Subject: DIRECTIONS & Info Kent Ponds
Date: Sep 15 09:34:58 2003
From: Lynn Schulz - linusq at worldnet.att.net


Hi Jane and All:
I write about Kent Ponds about once a year. The area is next to S
212th St, a main East-West street thru north Kent, WA. 212th can be
accessed from I-167 (the Valley Freeway) at 212th exit, or from I-5 at
the Orillia Rd exit (exit 152). Orillia Rd becomes 212th down in the
valley. It is a productive area, and much of the site can be viewed
without entering the fenced parts.

One of our favorite viewing areas, accessible any time (no fence) is
"the Grassy Knoll". Take 64th Ave south from 212th about 3/4 mile,
and park at Web Press bldg or at the pullout across 64th. Walk up
onto the knoll to view much of the area. We saw an American Bittern
fly across the water there yesterday.

There are viewing stands and trails inside the fenced area. The
current hours to enter are: T-F 10:00am to dusk. Sat & Sun 9:00am to
dusk. The phone number for the Kent City Green River Natural
Resources Area (Kent Ponds) is 253-437-2051 if you have more
questions. To view the Great Egret, you will probably have to enter
the area at the Power Line Trail which is along the south side. Park
at Advo on S 226th St, and walk onto the trail, turn left to see the
south tower. Go up the tower to view the lagoon. The Egret has been
seen there for about a week.

Here is a message about the ponds and two other nearby areas I wrote
last year (with some additional info):
GRNRA is a large 300+ acre area managed for water-control and wildlife
in
the heart of the Kent Valley industrial area. It consists of fields,
woods,
and ponds. There are 3 viewing stands in the area. Many of you know
that
there is no longer any mud down at GRNRA (Kent Ponds) because they now
keep
the water level high. But just to the north of GRNRA is what we now
call
Boeing Ponds. It's on 59th Ave, turning north from S 212 th St.
There is
lots of mud and some large ponds.

Kent Ponds can be a great place to view several species of raptors in
the winter. [On Sun, Sept 14, 03, we saw an Osprey, 2 Cooper's Hawks,
3 Red-t Hawks, a Kestrel, and 3 Merlins!]

Just west across the Green River from the SW corner of GRNRA (over the
foot
bridge) is a marsh. We call it Riverview Marsh. Go over the
footbridge, turn left on Frager Rd one block, and enter at the "No
Trespassing" sign. Don't worry, it's a public trail near the power
lines. Lots of varied habitat. There is a 1/2 mile loop trail that
is U-shaped, coming back out onto Frager Rd a little farther south.
Go up around the back of the marsh, thru the blackberries to get a
great view of the marsh. It too can be very
productive, and by November Canvasback Ducks can often be seen there.
This
wetland also supports several Virginia Rails. Last year we had
Long-billed Dowitchers there.
-------------------------------
DIRECTIONS to GRNRA (Kent Ponds and Vicinity):
Take I-5 to Orillia Road exit 152. This is near SeaTac
airport. Turn east on Orillia Rd down into the Kent Valley. When you
reach
the bottom of the hill continue east on Orillia as it becomes S 212th
St.
Go approx 1 mile across the valley, until you cross the bridge. Cross
the
bridge slowly, and just on the other side of the bridge, take a hard
right
onto Russell Rd. Drive south on Russell Rd (the Green River &
VanDoren
Landing Park w/ restrooms will be on the right). The big main parking
lot
will be on your left about 3/4 mile south on Russell Road.
If you take I-167 (the Valley Freeway), exit at S 212th St which is
north of
Kent. Travel west across the valley to the other side. Do a U-turn
at the
light at 42nd Ave and come back approx 1 mile on 212th to the bridge.
Follow directions above.

The public cannot enter the innermost ponds, but I will be leading a
public birdwalk into that usually closed area in Oct, probably Sat Oct
25. I'll give an orientation to the entire area too, and will hand
out some hand-drawn maps. If you are interested in the
walk/orientation, email me off line.
Yours, Carol Schulz
DesMoines, WA
linusq at att.net


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jane Hadley" <jhadle at drizzle.com>
To: <charlie at birdwright.com>
Cc: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 1:15 AM
Subject: Re: Kent Ponds 9/14


| I used to visit Kent Ponds some years ago, but have not visited in
| recent years. For one thing, there has been so much development
where I
| used to go that I wasn't sure the Kent Ponds still exist. However, I
| have seen references to them on Tweeters, so obviously do exist. A
while
| back, some information was posted indicating that observation towers
at
| the Kent Ponds were open only during limited hours -- which did not
| include Sundays (as I recall). I assumed somehow that this meant the
| Kent Ponds were open the same limited hours.
|
| Obviously, I am suffering from a great deal of ignorance where the
Kent
| Ponds are concerned. Can somebody please enlighten me as to how I
would
| get to the Kent Ponds, if I can go there only during certain hours,
and
| any other useful information.
|
| Thanks,
|
| Jane Hadley
| Seattle, WA
| jhadle at drizzle.com