Touring the Lakewood Sanctuary on September 17th, 2024. Participants include the crew from Seattle Parks that stewards the Sanctuary, and folks from Friends of Lakewood Sanctuary, Lakewood Marina, Lakewood Seward Park Neighborhood Association, and Turtle Survival Alliance.
Whoohooo the Lakewood Sanctuary is looking great!
The plants and trees that were installed beginning almost two years ago in January 2023 have been growing, and Seattle Parks’ natural area crews have been weeding, mulching and watering, and planting trees, as part of the restoration effort. The Sanctuary, a small fenced area located between S. Adams St. boat launch and the Lakewood Marina, has been designated by Seattle Parks as a restoration area, and is a natural refuge for flora and fauna.
About 20 folks toured the site Tuesday Sept. 17th to discuss the progress and share ideas, including community members and the crew from Seattle Parks that maintains the site,
Matthew Hilliard, Seattle Parks’ Natural Area Crew Senior Gardener, said that more than 300 hours have been spent improving habitat since the beginning of 2024 . “We’ve made a heavy investment in the restoration,” he said. He added he was gratified to see the hard work paying off in habitat improvement as well as in appreciation from the community and citizen science at the site (notably in turtle surveys and research). Hilliard also said he was pleased with the establishment of a herbaceous understory which provides habitat for a range of small creatures including insects. The sanctuary is “not just beavers and birds, [it’s] awesome for other creatures too.”
Willows are thriving in the Sanctuary as are lady fern, both well adapted to the lakeside environment. Evergreen conifers and fir trees are becoming established, protected from gnawing beavers with metal cages. The area is much changed from a few years ago when it was monster patch of blackberries, but “restoration takes more time than previously appreciated,” Hilliard cautioned.
Jim Pignatelli with Turtle Survival Alliance spoke about the turtle research he is conducting annually. He reported finding a well-hidden red-eared slider turtle nest, but it was not viable. Indeed, red-eared sliders, the predominate turtle in Lake Washington, are not native but apparently unable to reproduce due to the short summer season. For that reason, while non native, the turtles are not considered invasive. They arrive in the lake as pet releases.
Intrusions by humans into the Sanctuary are much reduced, according to Andrew Shroyer, who as manager of the adjacent Lakewood Marina keeps a close watch, but people are still bypassing the fencing or ignoring the do-not-enter sign in the water to paddle their stand-up paddleboards or fish the lily pads from bass boats. More information about the Sanctuary to help educate the general public would be helpful, he said. “People don’t realize how amazing it is.”
Bridget Kelsh, Integrated Pest Management and Wildlife Coordinator (Senior Environmental Analyst) with Seattle Parks, key coordinator for the Sanctuary, said that among other developments Seattle Parks was now specifically monitoring impact of beavers on trees. Around the Sanctuary such impacts include gnawing on the bark of cottonwood trees and plastic water pipes that serve the Marina.
Looking ahead to next spring, a community work party is planned in coordination with Seattle Parks, to provide information about the Sanctuary, mulch and weed, and have a good time!
David Berger,
Friends of Lakewood Sanctuary
Sept. 18, 2024
https://lakewoodsanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Title01-300x136.png00David Bergerhttps://lakewoodsanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Title01-300x136.pngDavid Berger2024-09-18 20:19:202024-09-18 20:19:202024 Lakewood Sanctuary Walk
Restoration work is happening around Lake Washington Blvd and at the Lakewood Sanctuary!
Crews from Seattle Park’s Green Seattle Partnership have been removing non-native blackberry and then planting native species as part of the lake’s shoreline restoration. The Natural Area Crew (NAC) fenced these sites in July, and fencing will stay up for the next few years to help plants get established.
The Lakewood Sanctuary was already fenced, but in the 2023-24 planting season, NAC installed 729 more plants, including:
*79 trees
*77 shrubs
*554 forbs (herbaceous flowering plants) and graminoids (grasses and sedges)
That’s a lot of plants! According to Seattle Parks and Recreation, the crews have spent 288 hours doing weed control, fence repair, herbicide application and watering, as well as planting.
Work also included installing special barriers to keep beavers from chomping on trees and new plants.
The community is appreciative of all these efforts.
https://lakewoodsanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Title01-300x136.png00David Bergerhttps://lakewoodsanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Title01-300x136.pngDavid Berger2024-08-11 00:56:212024-08-11 01:27:00Fencing and Planting, 2023-2024
Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Natural Area Crew (part of the Green Seattle Partnership) has scheduled additional plantings of native trees, shrubs and ground covers at the Sanctuary for late fall and early winter, 2023-24. Over 600 trees, shrubs and ground covers will be installed. The new vegetation will be watered for several years. The sanctuary will additionally be maintained with regular weeding and mulching. The site will continue to change and become more diversified and hospitable to wildlife.
