BTB Contributor Jim Branson alerts us that he’ll be leading a “native plant” hike through Seahurst Park for the Washington Native Plant Society this Saturday.

This event will consist of a small group hike through the park, and observing the native plants within, including Trilliums, aka “skunk cabbage.” The weather forecast for Saturday is for sunny and warm.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Washington Native Plant Society’s hike through Seahurst Park

WHEN: Saturday, March 6, 2010; 11:00 a.m. Over by 1 p.m.

WHERE: Meet at the lower parking lot at Seahurst Park at 11:00 am.

RSVP: To sign up, contact Jim at pseudotsuga@gmail.com

INFO: From an email:

This field trip will introduce you to the native plants of Seahurst Park, including Trillium and skunk cabbage.

Last year, patches of snow covered the ground when a few intrepid people toured the park, and the Trilliums were late.

This year, the Trilliums are up early, and the forecast for Saturday is sunny and warm.

Also of interest: the oldest living tree in Burien, which is less than twenty feet tall.

This leisurely one mile loop walk may be muddy, so wear sturdy shoes. You’ll also want to dress in layers, as you’ll be plenty warm by the time you reach the top of the hill.

If rain threatens, be sure to bring an umbrella or raincoat.

Limit of 20 participants.

Photo by Michael Brunk.

Longtime Burien resident and local artist Dave Branson was out and about this last weekend, spending time sketching at Seahurst Park Beach, which played a significant role in his life growing up here since his family used to own a 9-acre wooded waterfront residential lot nearby.

Here’s what Dave had to say about this sketch:

It was a beautiful sunny day Saturday, so we went to Seahurst Park, and I did this sketch while we were there.

I was young when the sea wall went up at Seahurst Park, and it’s always felt like the park’s dominant feature to me. My Dad would jog at the park regularly, and I would join him sometimes when he could pry me away from Saturday morning cartoons. I remember when the sea wall was new and the concrete pavers on the path along the top of the wall hadn’t settled yet. They were musical because they would ring a little bit when we ran along the path.

Now I’ve heard that the northern part of the wall will be removed, just like the southern wall has been. It will take some getting used to. I’m still not used to how the southern half of the park has changed. I know it’s all for the best, environmentally, and now the beach will feel like the dominant feature of the park when our family visits the park in the coming decades.

And for a little historical background on this part of Burien and the Branson family, here’s some info taken from the city’s website:

In the early 1900s, the land known as Eagle Landing Park belonged to the Branson family. The Branson property was part of a 200-acre parcel owned by the Seahurst Land Company, which supplied water to local residents from springs on the property. The original Branson estate was a 9-acre wooded waterfront residential lot. In 1915, a relative of the owner built a residence in the northern portion of the property, which was upgraded and expanded in the 1930s. A county road through the property was platted but never built, and has been vacated since 1935. The property was logged about 90 years ago, when much of the timber in Burien, Seahurst, and Gregory Heights was felled to supply wood for America’s Liberty Ships in World War I.

The steeply sloped property sits atop two geologic units – glacial lake clay and silt below, and glacial outwash sand and gravel above – both deposited during glaciation of Puget Sound in the last Ice Age. Springs trickle from the hillside at an elevation of about 50 feet. The area has a long history of slope instability, according to oral history and the topographic features of the site.

To see more of Dave’s art, check out his blog: http://popsiclemud.blogspot.com.

The Seattle Times reports that the Coast Guard searched the waters off Burien’s Seahurst Park Friday after receiving a report of an overturned kayak around 5pm.

Two Coast Guard boats on the scene found nothing more than a floating piece of Styrofoam that was the probable cause of the call.

The search was called off around 9pm after nothing else (and thankfully no humans) were found.

Read the full story here.

Fall has definitely fallen unto our area, and to celebrate the refreshing, crisp air and colorful leaves, we present to you a very zen-like Photo/Audio Slideshow created at Seahurst Park by Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Zen-like Autumn SoundSlideshow

Our friends at the UW-APL/PSSC Environmental & Marine Science Observatory at Seahurst Park have not only repaired their beach and underwater webcams, they’ve upgraded them to high definition.

This means that now you can watch HD footage not only of the beach, but from underwater as well!

Here are some pretty cool video clips ranging from time lapses that show the changing tides (fast-moving) passersby and sunsets, to clips of dogfish and more; as always, we feature these feeds on our Webcams page along with other local cams:

[display_podcast]

For video highlights from the Seahurst Beach Underwater camera, click here.

For an archive of Seahurst Beach HD clips, click here.

