Discovery Park Visitor Center Dedicated by Mayor Paul Schell

The $3.4 million Discovery Park Visitor Center was dedicated on January 10th. to an overflow crowd.

Seattle's newly elected Mayor Paul Schell headed the list of city officials who spoke. City Council President Sue Donaldson, well loved by Discovery Park supporters, Councilmember Richard Conlin and Parks Superintendent Ken Bounds also talked at the celebration of the 11,000 sq. ft. center's official opening.

Councilman Conlin, who was a member of the Discovery Park Advisory Council, has long time supporter of Discovery Park. Friends President Robert Kildall, president of the FRIENDS, gave some early historical background of the park.

The new center includes two classrooms, a multi-purpose room and two exhibit areas, designed to expand Discovery Park's educational and public programs. A smaller building houses the Nature Day Camp Program in the Summer and provides meeting room off-season. Offices for staff and volunteers, a new parking lot, and 3.5 acres of native plant habitat round out the project. Artist Bruce Meyers 1% for art project met with unanimous acclaim.

The meeting was held in the Donald S. Voorhees multi-purpose room. Refreshment were provided following the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Discovery Park Docent Program

If you are interested in an exciting and rewarding position as a volunteer naturalist, you can join the docent program at Discovery Park.

Docents lead programs in a variety of habitats including beach, forest and pond, for children of all ages. Docents provide on the spot interpretive experiences for the public at the Bald Eagle nest and in the meadow.

As a docent you will be enhancing ecological awareness and promoting the appreciation and stewardship of wild areas such as DIscovery Park.

No experience is necessary, but an appreciation of nature and children is an absolute must. The application deadline is February 15, 1998. Training begins the end of February.

For an application and additional information please contact: Penny Rose at Discovery Park (206) 386-4236.

Reserve Building Groundbreaking

The ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a new United States Army Reserve Center at Ft. Lawton (adjacent to Discovery Park) is scheduled for February 7th.

The new building will consolidate Reserve Units in the "500" area of Discovery Park and allow for its release. Park supporters wish to add the "500" area to the park.

The Friends were pleased with the openness in the planning for this building. Mark Starr, facilities planner for the project, kept citizens fully informed during the planning.

The new building will have no more reservists and their cars than presently use Ft. Lawton. Plans are being discussed to open Texas Way to reach the North parking mall, the Daybreak Star Center, Lawtonwood and the communities using Commodore Way. Traffic through the park should be greatly reduced.

We congratulate the Army Reserve for continuing to be a good neighbor.

Books for Young Naturalists

Two booklets for young budding naturalists, "The Discovery Park Pond Field Trip Guide," and the "Discovery Park Sensational Spiders," are available at the Discovery Park visitor's center. The cost is $2.00 each.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

New Years is the time to look back at events in the past year. But more important, New Year is a time to plan ahead for new opportunities to protect Discovery Park's natural beauty and tranquillity.

A great accomplishment in 1997 was the completion of the new 11,000 sq. ft. Visitor Center. It houses our Park's award winning outdoor nature program. It is a beautiful building, has excellent displays, and is functional for both staff and park users.

Now that the Millennium is due one second after midnight, December 31, 2000 -- we need an agenda with goals worthy of achieving in the few years left before it arrives.

Here are a few. We must take a leading part in an important decision on King County's Regional Wastewater Services Plan. This plan will bring new construction to the Park's West Point beach and added pollutants to Puget Sound unless we organize resistance. The sensible solution to the region's sewage growth is a treatment plant(s) sited close to the areas of greatest urban growth. We can make that happen only if we study the issue and speak out intelligently.

The United Indians of All Tribes "People's Lodge" proposal is due to be presented this year. The building has an immense 148,000 sq. ft. of space and rises 65' at its highest point. The UIAT say it will attract 200,000 visitors a year and their cars. It is far too large and has far too many impacts on the Park. We believe it does not meet the lease agreement restrictions. The Friends support a much smaller building with fewer impacts. If this cannot be done, the People's Lodge should be built somewhere outside the park.

The Park needs more funding. Seven years ago, the Seattle City Council permitted the West Point to expand to secondary treatment. This was done despite a City and State Shoreline plan that prohibited the expansion of an existing treatment plant in a shoreline zone unless there was "no feasible alternative."

It was an close tormenting vote for most council members. They promised to make up for it in a settlement agreement with the Friends and other litigants in February 1991. A priority for funds was set for habitat restoration and the new visitor center called for by the master plan. Funds were to come from the Shoreline and Park Improvement Fund or from other funds.

