Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation
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Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation |
Wetland
flora, plus wetland fauna, plus wetland soils equal (surprise!) a wetland.
In April, the LFP Stewardship Foundation funded an ecological assessment of the corridor along 28th and 30th Avenues Northeast. Stephanie M. Allen, a wetland ecologist with Cooke Scientific Services, Inc., studied the area north of Northeast 169th Street, part of the headwaters of Hillside Creek in the south-central part of Lake Forest Park.
Allen
visited the site and identified a Class 2 wetland of about five acres.
She found hydrophytic (wet-loving) plants, hydric soils, and hillside
seeps and saturated soils consistent with wetland hydrology.
"This
site is especially valuable as the headwaters of a tributary to Hillside Creek,
providing base flow support, storm-water storage, and water-quality
improvement," Allen reported. "It
performs a critical function as the headwaters of a salmon-bearing stream
system."
Allen's
findings mean that the area meets all the criteria for wetlands of the
Washington State Wetlands Identification and Delineation Manual (WSDOE 1997).
Potential wetland functions were considered to be high because of the
area's size, varied habitat suitable for birds and small mammals, and the low
level of disturbance.
Bond
Proposal Before LFP Voters Nov. 7 Would
Raise $3.5 million For 'Parks for the Park'
Voters
in Lake Forest Park will decide Nov. 7 whether the City should issue $3.5
million in general-obligation bonds for buying and developing parks and open
space. The ballot measure, LFP
Council Proposition 1, would require 60 percent approval.
Funds
would be used to purchase sensitive areas for preservation and protection, to
develop and improve the City's playgrounds, and to buy and develop land for
recreation in neighborhoods that have no public parks.
Development in sensitive areas would be limited to paths, some plantings
and interpretive signs, with volunteers doing much of the work.
Backers
of the proposal point out that Lake Forest Park, despite its name, has less than
1 percent of its land in public parks, while other nearby cities such as
Shoreline and Seattle have much more.
City
officials estimate the cost of the bond issue to taxpayers at $17.09 per year
for each $100,000 of assessed property valuation, averaged over the 20-year life
of the bond issue. For a $250,000
residence, the monthly cost would average $3.56.
Not
included is the Horizon View site being used as Interim City Hall.
Some citizens want to keep the former school as a community center.
It has a gym and stage, meeting rooms, a playfield, lawn, woods and ample
parking. However, the funds
invested in it were allocated for a city hall, and will be used for that
purpose. Another bond issue for
retention of the site may be offered later, after a study of possible uses, and
costs to the City.
The
"Parks for the Park" campaign committee is headed by State Rep. Ruth
Kagi and LFP Councilmembers Dwight Thompson and Edwin Sterner.
Councilmember Carolyn Armanini and Debra Born of the Parks and Recreation
Commission are co-treasurers. For
information, call (206) 364-4410 or check the website, www.YesParksLFP.org.
StreamKeepers
Three Environmental Groups Will Collaborate To Remove Fish Barriers in Brookside Creek.
Lake
Forest Park StreamKeepers, the Stewardship Foundation and the local chapter of
Trout Unlimited will combine forces to remove fish barriers in Brookside Creek.
There
is now eyewitness testimony of past salmon sightings far upstream in Brookside
Creek. Tom Mohoric, who grew up in a home along the creek, recently wrote the
City and the Foundation, recalling that he had found large dead salmon on the
stream bank behind his house in the 1960s.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife experts describe the stream as "prime Coho
habitat."
"We'll
be facing some serious challenges in the three barriers which have been
identified," said Bill Bennett, Environmental Quality Commissioner and
StreamKeepers leader. "However,
the prospect of restoring such a salmon run is compelling.
Property owners are being contacted, and we look forward to this exciting
project."
Hillside Creek Flowing Clear Again.
Last
month, two teams of volunteers organized by StreamKeepers cleared the channel of
Hillside Creek, at Brookside School.
Five years ago, Streamkeepers had built a side passage there to daylight
the creek, which had been diverted through a culvert. Since then, it had become overgrown with watercress, whose
roots had collected silt. The City
helped with a truck and backhoe. Now
Hillside Creek is flowing freely again!
A Budding Environmentalist at Age 6.
Congratulations to Aaron Brown and his dad, Derek, for measuring water quality at six sites in honor of Aaron's 6th birthday, at the last quarterly assessment performed by StreamKeepers.
The
group will be measuring again Saturday, Oct. 21. Anyone interested in helping should be in front of the
library at LFP Town Center at 9 a.m. Parents
are encouraged to participate with youngsters, but young children are not
allowed to handle chemicals. Boots
are recommended; everything else is provided.
Contact
Bennett at 362-6503 for information.
Council
Takes Grant For Beachfront Site; Development is Next
Public
access to the Lake Washington beachfront came closer to reality after recent
action by the City of Lake Forest Park. Next,
the Council will consider a master plan for park development.