More info from their website:

The observatory is a collaboration between oceanographers and engineers at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory and the Puget Sound Skills Center’s Environmental and Marine Science program. The Marine Science program has a wonderful shoreside facility located at the north end of Seahurst Park in Burien, Washington. To support the salmon hatchery located at the facility there are two saltwater intake pipes that run 850 feet from the building out to 25 feet of water. Those pipes provide an ideal means to run power and fiber optic ethernet cables for underwater instruments, providing a permanent, real-time, high bandwidth presence on the bottom of Puget Sound.

The observatory was installed through a combination of volunteer efforts and a science and engineering development project at APL-UW funded by the National Science Foundation. That project is working to install a cabled-to-shore profiling mooring at the MARS observatory in Monterey Bay, California. The installation at Seahurst provides a plug compatible observatory interface for testing that system in diver accessible depths right in our own backyard.

Data from the CTD is collected every 1.5 seconds. Time-lapse video frames are taken every 10 seconds. Daily time-lapse videos are archived. Full-rate video is captured and archived when motion is detected. For presentation on the front page of the web site a snapshot is taken once per minute and twenty seconds of full-rate (10 fps) video is taken every five minutes.

According to our friends at Burien Parks:

“Due to seasonal changes, Burien’s two gated parks (Seahurst & Eagle Landing) are now closing earlier.

Gates now closed at 7pm.”

So, now you know to get yourself outta there before you’re trapped like you’re in a b-rate, B-Town horror movie…

This Saturday (Sept. 26th) there will be an “Adopt-A-Park Work Party,” supported by both the Burien Parks Department and the Environmental Science Center at Seahurst Park’s South Shelter to get rid of some invasive ivy.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Work Party  in Seahurst Park near the South Shelter (Google Map)

WHEN: Saturday Sept. 26th, from 10am – Noon

WHERE: The work will take place along the beach at the south end of Seahurst Park.

This time the work will be in the area between the foot bridge over the creek and the new South Shelter. And as always we’re working on more invasives than just ivy. See the Volunteer Page for more information.

Meet in the lower parking lot by the foot bridge, you may need to park in the upper lot and walk down (please do not leave valuables in your car!)  The group will be working the South shoreline planting beds (past the South Shelter.)

For future dates and locations please check www.seahurstpark.org.

by Mark Neuman

Construction continues on the new Environmental Learning Center located at the north end of Seahurst Park.

“The vision of the Environmental Science Center (ESC) is to construct a world-class, state-of-the-art Learning Center,” said Jan Glick, ESC Executive Director. “The framing is almost done. As the fall comes in it’ll be sealed up and roofed. To finish the project we still have to raise an additional $350,000.”

From the ESC’s website:

“The new Learning Center will be constructed on the former site of the Caretakers’s Cottage, and will be built to include many green features. It will be located conveniently next to a freshwater stream, .7 mile of saltwater waterfront, plus 178 acres of forested trails which all will be incorporated into ESC’s curriculum.

In addition, the Learning Center will accommodate two full classrooms (fifty person capacity) of students or community groups for environmental educational programs.”

Target date for building completion is April 2010.

“We have raised about $950,000 going back to 2001,” Glick said. “We need to raise another $350,000 to pay for the $1.3 million project.

“We are in discussions with several foundations and corporations in Washington state. We are optimistic we will be raising some significant portion of the needed $350,000 from institutional donors.”

But the probable size of those potential grants still leaves a gap between realized and needed funds.

“The other thing that is happening right now is that the price tag on the project is $100,000 lower than first estimated a few years ago. This is due to the current soft construction economy,” Glick said. “We are now receiving lower bids from various contractors.

“This combination of interest from institutional funders and the lower cost is providing us an opportunity to finish off the fundraising.”

This is where area residents can help, Glick points out.

“We are making an appeal to the community now to make donations and help open up to the public this community asset. It’s a great community asset. It will be open to the public. It will be free.

“We serve over 10,000 kids a year, mostly from the Highline School District but also from all over the Puget Sound area.

“We’ll have indoor demonstrations and exhibits. It is located right next door to the Marine Technology Center and its salmon hatchery.”

The ESC also offers naming and recognition opportunities for Learning Center donors. Contact the ESC office for further information.

The ESC is a 501(c)3 organization and contributions are tax deductible.

For online donation information go to:

www.envsciencecenter.org

Then click “Capital Campaign” on the left hand side.

Or call 206-517-5199 and talk to Jan Glick directly.

Mailing Address:

Environmental Science Center
126 SW 148th Street
Suite C100-170
Burien, WA 98166

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Ground Broken For New Environmental Learning Center
• Spring Classes Starting Up At Environmental Science Center
• Learning Comes Naturally At Environmental Science Center

Michael Lafreniere, Director of Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services, reports that Seahurst Park’s brand new picnic shelter and other areas were severely vandalized by alleged gang members Sunday night, June 28th.

“Staff tell me this is the worst they have ever seen in all their years with the city,” he adds. “And it will cost us several thousand dollars to clean it up. We are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the persons responsible for this crime.”

