Dr. Hamilton:

I would like to express my strongest protest over the plan to turn the E-5
parking lot into a major soccer field. I am a long-time resident of Seattle
and have been associated with the University of Washington as Research
Associate, Faculty and then Affiliate Curator since 1966. I was on the
teams that put together the first two environmental plans for the area in
question and contributed habitat and wildlife assessments as well as a
management plan for the area.

For its size, Seattle has all too few open spaces, and the wildlife area we
call "Montlake Fill" is barely adequate as one of the few sites in the city
specifically set aside for wildlife and the people who appreciate it. It is
the only open area in the city that is relatively dog-free, as indicated by
its substantial population of nesting ducks and pheasants. It is the only
one that regularly hosts migrating shorebirds, marsh-dwelling ducks such as
Cinnamon and Blue-winged teals, and open-country birds such as pipits and
longspurs (the fill needs to be managed more rigorously for its unique open
nature, but that's another matter).

Developing the area east of the canal would represent a major incursion
into the university's only urban "natural area." The amount of disturbance
a soccer field would bring to the southwest corner of the fill is
intolerable. The loud noises associated with active recreation would spill
onto the several marshy ponds, the canal, and the entire southwest edge of
the site, all of which are important to wildlife populations there. Just as
important, I assume soccer games would take place on weekends, and perhaps
summer evenings, when use of the fill by passive recreationists is
greatest. Both wildlife and its aficionados would suffer.

What's the matter with the existing sports fields that already border the
fill to the north and west? Surely there is room for such a stadium in the
rather large area already set aside for active recreation and team sports.
Wouldn't efficient scheduling solve the problem of space needs?

If the university really needs land so badly, I could envision an
administrative building on the site of the parking lot as a development
more compatible with the fill's wildlife/human-amenity purpose than a
soccer field. This would work only if the building were small enough and
used in such a way that it didn't support large numbers of people who would
want to pursue more active recreation on the fill, therefore again reducing
its efficacy as a wildlife habitat and urban sanctuary for nature-loving
people.

It would be much more reasonable to return the E-5 lot to "research
natural" status, as was originally planned for the area. This would add a
further buffer to the ponds at that corner of the site and provide enough
additional area to allow more breeding sites for the various species of
birds that use the area. Size is of extreme importance in preserving
habitats to preserve wildlife; the bigger the area, the more species and
individuals can live there, and the less likely a given population will go
extinct there--perhaps to recolonize, perhaps not. The transformation of
this parking lot into wildlife habitat represents an exciting possibility
for research as well as education.

Natural (or managed) habitats for wildlife and people who appreciate
wildlife are getting scarcer and scarcer in and around cities. They are
just the features of life in Seattle that we cannot afford to reduce in
size or numbers! We all know that the reason so many people move to the
Puget Sound region is the quality of life provided by its natural features,
and, while Montlake Fill is hardly the same as an alpine lake, a rocky
coast, or an old-growth forest, it provides the same feeling of community
with nature. I was just there yesterday, where I easily tallied 40 species
of birds while marvelling about "a little patch of wilderness a few minutes
from home." The University has a unique resource in Montlake Fill and a
unique opportunity to care for it.

Please do so!

Dennis Paulson
Slater Museum of Natural History
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, WA 98416
206-756-3798
dpaulson at ups.edu