The
City Council voted to accept funding from the state Interagency Council for
Recreation for about half the cost of the former Morris property at the mouth of
Lyon Creek, next to the LFP Civic Club. The
City is applying for other grants to finance the remainder.
City
ownership assures the protection of this environmentally sensitive lower reach
of one of Lake Forest Park's two major creeks.
It is here that the stream meets Lake Washington.
Juvenile Chinook migrating down the Sammamish River are known to feed in
the waters near the mouth of this creek, according to Brent Lackey, King County
stream steward.
Lower
Lyon Creek will be monitored to determine whether salmon use it for spawning.
The stream and beach habitat will serve as a learning resource for all
ages.
Realization
of this purchase affords, for the first time, access for all citizens of Lake
Forest Park to the lakefront. Mayor
David Hutchinson proposed designating this a "pedestrian park."
To minimize impact on the beachfront neighborhood, the Parks and
Recreation Commission recommends only one parking spot for disabled and a
turn-around space.
Short-term
plans call for removal of the barns and stables to open the view to the lake.
The boathouse will be removed for safety and security.
Some plantings and signs are proposed.
For now, the house will be retained as a caretaker's residence.
A Scout is sprucing up the interior as his Eagle project.
The
process of making the property into a public place requires several steps,
including permits. Lake Forest Park
Stewardship Foundation members and other volunteers likely will be helping on
work parties. The City seeks development grants, with a projected opening date
to coincide with the new City Hall opening in Fall 2001.
Report
from the President
Judge
Ponders Decision on Hillside Property; New Study Contradicts Wetlands
Delineation
The
LFP Stewardship Foundation has devoted a significant amount of time and
resources to prevent a development in the Hillside area. The proposal was to
build four houses in or near sensitive wetlands at the headwaters of Brookside
Creek.
The
Foundation fought this at the City level in two venues.
First,
we appealed the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) determination by the
City's Planning Department, which allowed the developer, Rob Hill, to avoid
doing an Environmental Impact Study for the project. We believed that insufficient attention had been given to the
impact of the development on the wetlands, and that the wetland delineation by
the developer's paid expert was inadequate.
With
dozens of concerned citizens, we also testified before the LFP Board of
Adjustment against granting Hill a Reasonable Use Exemption (RUE), which would
set aside City rules for development in and around sensitive areas. The
overwhelming preponderance of evidence and testimony given at two lengthy public
hearings on this RUE late in 1999 were critical of the project as a whole, of
the delineations and other studies provided by the developer, and of the dubious
wisdom of allowing a development so close to--or even inside--critical wetlands.
Last
March the Board of Adjustment reached its decisions on both cases. Our appeal of
the SEPA determination was denied, and the exemption was granted.
The
only place to appeal these decisions is in Superior Court. The Foundation
appealed both decisions, and the case was heard Sept. 11 before Judge Mary Yu.
While no decision is expected until early October, we believe we got a
fair hearing before an open-minded judge who was well acquainted with the case.
Our attorney, Claudia Newman, presented our case fully, calmly, and cogently. We
believe we have an excellent chance of a favorable ruling. The judge could
uphold or overturn one or both decisions, or remand the matter to the Board of
Adjustment.
One
key concession made by the Board of Adjustment on the RUE decision was a
requirement that Hill's wetland delineation must be reviewed and approved by the
state Department of Ecology before any further permits could be
On
March 29, a joint team of wetlands experts from the Dept. of Ecology and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspected the property. Their report directly
contradicted the findings of Hill's consultant: "According to the data we
collected, wetlands and streams are found over a majority of the site."
This
is exactly what the Foundation, and numerous experts who testified at the RUE
hearings, had maintained all along. This decision invalidates Hill's plans for
building and for mitigation, as his original application stressed repeatedly
that no encroachment on the wetland itself would occur.
As
a result of this review, the Corps of Engineers invoked jurisdiction over the
matter. The Corps of Engineers has
jurisdiction over "all the waters of the U.S."
This means that, in addition to the permitting process specified by Lake
Forest Park, Hill now also has to satisfy restrictions and permit criteria of
the Corps of Engineers.
Upon
receipt of the report, the City Planning Department forwarded it to the Board of
Adjustment, according to its ruling of March 15. Since then, no further action has been taken by either the
Planning Department or the Board of Adjustment.
--Doug
Mitchell
LFPSF
President
Wasn't
it a great party? Thanks to our donors!
More
than 100 supporters of the Stewardship Foundation attended its second Wine
Tasting and Benefit Auction at the LFP Civic Club April 29.
Dori
Monson of KIRO Radio was auctioneer. David
Press and LFPSF President Doug Mitchell lent their musical talents.
Fine Pacific Northwest and European wines were combined with hors
d'oeuvres and decadent desserts--all generously donated.
We
thank everyone who turned out, and our gratitude goes to these businesses and
individuals who donated dollars, time and talent. Without you all, the Foundation could not continue to protect
the environment in our community. We
regret any omissions or inaccuracies in our list below. Please contact us so we may correct our records.