Below is the planting plan for the coming season:
Scientific Name
Common Name
Quantity
Acer circinatum
vine maple
20
Acer macrophyllum
bigleaf maple
20
Arbutus menziesii
madrone
20
Athyrium filix-femina ssp cyclosorum
lady-fern
50
Carex obnupta
slough sedge
100
Dicentra formosa ssp formosa
Pacific bleedingheart
50
Hydrophyllum tenuipes
slender-stem waterleaf
50
Lysitchiton americanus
skunk cabbage
50
Picea sitchensis
Sitka spruce
20
Pseudotsuga menziesii var menziesii
Douglas-fir
20
Rubus spectabilis var spectabilis
salmonberry
30
Sambucus racemosa var racemosa
red elderberry
20
Scirpus microcarpus
panicled bulrush
50
Tellima grandiflora
fringecup
50
Thuja plicata
western redcedar
20
Tiarella trifoliata var trifoliata
threeleaf foamflower
30
Tsuga heterophylla
western hemlock
20
Total
620
https://lakewoodsanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GSP-sign-300dpi.jpg11251500David Bergerhttps://lakewoodsanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Title01-300x136.pngDavid Berger2023-08-22 23:25:042023-09-15 03:28:35Plans for fall and winter, 2023-24
2024 Lakewood Sanctuary Walk
Touring the Lakewood Sanctuary on September 17th, 2024. Participants include the crew from Seattle Parks that stewards the Sanctuary, and folks from Friends of Lakewood Sanctuary, Lakewood Marina, Lakewood Seward Park Neighborhood Association, and Turtle Survival Alliance.
Whoohooo the Lakewood Sanctuary is looking great!
The plants and trees that were installed beginning almost two years ago in January 2023 have been growing, and Seattle Parks’ natural area crews have been weeding, mulching and watering, and planting trees, as part of the restoration effort. The Sanctuary, a small fenced area located between S. Adams St. boat launch and the Lakewood Marina, has been designated by Seattle Parks as a restoration area, and is a natural refuge for flora and fauna.
About 20 folks toured the site Tuesday Sept. 17th to discuss the progress and share ideas, including community members and the crew from Seattle Parks that maintains the site,
Matthew Hilliard, Seattle Parks’ Natural Area Crew Senior Gardener, said that more than 300 hours have been spent improving habitat since the beginning of 2024 . “We’ve made a heavy investment in the restoration,” he said. He added he was gratified to see the hard work paying off in habitat improvement as well as in appreciation from the community and citizen science at the site (notably in turtle surveys and research). Hilliard also said he was pleased with the establishment of a herbaceous understory which provides habitat for a range of small creatures including insects. The sanctuary is “not just beavers and birds, [it’s] awesome for other creatures too.”
Willows are thriving in the Sanctuary as are lady fern, both well adapted to the lakeside environment. Evergreen conifers and fir trees are becoming established, protected from gnawing beavers with metal cages. The area is much changed from a few years ago when it was monster patch of blackberries, but “restoration takes more time than previously appreciated,” Hilliard cautioned.
Jim Pignatelli with Turtle Survival Alliance spoke about the turtle research he is conducting annually. He reported finding a well-hidden red-eared slider turtle nest, but it was not viable. Indeed, red-eared sliders, the predominate turtle in Lake Washington, are not native but apparently unable to reproduce due to the short summer season. For that reason, while non native, the turtles are not considered invasive. They arrive in the lake as pet releases.
Intrusions by humans into the Sanctuary are much reduced, according to Andrew Shroyer, who as manager of the adjacent Lakewood Marina keeps a close watch, but people are still bypassing the fencing or ignoring the do-not-enter sign in the water to paddle their stand-up paddleboards or fish the lily pads from bass boats. More information about the Sanctuary to help educate the general public would be helpful, he said. “People don’t realize how amazing it is.”
Bridget Kelsh, Integrated Pest Management and Wildlife Coordinator (Senior Environmental Analyst) with Seattle Parks, key coordinator for the Sanctuary, said that among other developments Seattle Parks was now specifically monitoring impact of beavers on trees. Around the Sanctuary such impacts include gnawing on the bark of cottonwood trees and plastic water pipes that serve the Marina.
Looking ahead to next spring, a community work party is planned in coordination with Seattle Parks, to provide information about the Sanctuary, mulch and weed, and have a good time!
David Berger,
Friends of Lakewood Sanctuary
Sept. 18, 2024
Fencing and Planting, 2023-2024
Restoration work is happening around Lake Washington Blvd and at the Lakewood Sanctuary!
Crews from Seattle Park’s Green Seattle Partnership have been removing non-native blackberry and then planting native species as part of the lake’s shoreline restoration. The Natural Area Crew (NAC) fenced these sites in July, and fencing will stay up for the next few years to help plants get established.
The Lakewood Sanctuary was already fenced, but in the 2023-24 planting season, NAC installed 729 more plants, including:
*79 trees
*77 shrubs
*554 forbs (herbaceous flowering plants) and graminoids (grasses and sedges)
That’s a lot of plants! According to Seattle Parks and Recreation, the crews have spent 288 hours doing weed control, fence repair, herbicide application and watering, as well as planting.
Work also included installing special barriers to keep beavers from chomping on trees and new plants.
The community is appreciative of all these efforts.
Plans for fall and winter, 2023-24
Photo David Berger.
Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Natural Area Crew (part of the Green Seattle Partnership) has scheduled additional plantings of native trees, shrubs and ground covers at the Sanctuary for late fall and early winter, 2023-24. Over 600 trees, shrubs and ground covers will be installed. The new vegetation will be watered for several years. The sanctuary will additionally be maintained with regular weeding and mulching. The site will continue to change and become more diversified and hospitable to wildlife.
Below is the planting plan for the coming season: