Subject: Re: trees on Montlake Fill and "ecological" restoration dreams
Date: Jun 7 07:30:48 1995
From: Russell Rogers - rrogers


>From Russell Rogers, Seattle WA, rrogers at halcyon.com

I might add here, since I am working in Garry Oak and prairie habitats
down in Tacoma, that the fill would not be a good place for Garry Oaks and
in fact that type of habatat dose not occur north of Tacoma. Garry Oaks
like very dry piss poor soil. The soil south of Tacoma is composed of
glacial pebbles that goes a couple hundred feet down, so when it rains
(which is not often, that area is the second driest in Western Washington)
it goes right through.

I don't think that if you could get Garry Oaks to grow there, it would be
of much use in King County. Marshes, on the other had, would. I have read
accounts of all the fantasic bird that use to be seen in the South
Seattle Marshes, of the Duwamish River. There is almost no Shorebird
habitat left in King County at all.

I would think that managing the place for Shorebirds would be a really
good ideal.

Russell

On Tue, 6 Jun 1995, Maureen Ellis wrote:

>
> We envisioned the Fill to ultimately be mixed prairie, permanent ponds,
> and some Garry oak groves to be the ideal representation of the type of
> habitat that is rare and getting rarer in W. Washington. People control
> is the biggest challenge. There are just too many people who enjoy
> Montlake Fill for many or any of them/us to wonder freely over the
> landscape. Getting folks to stick to the trails seems almost a lost cause.