Spiffing up regional trails with art

Wayfinding Kiosk

King County Parks has teamed up with 4Culture to spiff up our 175-mile regional trails network. Actually, it’s the wayfinding kiosks along the trails that’ll get the special treatment: public art.

Read more about the project and artists selected in 4Culture’s blog.

Read more about King County’s Regional Trails System.

And keep an eye out for this special exhibition next summer!

Middle Fork + Rain = Whitewater Soon

Late summer view of Middle Fork Snoqualmie River (Dorothy Bridge handboat put-in)

While most of us are trying to stay dry as the wet season sets in, King County Parks’ partner American Whitewater (AW) is no doubt gearing up for some wet and wild runs on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River this winter and spring.

According to American Whitewater, out here in King County, we’ve got some of the best ‘urban’ whitewater runs, with the Middle-Middle Fork located just 40 minutes outside of Seattle. From AW’s website:

“For local paddlers, the 7.6-mile Middle-Middle run is a popular “escape” that can be paddled on weekday evenings particularly during late spring when the river is fed by snowmelt from the Western Cascades. The river is also popular throughout the rainy season when winter storms provide ample flows for whitewater boating.

In addition to many of the region’s paddlers who consider this river their local run, the Middle-Middle attracts paddlers from across the country who come to sample the region’s rich outdoor recreational resources.”

For several years now, King County Parks has collaborated with the US Forest Service, WA Department of Natural Resources, the City of North Bend, Mountains to Sound Greenway, and the Middle Fork Outdoor Recreation Coalition, among other partners, to develop the river’s recreation potential. By formalizing put-in and take-out points, like the one pictured above at Dorothy Bridge and the one at Tanner Landing Park (currently under development),  King County Parks is providing safe public access to the river for kayaking, canoeing, rafting, and wading while also protecting ecologically sensitive riparian areas.

King County Council unanimously adopts 2010 budget

Skyway Park

On Monday, November 23, 2009, the King County Council unanimously adopted the 2010 budget, which included language authorizing funding to keep King County’s urban growth area parks open.

According to the Council’s press release,
“The Executive Proposed Budget included the closure of 39 parks within the County’s Urban Growth Area in 2010. The Council’s budget authorizes the funding to keep these parks open next year, but the revenues to back that authority are still being developed.”

Read the full press release. Read the full 2010 adopted budget.

County funding for BNSF Eastside rail corridor proposed

Councilmember Julia Patterson speaking at BNSF press event (Photo courtesy Ned Ahrens)

“Today’s announcement celebrates a big step forward in realizing a vision for a corridor that has the potential to connect millions of people and jobs in East and South King County through high-capacity rail and a foot and bicycle trail.” said Councilmember Julia Patterson.

Follow the link to read more.

Investing in your (big backyard’s) health: we heart our forests

Grand Ridge

Among King County Parks’ 25,000 acres of land, approximately 17,000 acres are forests that stretch from Vashon Island to the Cascade Foothills. In addition to the human health benefits and ecological services provided by forests, King County Parks’ forested green spaces help to create a natural buffer along the urban growth boundary. They also enhance fish and wildlife habitat and provide many recreational opportunities, like backcountry trails for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and wildlife watching.

In many cases, King County acquired these forested parklands as a way to protect and preserve them. Many sites had been altered over the years, from activities such as logging or development, so they face a range of challenges, from maturing trees to an overabundance of a few types of trees to invasive species.

In the coming years, King County Parks will be collecting data about the condition of our forests, developing stewardship plans to guide how we take of the forests, and working with environmental groups, trail user groups, and volunteers to improve the health of these special places. Get involved now through our volunteer program!