Newsletter

October 2001

Sure, you’ll have fun at the auction, but there’s even more…

As a staunch supporter of the Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation, you may already know that…

• It’s time for the Foundation’s Fourth Annual Auction and Dinner.

• It’s set for Saturday, April 27, from 5:30 to 10 p.m.

• It will be held at the Lake Forest Park Civic Club.  So, as a Lake Forest Park resident, you won’t have to drive more than three miles to get there.

• You can listen to live music, sample fine Pacific Northwest wines, and enjoy savory dinner items that are favorites of the season.

But did you also know that…

• We proudly announce that the Foundation now has business sponsors to help underwrite the cost of this benefit event.  More of the funds raised will be directed to stream and park preservation and restoration projects. 

• You will have an opportunity to bid on some treasures not available anywhere else.

• This is your chance to be among the first to register for this year’s celebration.

• We are setting aside tables just for you and your friends and the other staunch supporters of the Foundation who have given so generously of their time, talents and resources.

Please hurry!  This preferential offer runs only through April 12.  Look for the invitation in your mail next week.

Stewardship Foundation Wins Grant for Salmon Restoration

A $49,000 grant has been awarded to the Stewardship Foundation to help restore salmon to McAleer Creek.  The grant, fully funded and administered jointly by King County and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, was announced last week by King County Councilmember Carolyn Edmonds.  The 18-month project begins in June. The grant will fund restoration of the Brookside Creek habitat, which used to thrive in that tributary of McAleer Creek.  McAleer presently bears Chinook, sockeye and coho salmon and cutthroat trout.  The project will also help landowners adopt fish-friendly practices. The project will involve pupils from local schools in re-establishing native plants along the stream, conducting salmon-hatching and planting programs, and monitoring water quality and salmon movement and migration.

Report from the President…

The Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation has entered a new stage. For the first time, we are working closely with the City of LFP on a major project, the Grace and Carl Cole Memorial Nature Preserve. The City is nearly finished assessing the fair market value of the properties and will soon be negotiating with the landowners.  Expect to see low-impact development there this summer, including removal of invasive vegetation and trail construction.  I trust that you received A Salmon's Guide to Lake Forest Park, which we published last year. This was a terrific experience for us, and we look forward to more projects like this. There is more about it in this Newsletter. We're always looking for opportunities to work with the community, with other volunteer organizations, and with the City.  Also, we love hearing from you.  After all, you're the reason we're here.  Your support is essential to our past and future accomplishments.  So, if you have any ideas on projects for us,  let us know. Thanks again for your support.  I hope to see you at our auction and fundraiser April 27.

 --Doug Mitchell

Honey, I shrunk the lawn!

Save time and money, improve water qualityby “naturescaping”

Starting to think about spring gardening? Join others around Western Washington and shrink your lawn! Moving toward a more natural landscape reduces your time mowing, raking and watering--and your use of water and chemicals. Replacing lawn area with native plants also attracts native wildlife. Furthermore, a natural landscape retains more water than a lawn--and can recharge groundwater and streams during droughts.

Remember:  You don't have to go "all natural" overnight. Even a few natives will improve your yard's contribution to a healthy watershed.  Some simple steps and you're off!

Pick your spot To benefit most from your new landscape, plant natives next to trees, greenbelts, waterfront, or a neighbor's natural area. Start with the least-used areas of your lawn, or places where the lawn is struggling. That shady corner may be better suited to natives than turf.

Choose your plants Is your yard dry and sunny? Wet and shady? Select plants that will thrive in your yard's unique environment. Native plants are available for just about every condition. Find the right plant for the right place (see below for resources). Four trees and 16 shrubs in a 400 square-foot area creates a dense planting; fewer plants will make a big difference, too. 

Check your soil
Dig a test hole. If your topsoil is less than six inches, add more, but find a weed-free source.  Build your soil with compost.

