New Year, New Frontier(s)
Welcome to 2021, everybody! On the long list of things we’re excited about in the new year is the opportunity to start working in some new parks around Delridge and West Seattle. We update the list of sites where we work each year, periodically adding and dropping locations. Sometimes there are logistics or administrative reasons for these changes, but usually it’s because of changing restoration needs.
While some of Roxhill Bog has been converted to conventional grass fields, it still retains several zones of ancient peat bog
This year, the headlining change is that we’re going to start working at Roxhill Park! This beautiful site, across the street from Westwood Village, is perhaps best known for being home to Roxhill Bog, a (now) rare peat bog that also happens to be the historic headwaters of Longfellow Creek.
We’re still taking stock of our new site and determining what work will be needed. Our work will likely not touch the bog itself, which is a sensitive and unique ecosystem currently struggling with complex hydrological problems. However, eager volunteers should check our event calendar in the coming months for events at Roxhill.
The dark holes visible on the ground on the left side of the photo are evidence of the settling that has resulted from changes to the hydrology of the bog
This year will also see our Restoration program making a return to the natural area known as Delridge & Myrtle . We held volunteer events here from 2017 through 2019, and then took 2020 off from the site so work could be accomplished by the city’s professional Natural Area Crews. Their handiwork is apparent in the huge swaths of cut blackberries on the east and west sides of the park. We’re hoping volunteers will help us keep those newly-cleared areas under control.
Finally, we’re making a swap in our work near Dragonfly Pavilion at the north end of Longfellow Creek. After several years of working in the wetland at the south side of the park (a zone that goes by the technical name “Nevada” for the nearest street), we will be shifting in 2021 to a different one (known as “Dakota East,” also for an adjacent street.) This will allow Seattle Public Utilities to complete some infrastructure work around the stream and culvert.
We are happy to be returning to Delridge & Myrtle to continue our restoration work
As always, we are grateful for our partnerships with city departments, and our volunteers. We hope you can join us at one of these sites as we get started on another year of restoring Seattle’s urban forests!