Subject: [Tweeters] UBNA draft plan
Date: Jun 4 06:22:09 2009
From: Connie Sidles - constancesidles at gmail.com


Hey tweets, the deadline is fast approaching (June 15) for public
comment on the CUH's draft "Union Bay Natural ARea and Shoreline
Mangement Guidelines." If you want to read a copy for yourself, you
can access UBNA's website: <http://depts.washington.edu/urbhort/html/plants/ubna.html
>

To make your comments, you can email the professor in charge: Mr. Kern
Ewing, at:
KERN at u.washington.edu

Rather than expect everyone to read through this rather detailed and
massive document, I thought it might be helpful if I were to list my
own personal Top Ten priorities. They are (in order):

1. Keep prairies open. Do not add canopy. The proposed plan notes that
in the Loop Trail sub-area (the fields bordered by the Loop Trail),
there is currently about 10 percent canopy cover. The plan recommends
this be increased to 30 percent. I strongly disagree. Open prairie
should be kept as open grassland, with minimal amounts of cover.

2. Do not shade out blackberry by planting live willow-staking
especially around the potholes in the fields. The openness of the
grasslands must be preserved.

3. Work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep lake levels low
enough to retain mud flats along the lakeshore. This does not appear
anywhere in the draft plan; however, one of the biggest threats to the
site in spring is high lake levels, which flood the shoreline and
eliminate all mud in the spring, and which also flood the southwest
pond, making it possible for kayakers and canoeists to paddle into
this sensitive area.

4. Remove all woody vegetation from around the Central Pond (also
called Main Pond), thereby creating mud flats for shorebird migration.

5. Add significant signage to discourage off-trail walking of people
and especially dogs. Signage should be added to both the east and west
ends of Union Bay Circle NE (the gravel road beginning at the
greenhouses). Signage should also be added notifying kayakers and
canoeists to keep out of the southwest pond. Additional signage should
be seasonal throughout the site, letting people know when and where
nesting activity is going on. Certain areas of the site should be
CLOSED to the public (which they are anyway, except on designated
paths) - by closing certain fields and ponds, people should be
discouraged from going off-trail.

6. Do add 3.5 FTE's, as the plan proposes. Right now, the entire 75
acres is maintained by .3 FTE gardener and a half-time research
associate. This is completely inadequate for the size of the site,
especially considering the daunting challenges of controlling invasive
plants.

7. Do not build trails through the East Basin (also known as Surber
Grove). The draft plan proposes either one of two new trails here: one
starting at the greenhouses, heading into the grove itself, turning
south, and exiting at the King County pumping station. The other is a
loop trail circumnavigating the entire grove inside. The grove should
be left undisturbed by people in order to provide nesting habitat to
shy birds such as Virginia Rails, Gadwalls, and Wood Ducks. If any
trails are to be put in here at all, they should be very short, one-
way trails: Perhaps one leading into the north grove (as it currently
does) and dead-ending there; and one leading to the lagoon near the
beaver lodge in the south grove (as it currently does). These trails
do not currently seem to negatively impact the wildlife. They become
flooded in the spring and remain so until the dry autumn; thus, any
trails here should be boardwalk trails.

8. Do not build the proposed trail from Douglas Rd. to Franklin (this
proposed trail would skirt the Corporation Yard pond, the northernmost
pond on the site). The draft plan proposes this trail to make the site
more attractive to walkers and joggers. However, there should be a few
places where people do not go, in order to allow birds respite from
human activity. Walkers and joggers could use this part of the site as
they currently do, via the service road on the west side of University
Slough, then crossing the wooden bridge to access Wahkiakum Lane.

9. Do not install lighting along Wahkiakum Lane. This idea was
proposed by campus security. However, it will add significantly to the
light pollution at the site. If any lighting must be installed for
security reasons, then it should be downward-directed and designed to
minimize light pollution.

10. Add the reed islands south of the Loop Trail and east of Husky
Stadium to the management plan. The draft proposal currently is silent
about these important islands. Furthermore, they should be managed to
encourage American Bittern habitat.

There you have it, folks. If you agree with any or all of these
priorities, please send an email to Kern in the next few days. I am
pleading with all of you to do this if you possibly can. This kind of
opportunity - to influence how we would like our beloved Montlake Fill
to develop and change - comes around only once every ten years.

If the Fill has ever given you a moment of joy, a haven of peace, an
insight, or an inspiration, please act now and give back to this
incredible and lovely spot. Thank you. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at gmail.com








-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20090604/d6a6a7fa/attachment.htm