Plant  Create a natural appearance by clustering similar species, varying planting distances, and curving borders. Plant your new trees and shrubs between October and April and follow the specific planting instructions for your plants carefully. A general guideline is to place trees 10 to 15 feet apart and shrubs 3 to 5 feet apart. Plant directly into the lawn, creating a hole at least twice the width of the potted plant. Remove all grass within a foot of the plant's stem.

Mulch  Put clean corrugated cardboard over the grass around your newly planted trees and shrubs. Overlap cardboard sheets six inches and keep the cardboard and mulch at least four inches from the base of the new plants. Put four inches of compost, topsoil, grass clippings or a combination on top. Over time--voila! Your grass is gone and your plants are mulched.

Maintain  Planting natives will not free you of all yard work. (Sorry.) You will need to water your new plants for their first two summers, and you'll have to keep after invasive weeds until the natives are established. Don't worry if your plants don't grow much the first year--they are developing healthy root systems and will eventually take off. Rocks or logs partly buried between grass and natural areas will help keep the grass where you want it.

That's all it takes! In a weekend, you can move toward less maintenance, fewer chemicals, more birds and a healthier watershed. If you want to "go native," but don't have time, contact the King Conservation District at (206) 764-3410, Ext. 103 for a list of contractors who specialize in naturescaping. KCD also has a great native plant sale (cheap!) each spring.

You can learn more about naturescaping with native plants at one of our upcoming workshops, from our free Going Native brochure, or by contacting Greg Rabourn at (206) 296-1923 or greg.rabourn@metrokc.gov. For more information on native plant nurseries, native plant resources and links to other yard and garden topics, visit http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/PI/npresrcs.htm.  Washington State University Cooperative Extension also has a great website on native plant landscaping at http://gardening.wsu.edu/text/nwnative.htm.

Thanks to King County for permission to reprint this article from the February 2002 Downstream News.
 

Road Map for Fish

Guide to Streams and Parks Getting Rave Reviews

The Foundation's little book on Lake Forest Park streams, wetlands and parks seems to have made a hit.  We've had encouraging comments from citizens who were surprised and pleased to get a copy of A Salmon's Guide to Lake Forest Park.  It also brought in dozens of new members.

With financial help from the Northwest Fund for the Environment, we mailed a copy to every household in Lake Forest Park. That is, we intended to. If you didn't get a copy, please let us know.  We have a few left. You can e-mail us at info@lfpsf.org or call us at (206) 361-7076.

The Office of Environmental Studies for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction was so impressed that they may pay for reprints so science teachers in all Shoreline schools can use it as a student handbook.

Take a look at the large fold-out map that came with the booklet. We think it's the first of its kind, in that it orients Lake Forest Park by its streams rather than its streets. (The streets are there, but in subdued type.) Our hope is that once people can put a name to the creek they cross on the way to and from work, and know something of its history and the chances of seeing a salmon in its riffles, they become more interested in what happens to it.

Get a digital copy of the map in the salmon brochure from the Foundation's web site:  http://www.lfpsf.org.

Sample reactions from our fans:

Thanks so much for the copy of your lovely book,  A Salmon’s Guide to Lake Forest Park.  Nice job!  It looks like a great deal of work and it’s a wonderful resource for your neighbors.  I applaud all your heroic work.  Your community should be very proud of you.  Congratulations!
--Janet Way

Thanks for all your great work!  Maybe we can keep the lots big and cut the new housing yet!
--Thomas & Ruth Williamson-Kirkland

Thanks for preparing such a wonderful booklet on salmon in the local area.
--Fred & Virginia Gessner

What a wonderful idea!  Grace and Carl would have loved it!  Lots of luck in your fund-raising efforts.
--Dick & Anne Anderson

Foundation Lends Support To Cedar Park Neighborhood

Cedar Park is a residential neighborhood in Seattle’s Lake City area. Its otherwise quiet streets have been plagued with speeding traffic, much of which is overflow from nearby Lake City Way.  Residents in the Cedar Park Neighborhood Association tackled the problem and sought a grant for a traffic study from the City of Seattle.  However, they were told they must get an established nonprofit organization to act as their fiscal sponsor.

