Hi all,

There has been a well-organized stealthy campaign to turn the century-old Cheasty Greenbelt on the eastern-slope of Beacon Hill?into a Mountain Bike Park.

The Park Department, which will soon come to voters asking for a doubling of it's budget and a major reduction of?it's accountability to the voters, has been?orchestrating this transfer of land out of a natural designation and into exclusive-use athletics.

This is the same Parks Dept. that tried to put a zip-line in the tiny patch of old-growth at Lincoln Park, until community outrage?put a halt?to the?project.

Cheasty is the last?interior remnant forest in Seattle?and it has nesting Wilson's Warbler(s) among other high-value birds.? Dave Hutchinson of tweeter fame inventoried it (a decade or so ago) and told me "You'd be surprised what's in there.? I found nesting Black-headed Grosbeaks."?

Mark Ahlness, a birder and retired school teacher and road-biker, has been following this story for some time and here is his take:
http://ahlness.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/a-tale-of-two-cheasties/

There has been a great attempt to make this look like a fait accompli but actually it's not.?

A meeting has been scheduled by the Parks Dept. for March 25, 2014 to present the Cheasty?Mountain Bike Pilot Project? on? Tuesday, March 25,?(this coming Tuesday) at Jefferson Community?Center, 3801 Beacon Ave. South, from 6:30 to?8 pm.?

Those of us who are planning to attend will be delighted to see you if you'd like to show up and be in the audience. (It's not set up as one of those meetings for public input with the two-minute speeches).

Thanks all,

Ed Newbold ednewbold1 at yahoo.com? residential Beacon Hill (not esp. near the Cheasty Greenbelt).