Please DO NOT dispose of your Christmas Tree in North Beach Park or any other greenspace or natural area. The tree may have been treated with flame retardant chemicals or other additives that will decrease the quality of the greenspace. The City of Seattle will pick up Christmas Trees until January 31; here are the directions. In fact, it would ( Read more... )

From late August through December, 2014, I was publishing roughly a chapter a week of my MEH project on Nature Intrudes. I got close to the end but hit a sticking point for some reason. Here, for what it’s worth, is the final chapter of the project, called… wait for it… Conclusion. In fact, this was newly revised this week.

Immediate Plans

This ( Read more... )

Between human disturbance and climate change, every environment on the planet is being affected by humanity. Will we ever get out from under all the weeds we’ve introduced? As the scope of our effect on the planet becomes larger, biologists and ecologists have begun to talk about “novel ecologies.” a concept that would accept some level of ( Read more... )

One of the great things that has made the restoration of North Beach Park so successful is the fact that three forest stewards (myself, Tad, and Drexie) have gotten together most Mondays for a couple hours.

We started sometime in late 2011, probably during the research for our Master Forester project. And then we just kept going. It was never an ( Read more... )

Description

Figure 1: The West Slope.


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Description

Figure 1: The South Slope


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Description

The 91st St. Slope is a long, narrow strip that runs between the main social trail at the lower end and property lines at the upper. It is 23,313 square feet. Because of its steepness, it’s relatively unexplored.

The southeast corner is known as “Knotweed Hill” because it had a thicket of Reynoutria japonica (Japanese knotweed) that was ( Read more... )

#GivingTuesday is a chance to recognize volunteers and change makers at every level, from people working nationally to people working in your neighborhood. Today we ask you to recognize Friends of North Beach Park by making a tax-deductible donation to the Seattle Parks Foundation. Every dollar donated is a strong gesture of support for our efforts ( Read more... )

Description

The North Slope starts at the main entrance to the park and runs between the main trail and NW 90th St., as it rises up to 25th Ave. from 24th Ave. At 1.14 acres, it is the third largest HMU in North Beach Park.

The trail side has vertical stretches, with bare dirt and roots exposed. These stretches occasionally have heavy trees on top ( Read more... )

Description

The South Plateau is an isolated upland with a separate, unofficial entrance. From the main body of the park, it is only accessible via a steep social trail that is slippery in the winter and friable in the summer. If you think of North Beach Park as a boot, the South Plateau is the heel. The floor of the plateau is surrounded by steep ( Read more... )