One member, who lives farther north, in Lake Forest Park, thought about the LFP Stewardship Foundation, and called.  After checking out the legal and financial issues, the Foundation officers agreed, and the rest is history. “The traffic study concludes in May, and we’re all eager to see the findings,” said Doug Mitchell, LFPSF president.  “We wish the Cedar Park folks good luck in preserving the peace and safety of their neighborhood.”

A  hearty welcome to these new Foundation members:

Philip & Martha Abrego, William Arraj, Helen Ayres, Daniel & Joanie Block, Ralph & Carol Bremer, Evan & Cheri Cantini, Ron & Jan Carpenter, Susan Clark, Dr.Lynn C. Cockburn, Michael & Gayle Cummins, Bill & Lee Ellis, Ellis & Cindy Evans, Kim Favorite, Fred & Virginia Gessner, George & Cylvia Grantham, Ben & Marilyn Grevstad, John & Heidi Hagen, Helen L. Hoffman, Olive Jennings, Paul Johnson, Marty & Kim Josund, Julia Krick, Gordon & Elizabeth LaZerte, The Lerner Family, Lily & Jack Lewis.

Patrick Marek, Mr. & Mrs. Howard Nostrand, Phyllis Oshikawa, Peter Pallas, Lisa Pedigo, Richard D. Reed, Frank Ruano, Charlotte Schildkraut, Richard & Barbara Sharkey, Gail Smith, Lila Swalwell, Christina Taylor, Steve & Elda Rae Teel, Bill Van Horn, Brian & Teresa Vanderburg, Ralph & Nancy Velie, Ken Weinberg, Cheryl Workman, Fred & Miriam Yates.

Coll-Peter Thrush

Our new board member is a student of history and the environment.

The Foundation recently welcomed its newest board member, Coll-Peter Thrush.  Coll is a graduate student at the University of Washington in Native American and environmental history.  His doctoral dissertation, "The Crossing-Over Place," is an Indian-centered history of Seattle.  He was co-curator for an award-winning exhibit at Seattle's Museum of History & Industry, a contributor to the Library of Congress's American Memory website, and published works on the history of Native Americans, women and Asian-Americans.

Coll served on the boards of Hands Off Washington, Lambert House, and the Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project.  He hopes to use his historical expertise in the Foundation's restoration projects, and to create an even stronger sense of place here in LFP.

Raised in Auburn, Coll has been a forest ranger, cave guide and sword salesman.  He and his partner, Simon Martin, moved to Lake Forest Park last July.  "It's a bit of a change from the Central District, where we'd lived for five years," says Coll, "but there's a great sense of community here, and the Foundation is a great way to get to know the place and the people."  When he's not in the archives or at his computer, Coll is usually gardening, birding or cooking.
 

Now, a word from our sponsors…

The Foundation is pleased to announce two sponsors of the Benefit Dinner and Auction:  Steve Hartley of RE/MAX Northwest and CityBank.  The support of these business leaders will allow more of the proceeds to go to what we do best—protecting the natural environment.


Steve Hartley
RE/MAX Northwest   (206) 650-7883
Steve Hartley, a resident of Lake Forest Park, has been providing local real estate service for 12 years.  He offers a “no hassle, no obligation” environment and always looks forward to meeting and talking with neighbors.  Buying or selling real estate is, quite possibly, the biggest investment you will ever make.  Shouldn’t you put your trust in someone who cares about you and your community? Call Steve directly or visit on the web at www.seattlesbesthomes.com. 

CityBank  (206) 363-7202
Since 1974, CityBank has offered excellent customer service and a full line of financial services to meet your individual financial needs. Whether you’re in the market for a truly free checking account, a high-interest certificate of deposit, or the convenience of on-line banking, we think you’ll enjoy our outstanding service backed by CityBank’s knowledgeable staff.  We have eight branches in Snohomish and King counties.  Stop by and see us today