But in the agreement's next section the city said, "The City also agrees to establish a permanent fund for the maintenance of improvements to Discovery Park which are implemented as the result of the use of funds described above." To our knowledge, there is no permanent fund. If it has not been done, the City Council should provide this fund now.

Greater support should be given by the city to the state acclaimed Outdoor Recreation Program at the Park. If properly funded, it can have tremendous value to youths. It can introduce young citizens to the ways of nature. Many would begin an interest that can well lead to their vocation later in life. We should discuss such a plan. The Friends can help.

Finally, we believe the most important thing to assure is that Discovery Park remains a people's park. The Park was created by citizens. This park and all our park belong to everyone of us. For many citizens, park land is the only property they own. Discovery Park is not to be given away or cut into pieces. It is to remain free and intact so all of us can escape the stress of the city, the pollution, the buildings, the streets, the cars, the anxiety and the noise.

The rich, the not so rich and the poor can all appreciate the natural beauty of Discovery Park. And it is a place where all segments of our society can mingle together.

   Robert Kildall

WHAT WINTER VISITORS SAID

"Improvement in this park does not mean more multi-million dollar buildings. An improvement would be less pavement on paths, stop signs to make cars obey crosswalks"--Seattle
"This is my favorite park. I enjoy watching the model planes."-- Seattle
"Noisy model planes should not be here,"-- Portland OR
What a huge park."--Taipei, Taiwan
"Wish Grant Park was so nice!"--Chicago, Illinois
" Nice place for a city. Beautiful park."--Denmark
"Got lost but found some beautiful flowers."--Federal Way WA
" Used to live in Magnolia. It's great to see this beautiful park get a new facility."--Tacoma
"The leaf blower really detracts from the naturally beautiful experience the Park provides."-- Seattle
"Thank you! Very nice!"--Nynashamn. Sweden
"Beautiful." --Hong Kong, China
"Wonderful," --South Africa
"Beautiful."--Yorba Linda, CA
"I love birds."--Germany
"Very nice."--Wasoheabeuren, Germany
"We love the loop trail"--Berkeley, CA
"Good walk."--Minneapolis Minn
"Wonderful Place."--Syracuse, NY
"Wonderful park."--Levittown, NY
" Great facility."--Corvallis, OR
"I love the Merlin tree."-- Seattle
"Julie & Anne are great."--Seattle
"As I remember it -- an escape."-- Seattle

Letters to Friends

Dear Friends:

I am sad to read (Summer Explorer) that there still is a threat of some park land being sacrificed for construction of this Indian People's Lodge and extra parking.

   E. Ted Wolfrum

(Ed. note: Mr. Wolfrum points out other available land to serve the purpose of the UIAT proposals.)

POTPOURRI

• The Horizon Air in-flight magazine (October 1997) on "A Land of Trees-- Native Roots" by Eric Lucas, Vashon Island. It includes the plight of our historic Madronas: "The madronas along Magnolia Boulevard in Seattle have been the subject of neighborhood conflict for three-quarters of a century. A few residents want them trimmed and cut, to open up the views. Preservationists consider them untouchable, and have asked the city to give the trees landmark designation."

  '' ...(W)ith their copper-colored bark, dark evergreen leaves and arching growth habit, (they) are famously handsome."

  Quoting a Magnolia preservationist, Lucas writes: "This is one of the most beautiful trees we have. If you are going to have a view, there is no better way to frame it than with a madrona. It's not just that they're beautiful. They provide wildlife habitat; they hold hillsides; they cool the summer's heat."

• REMEMBRANCES

  --Eleanor Russell, a long supporter of Discovery Park and instrumental in the establishment of Commodore Park, died early this year. We will miss her.

  --Pam Crocker-Davis active in the National Audubon Society died in August after a long fight against cancer. She successfully lobbied in Olympia for environmental causes.

  --Joel Pritchard, former US Representative and Lt. Governor of the State of Washington died this Fall. Joel was a valuable friend in the efforts to secure Ft. Lawton property for Discovery Park.

• The book "J.G. Cougar's Great Adventure" by Virginia Bishop Tawresey is an excellent gift for youngsters interested in animals and nature.

  The story is about how the Discovery Park cougar found its way to the park, its capture and its safe return to the wilderness.

  For buy a for that special child, call Patricia Stambor, treasurer of the Friends, at (206) 285-5349.

