|
Left: American Kestrel (Jenny Walker). Right: Evening Grosbeak (Birding Buddies).
|
|
It’s exhilarating to have such an array of wild creatures in the heart of the city, and it’s all because of the land’s history. For eighty years starting in the 1890’s, the area, called Fort Lawton, was controlled by the Army and the Navy. In the late 1960’s, as the military began to shift operations to other sites, U.S. Senator Henry M. Jackson helped secure hundreds of acres for what would become today's Discovery Park.
Even while it was a military outpost, birds and other wildlife found the sparsely-built, lightly-populated site very welcoming. In the decades since, as more of the area has been returned to a natural state, they have become only happier and more abundant.
|
|
|
Left: Black Oystercatcher (Birding Buddies). Right: Saw-whet owls (Birding Buddies).
|
|
Making the restoration that much more gratifying is the number and variety of people and organizations who have played a part, working together in what's called the Green Seattle Partnership, or GSP. (Forterra is a founding partner.)
With leadership from Friends of Discovery Park, the Partnership's latest feat is what's called the the Capehart restoration. Its focus has been a 30-acre site — very close to the park’s heart — long filled with 60+ prefabricated homes owned by the Navy and encircled by a stern-looking fence.
|
A BIG BOW to all the Green Seattle Partnership members involvled in the Capehart Restoration
Friends of Discovery Park
EarthCorps
GSP Forest Stewards
Mountains to Sound Greenway
Seattle Conservation Corps
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Seattle Parks Foundation
City of Seattle
Forterra
|
|
But now the structures have been demolished and removed, and volunteers and others nwith the Green Seattle Partnership have sown native shrubs and trees that, over time, will become high-quality forest habitat. Day-hikers are already arriving on gorgeous new trails, and birds and other creatures too.
This spring and summer, expect to see crews out in the Capehart meadow weeding and watering. Feel free to give them high-fives and cookies.
Want to help? You can get involved with regular work parties at Discovery Park pretty much year-around. Click here to find an upcoming opportunity to volunteer and dig in!
|
|
|
P.S. Interested in learning more about the potential ecological benefits of military installations? This old article from the New York Times is a great read.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
