 Sharp Shinned Hawk photo by Andy Schauer A Sharp-Shinned Hawk dropped into Andy Schauer's back yard near North Creek Forest. Andy had his camera ready. This Sharp-Shinned Hawk migrates to this area for the winter. It eats other birds and it's presence is an indicator of a large number of birds on the edge of North Creek Forest. This is an uncommon sighting. Thanks Andy! NEXT VOTE The Bothell City Council is going to vote on a Purchase and Sales Agreement to buy 35.66 acres of North Creek Forest at 6:00 PM tonight. We expect a unanimous vote as all Council Members have supported this. TIMING The trouble is in the details. As it currently stands there is no provision in the agreement to close the sale before risking a loss of funding. This article is, in part, a public appeal to the Council to counter this risk by assuring the completed purchase happens before the State Legislature cuts funding in December. The clock is running. EROSION The most often raised issue to purchasing this forest is erosion. Several years ago surface runoff cut into the forest hillside resulting in mud entering North Creek. Bothell designed a fix and constructed bypass conduits which will last a long time. Permanent solutions can be implemented as grants are acquired. The city apparently inherited this surface water problem when this part of the forest was annexed. OUR REQUEST City staff prepared an agreement requiring a significant erosion study but this study could delay purchase well into the special Legislative session. Since it is already the city's responsibility to deal with this surface water erosion we ask the Council to approve the purchase now and use any study as a foundation for future erosion control designs. That would be valuable, timely and would not cost the city a penny more than a process that delayed the purchase. We have already committed to work with the city on erosion control grants. The second part of the study, a search for toxic waste, is necessary. Staff mentioned the possibility of one or more buried oil tanks. We ask that it be expedited so any problems can be determined and dealt with in the closing document similar to a work order paid for out of an account set up for that purpose. Without access to details of the P/S Agreement we can't speculate upon the design of such a provision but the creative application of City Council talent can. It should be noted that there has not been one single voice opposing this purchase. The word about conservation of this forest is all over Bothell and beyond. "Due diligence" is a tool to protect citizen interests. With no opposition to this purchase it would be ironic if the full exercise of due diligence ended in the failure of a popular landmark conservation purchase.  Photo by Andy Schauer A WATERSHED MOMENT
Bothell is on the verge of conserving one of it's most valuable natural assets. A matrix of salmon streams, large wetlands and upland conifer forest park land is an exceptional gift to ecological function within urban watersheds. A Watershed Moment refers to a moment in history where something changes that fundamentally shifts our point of view. It's a paradigm. We are watching one unfold right now. Thank You, Friends of North Creek Forest
10 Comments
11/9/2011 02:03:43 am
Great Sharpie photos and great news about the promising vote tonight. Regarding erosion, imagine how much worse the problem would be if the forest was converted to development!
Mike Jarvis
11/9/2011 02:14:08 am
Although I live in California, it is most exciting to see such progress, even from here. Congratulations! 11/9/2011 03:11:56 am
Your work is so important Jim. I have faith in the Bothell City Council that if you ask them, they will make sure that the deal closes in time to keep all monies.
Roger Smith
11/9/2011 03:16:58 am
It is great news about the expected vote tonight. I urge the city council to fully endorse and add provisions to assure the completed purchase happens before the State Legislature possibly cuts funding in December.
Adelaide W. Loges
11/9/2011 03:42:57 am
This parcel of land is a gem. Please do what it takes to secure it. A few years ago at a Bothell City Council meeting I pledged money towards its acquisition. I have fulfilled that pledge c/o Friends of the North Creek Forest. Time is of the essence to preserve this treasure for our community and its children in the years to come. These accessible nature areas are becoming rare. I respectfully request the Bothell City Council to act to prevent this location becoming a “development” with a history marker prominently displayed telling the story of the failed fight to preserve the North Creek Forest area but how this “development” is so named in honor of what once was. (I have seen such plaques in other places.)
Bob Lindquist
11/9/2011 05:40:12 am
Friends. I urge you to quickly vote in favor of purchasing this parcel of forest land in North Creek as an aid in preserving our rural atmosphere in Bothell and as an added piece of forested land that we can all enjoy.
Deborah Nicely
11/9/2011 05:56:01 am
Dear Bothell. I live near but not in Bothell. As President and Chair of the Cascadia Environmental Science Center, I am eager to see the North Creek Forest acquisition completed effectively. We look forward to a variety of educational uses within it for the young people whom we serve. It can make an important difference to their understanding of the web of life.
Susan Barrows
11/9/2011 06:07:25 am
The North Creek Forest is an amazing and unique resource for the community and for the students of Northshore School District. This forest offers the opportunity for students to visit a large and undisturbed natural site to observe and document wildlife in its natural state in a very close and accessible location.
James Lukehart
11/9/2011 06:25:02 am
What an exciting development of events. Although it’s not the UW arboretum reclaiming this land and stopping the erosion is a win-win-win-win for Bothell, the Community, the University of Washington and the Boy Scouts who currently own the land! Bothell because even with a huge development planned they still have the will and foresight to set aside land and get a erosion liability take care of. The community now has a stake in the preservation and downtown development. The University has an outdoor classroom within walking distance of campus to use. And the Boy Scouts will get good press by seeing that land donated to them is conserved instead of developed. 11/9/2011 01:46:37 pm
This is a great preservation opportunity which is consistent with regional efforts to protect important watersheds such as North Creek, and ultimately to protect Puget Sound. I applaud the City of Bothell for moving forward on it and Friends of North Creek Forest for making sure this proposal has stayed alive. Leave a Reply. |
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