Tweets,

As for the name "Union Bay Natural Area," what's "natural" about it? Himalayan blackberry, Scot's broom, mostly exotic legumes and grasses that were used to seed the "fill" when it was closed down about 1970. I recall my early visits to the "fill" in 1972. It was bare mud with tongues of flame shooting up here and there where the methane off-gasses had caught fire. One had to walk carefully so as not to vanish into the mud. And, yes, the "dime lot" cost a dime. I comment on this in my book, _Birding in Seattle and King County_ as the price had already gone up to $1.25 by 1982.

I chaired the University committee that wrote the University management plan for the "fill," and we deliberately avoided calling it a "natural area," but did grant it a formal designation, something like "Union Bay Ecological Research Area" or something like that, which somehow morphed anyway into the current UBNA. Our concern was to commit the University to preserve the area as open space, rather than use it to build parking lots, playing fields, or anything else. The soil is too unstable for any such development in any case, but we argued that the area had special value for the University (and the wider community) if managed as open space, which would include research projects (in line with the University's research mission) coordinated by the Center for Urban Horticulture (which formally has administrative responsibility for the area), class projects and field trips (in line with the University's teaching mission), and as open space for community use (in line with the University's service mission).

Call it whatever you like, it's a unique resource for the birding community.

Gene Hunn
18476 47th Pl. NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
enhunn323 at comcast.net

----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Sundstrom
To: tweeters
Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2007 8:27 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] UBNA and The Fill


Tweeters,

The Fill wasn't always The Fill. When I birded The Fill, there were still a few people who called it The Dump, which is what preceded The Fill. I found that confusing at the time, but through great personal effort was able to live with that older usage as a alternate name. Birding is loaded with traditions and mismatched names. It wouldn't be nearly as interesting without it.

Bob

Bob Sundstrom
Tenino, Washington
ixoreus at scattercreek.com



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