The Annual Meeting of the Friends of Discovery Park is planned for May 6th 7:00PM in the Donald S. Voorhees room at the new Discovery Park Visitor Center.
A meeting notice will be sent to all members. Every member should attend and bring their friends.
Election of officers and board takes place at annual meeting. If you are interested in being a board member and support the g principles of the Friends, contact the nominating committee: Valerie Cholvin (206) 283-8643.
The Friend's guiding principles are: "...to defend the integrity of Discovery Park; to create and protect there an open space of quiet and tranquility, a sanctuary where the works of man are minimized, appearing to be affected primarily by the forces of nature, a place which emphasizes its natural environment, broad vista and unspoiled shorelines; and to promote the development of the park according to a master plan responsive to these goals."
It's a good time to reminisce. We are concerned by the construction that has been done or is now proposed in Discovery Park. We need rededication by the Friends and other citizens to protect the park's quiet, solitude, and beauty. It provides us the essential opportunity to enjoy an intimate contact with nature in the city.
The Kiley master plan puts it this way: "There must be a deep commitment to the belief that there is no more valuable use of this site than as an open space."
In December 1976, Thomas O. Wimmer, one of the founders of the Washington Environment Council and a national and local environmental leader, gave a speech to the Seattle King County Young Lawyers. Here are excerpts:
"The last ten years all of us have witnessed a new revolution in the making, one that will have a profound impact on America.
"It is the Environmental Revolution. It is bringing out a new perception of what the quality of life means to human beings. It has already brought with it a new understanding of the direct relationship between ecological balance and economic welfare.
"The environmental cause is the cause of humanity in the broadest sense. Would not our survival be worthless in a world in which we have destroyed all nature and ourselves?
"Emerging nations or the underdeveloped populations of the third world, even our own country, now 200 years old, still consider the forces of nature to be a threat to man. They consciously or subconsciously look on nature as the enemy, as something to be conquered-so we go about doing just that.
"As our country developed, the depletion of our natural resources and our transformation into an essentially urban society made it clear that America's civilization was being radically altered and that we were not only mastering Nature, but murdering it.
"The Bill of Rights in the U.S.
Constitution, guarantees us the right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness. That will be a pretty shallow guarantee
indeed if in our desire to acquire material things to make our
life more comfortable, we destroy one of the basis
elements."
Discovery Park is 535 acres. It is the largest natural open space but still a small fraction of the size of a city with an area of 83.6 sq. mi. It must continue as a "sanctuary where (the citizens of this city) might escape the turmoil of the city and enjoy the quiet and solitude and an intimate contact with nature can bring."
We ask King County Metro to end any further expansion of the West Point treatment plant. We applaud the downsizing of the new military reserve building in Ft. Lawton; the opening up of access to the park for critters in the Kiwanis Ravine; and the release of the "500" area hopefully to be added to the park. We ask a date certain when military housing inside the park is surplused to the park; and the impacts of the Navy mini-mart is terminated. We ask that "the citizens of Seattle continue unabated their efforts to acquire for park purposes all lands which are not absolutely required by the Federal government."
While we support the United Indians of All Tribes (UIAT) Cultural Center in the park, we are upset by the size (148,000 sq. ft.), the impacts (200,000 visitors) of the proposed Peoples' Lodge. We oppose UIAT continued calls for additional Park and Federal excess property within the park. This is in direct conflict with the terms of the lease agreement.
We call on them to significantly reduce the size and impacts of the Peoples' Lodge to fit the intents and requirements of the lease. If this cannot be done, the Peoples' Lodge should be located outside the park.
Tom Wimmer advocated the need for natural open green space as a safety valve in our lives. We must expand and restore natural open and resist over-development. This park is not a place for urbanization by adding immense buildings, new roads, more cars, and increased noise and pollution. It is a place for us to escape the anxieties, stress and complications of urban life. It deserves our love and protection.
Robert Kildall
