. We can do better. Given the nearby location of the Visitors Center (restrooms, watering supply), the maintenance yard and access roads, a cooperative volunteer-run native plant nursery would be an ideal use for this parcel.
GARRY OAKS AND THE HISTORIC DISTRICT
Recently, the Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) announced a major new initiative aimed at encouraging the protection and promotion of native Garry Oak habitat in Washington State. I've planted several of these handsome native oaks in my adopted area in the Park. They're slow growing and long lived. They produce beautiful small oak leaves that cling to the tree well into early winter. Once established, they grow into massive heavy limbed structures.
From the WNPS website: "Typical of the southern reaches of Puget Sound country and further south are the unique and special prairie communities which may include our only oak, the Garry Oak. These grassy savanna-like openings occur in gravelly dry soils and are frequently associated with glacial outwash. Here rich meadow communities of grasses and wildflowers intermingle with massive oak trees which may be more than 300 years old.
.... Sadly, these prairies are vanishing as a result of increased development and encroachment by Douglas Fir."
The WNPS link is:
http://www.wnps.org/ecosystems/west_lowland_eco/garry_oak.htm
As I walk through the parade grounds within the historic district in Discovery Park, it strikes me that the open prairie-like meadows of the parade grounds would be ideal for the Garry Oak. Currently, the majority of trees within the historic district are London Plains. These non-native cultivars were planted at the time of the Fort's construction and so represent a "historical heritage". I would argue that the more important living tree heritage would lie in a threatened Garry oak species, rather than a common urban tree found in many cities of the world. Dozens of them can be found around the Parliament building in London, for example.
The slow growing nature of these trees means that any plantings we do now will not become a significant part of the historic district atmosphere for many years to come. This however is no reaon for inaction. The current tree stock in the historic district is limited and aging - prone to disease, high wind and man-made insults. Now is the time we must examine what we want the historic district vegetation to look like - and take appropriate action.
From the WNPS website: "Typical of the southern reaches of Puget Sound country and further south are the unique and special prairie communities which may include our only oak, the Garry Oak. These grassy savanna-like openings occur in gravelly dry soils and are frequently associated with glacial outwash. Here rich meadow communities of grasses and wildflowers intermingle with massive oak trees which may be more than 300 years old.
.... Sadly, these prairies are vanishing as a result of increased development and encroachment by Douglas Fir."
The WNPS link is:
http://www.wnps.org/ecosystems/west_lowland_eco/garry_oak.htm
As I walk through the parade grounds within the historic district in Discovery Park, it strikes me that the open prairie-like meadows of the parade grounds would be ideal for the Garry Oak. Currently, the majority of trees within the historic district are London Plains. These non-native cultivars were planted at the time of the Fort's construction and so represent a "historical heritage". I would argue that the more important living tree heritage would lie in a threatened Garry oak species, rather than a common urban tree found in many cities of the world. Dozens of them can be found around the Parliament building in London, for example.
The slow growing nature of these trees means that any plantings we do now will not become a significant part of the historic district atmosphere for many years to come. This however is no reaon for inaction. The current tree stock in the historic district is limited and aging - prone to disease, high wind and man-made insults. Now is the time we must examine what we want the historic district vegetation to look like - and take appropriate action.
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