Hey tweets, On Tuesday, July 29, WashDOT and UWBG representatives will be walking with me, Dennis Paulson, and members of Seattle Audubon's Conservation Committee around the Fill to discuss WashDOT's mitigation plans for Montlake Fill.

FYI, WashDOT plans to spend $2 million at the Fill to mitigate the destruction of wetlands around Foster Island by the expansion of the 520 bridge. If you want to see a copy of their plan, email me privately.

To summarize the plan, they will convert the Dime Lot (E-5) and entry road into new wetlands. That's great, except the wetlands will be the kind that attract waterfowl, not shorebirds. Further, they plan to plant impenetrable buffers around all the ponds of the Fill, to keep out people and dogs. This is supposedly to control the problems of off-leash dogs, and of people making social trails.

I am opposed to buffers of any kind. We don't have a big problem with people or dogs disrespecting the rules. What problems we do have, I believe could be controlled by social pressure and signage.

I am trying to get WashDOT and UWBG to modify their draft plan to do two things:
1. Build shorebird habitat anew, or else restore Main Pond to its former treeless, bush-less state so that shorebirds will use it again (we have suffered a catastrophic loss of shorebird migrants in the last five years).

2. Delete all plans for buffers around the ponds.

You can help.

I would very much like to have tons of birders show up on Tuesday (from 11 a.m. to noon) to just walk around and bird, staying on the gravel paths. I would also like to see tons of dogs on leashes. The idea would be to graphically demonstrate to WashDOT and UWBG that we are a large, caring community who love this place and respect it.

Can you come? Can you spread the word?

I will try to find out from WashDOT the name of the person you can write to, if you want to email your thoughts. Right now, I don't know who that is. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com