Hey tweets, Generally speaking, it's best to stick to the gravel trails at
the Fill. However, there are a couple of ancient birder trails that have
been in use for as long as the Fill quit being a landfill and started
being a nature reserve. The most used one (and the one with least impact)
is the little complex of trails that takes you off the loop at the point.
Another commonly used one is the one that borders the east side of the
main pond. If extended, it also takes off from the northeast end of the
main pond, crosses the southern end of Shoveler Pond, and then rejoins the
gravel loop. This old trail used to encircle the main pond completely, but
the west side has fallen into disuse by most birders and is now mostly
used by photographers.

I agree with Rob that a nature reserve, especially an urban one, is far
more impacted by the sensitivity of the people who use it than by whether
people stick to gravel trails only. For example, I once observed a troop
of birders chase a bittern from one pond to another until it finally flew
off altogether. The birders stayed on the gravel trail, but so what? They
hounded the bird mercilessly. I do walk some of the trails off-gravel, but
not if I am disturbing birds. I have given up walking many of the
off-gravel trails that used to cross-stitch the Fill, and those appear to
have gone back to nature almost entirely.

My impression of the "rules" is that there is a certain level of tolerance
for going off the gravel as long as you are respectful of nature and
remember that the plants and animals come first. The Fill is not a park.
It is also not the wild. It's a place where people can share nature with
the wild creatures who live there.

I've seen many researchers go off trail when they have science projects to
set up and maintain. I've seen artists do it too, when they want to paint
or sketch. Fishers do it. Musicians do it. Photographers do it. They all
seem to be very respectful of nature, and I believe they do not harm the
Fill. Cyclists, on the other hand, should stick to the gravel - and they
do. Dogs should stick to the gravel too - and they mostly do. In short, I
think we all get along pretty well as long as we remember that the Fill
belongs to everyone but most of all to nature. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com

> Hi All,
>
> Recently I was at the Montlake Fill early in the morning. I was
> keeping to the gravel paths which I thought was proper when along
> comes a man with a camera and big telephoto lens and goes straight
> off the gravel paths and walks around the ponds quite close in. In at
> least one case he was walking on a fairly obvious path through the
> grass though it was a path not lined with gravel. I was tempted to do
> the same in order to get a better look at some shorebirds but then
> noticed a sign about fragile habitat. Later in my walk I came across
> obviously well-worn, non-gravel paths that lead down to the Lake. I
> wasn't sure whether to hold to a gravel only policy in this case.
>
> Does anybody have any thoughts on appropriate paths to use at the Fill?
>
> Thanks, Mark
>
>
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