• Victor Koyano, Friends mushroom expert, warns visitors of the Galerina Automnalis mushrooms, recently found growing in the park in large clusters near the Metro's sawdust garden. Victor says this specie is very toxic, can be deadly and should not be consumed. Some have mistaken it for a "fairy-ring" species

• Bernie Whitebear, who is director and founder of the United Indians of All Tribes, and has been diagnosed with colon cancer was given an "evening of appreciation" at the Union Station by his friends in late October.

  Friends are grieved to hear of this development.

• Friends will soon get another example of the immense size of the proposed United Indians of All Tribe's 148,000 sq. ft. People's Lodge would be if it the present proposal is not reduced.

  Commercial developer, Martin Selig is will start this Spring to construct a 5-story, $35 million, 140,000 square foot office tower at 100 W. Harrison St.

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the authority to grant permits to local jurisdictions for lethal control on non-migratory (resident) Canada Geese according to a item in Earthcare Northwest (October).

  In the past year, two groups of non-migratory geese were killed: 90 at Fisher Flour Mill and 70 at the request of a group of homeowners.

  The board of the Seattle Audubon Society (SAS) is expected to issue a policy statement on this issue.

• Gene Hunn, SAS Bird Records Committee, reports several Fork-tailed Storm Petrels sighted in mid-Puget Sound off West Point in Discovery Park.

• Hazel Wolf, a leading local and national environmentalist, received the National Audubon Medal Award on December 6, in Napa California.

  A gala event to celebrate Hazel's 100 birthday is scheduled for March 21 this year. More later.

• Former Friends board member, Eirik Johnson who left to take a position in California has an email address for Friends to keep him up-to-date on Discover Park: eirik@sirius.com

• The Seattle Times (11-15-97) reports that "Dozens of migrating song-birds that stopped off for refreshments at an Iowa City, Iowa berry tree ended up grounded for drunken flying. The berries were overripe and had fermented.

• A Herald article (Everett WA 12-24-97) says that Oregon State University researchers have found that pine forests lose their ability to absorb carbon dioxide and ease the greenhouse effect during the dry season.

  Michael Unsworth, researcher, said that the trees close down their stomatal pores on hot days to avoid excess water loss. It is a response that the trees use to help them survive.

• According to a Seattle Weekly article (10-8-97) "A new American Forests study recommends a 40 per cent urban tree canopy for ecological and economical health. ...Seattle's canopy is a middling 27 percent.

• USA Today's article, "The Great Elm Returns" (11-6-97) reports a new American Elm has been developed that possesses an extraordinary genetic ability to withstand the fungus that devastated nearly 95% of American Elms.

  In 1930, tiny beetles aboard an English ship landed in Cleveland, Ohio. They bought Dutch Elm fungus disease.

  Friend's member, Valerie Cholvin heads a group working on a solution to solve the fungus problems in the Madrones in the park and on the boulevard leading to the park.

• Portland's Metro leader, Mike Burton (Oregonian 2-9-97) says "In the past two years, we have built 44,000 new parking spaces covering more than 400 acres of land. ...In the same time frame, we have added 41,000 cars on our roads."

  Mr. Burton's figures suggests that it takes an acre to park 110 cars. Friends wonder how accurate this is.

• Articles by Amanda Spake and Mary Brophy Marcus (US News & World Report 11-24-97) reports on the growing outbreaks of the Salmonella strain DT 194 and other infections in the World and the U.S.

  Ms. Spake writes that Washington State has a growing problem in the state's dairy herds and beef cattle. There were no DT 104 infections in the state before 1986 but by 1995, 84% of the salmonella samples from cattle contained DT 104.

  Ms. Marcus says that fresh fruit and vegetables such as lettuce and tomatoes can carry salmonella if tainted by sewage water or unclean hands.

  This article reinforces our efforts to see that Class B sludge, which contains pathogens, is not be used as a nutrient on park land. We support King County-Metro's effort to develop a new sludge processing system that kills pathogens and reduces the size of the West Point plant. A successful system will restore shoreline property for use by wildlife and park visitors.

"We ought to think that we are one of the leaves of a tree, and the tree is all humanity. We cannot live without the others, without the tree."
Pablo Casals (1876-1973)

Park Service Program

The Friends of Discovery Park needs to find leaders for a program to enlist the talents of our members to assist in hands-on work in the park.

Members are needed to help at the visitor center, to organize groups to eliminate invasive plants, to remove litter from the park and assist in other projects for the park staff.

To volunteer to head these efforts, call (206) 285-6862 or email: kildalr@accessone.com