Here’s a slideshow of the damage, which includes closeups of graffiti tags and assorted words that may help identify the vandals:

Click to View Slideshow of Damages to Seahurst Park’s New Picnic Shelter

Cash rewards of up to $1,000 are paid for information leading to the arrest. Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers immediately at (206) 343-2020 or toll free at 1 (800) CRIME-13 and give the tip to police without giving his/her name.

Manning shovels at the Environmental Learning Center groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday were (L to R) Burien Mayor Joan McGilton, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Georgette Valle, State House Rep. Sharon Nelson, State Rep. Tina Orwall, ESC Board President Kerry Lohr, ESC Director Julie Burr, and Burien Parks Director Michael Lafreniere.

Ground was broken Tuesday afternoon (June 23rd) by numerous local and state dignitaries for Burien’s new world-class, state-of-the-art Environmental Learning Center, located at the Seahurst Park beach.

This new facility will replace the current “caretaker’s cottage” building, and will serve as a learning center where children and educators can come together to learn to understand, appreciate and protect precious natural resources, especially Puget Sound.

This future Environmental Learning Center will also be a gathering place in a stunning setting for Burien.

The City of Burien has granted a 30-year lease to remodel the old caretaker’s cottage into a state of the art facility, which will also serve as a model for green building techniques.

The mission of the Environmental Science Center is to promote environmental stewardship, sustainability and academic achievement through science based environmental education.

For more information, or to make a donation to the Capital Campaign, please visit the ESC website.

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Environmental Learning Center will be this Tuesday, June 23rd, from 3:30pm to 5pm.

The ceremony will take place at the location of the existing Caretaker’s Cottage, with refreshments served, as well as remarks by King County Council Chairman Dow Constantine at 4pm. All are invited!

The ceremony will be about 50 yards south (closer to the parking lot) of their existing office in the Marine Tech Center at the end of SW 140th St in Seahurst Park in Burien. The nearest parking is about 200 yards from the building. To get to Seahurst Park, from Ambaum Blvd SW turn west on SW 144th St., then right on 13th Ave SW then follow that road as it curves and becomes SW 140th St and goes downhill to the shore. There is some parking very near the end, if that is full there is additional parking part way up the hill.

Monday April 27th saw one of the lowest tides so far this year, a -2.7 at 1:11pm, and Photographer Michael Brunk was on the scene at Burien’s Seahurst Park, where lots of normally-unseen Burien residents were exposed:

Click to View Slideshow

If you’re interested in meeting more of your normally-unseen neighbors during another minus tide, mark your calendars for:

• A -2.7 tomorrow (Tuesday, April 28th) at 1:58pm
• A -3.65 on Sunday, May 26th at 12:53pm
• The lowest tide of the year will be a -3.91 on Tuesday, June 23rd at 11:52am

by Gina Bourdage

Here are notes from Monday night’s (April 6th) Burien City Council meeting (link to PDF agenda here):

LEVY SUPPORTS VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES:
A recent survey found that 50% of homeless men in our area are veterans. In 2005, the Veterans and Human Services levy was passed to generate funding to veterans, military personnel and their families housing and support services. The levy approved $13.3 million dollars dedicated  to help both veterans and residents in need of human services.

Two citizen boards were appointed to allocate the funds to reach specific goals within the program.

Sadikifu Akina-James from the King County of Veterans Affairs broke down the five strategies within the program;

• Enhancing services and access for veterans
• Ending homelessness through outreach, prevention, permanent supportive housing and employment
• Increasing access to behavioral health services
• Strengthening families at risk
• Increasing effectiveness of resource management and evaluation
• Beginning in 2005 the levy will remain until 2011.

For more information visit www.kingcounty.gov

CITY MANAGER MIKE MARTIN’S NEWS FLASH:
Wednesday, April 8th at Dottie Harper Park the city will celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree in memory of former mayor Dottie Harper. Bring your family and celebrate the holiday starting at Noon.

Burien is proceeding with low watt radio project for emergency broadcasts. In the case of emergency tune to AM 540. The project is projected to be complete by the end of April 2009.

After discovering that the City of Seattle is the only city with laws extending beyond the State of Washington, Burien is now looking into developing or adopting new requirements to set a higher standard for renters in the Burien area [EDITOR'S NOTE: This was an issue brought to the City Council meeting a few weeks ago by a concerned resident who wanted to be heard and it looks like the city is truly listening. It pays to speak up!].

Disputes over Puget Sound Park, located in the northern part of North Highline, cause the areas fate to up for discussion. The City of Seattle wants to sell and build low income housing and just about everyone else wants to keep the area a community park. White Center councils are not in favor of the proposed transition. A public review meeting is set for April 22nd from 4-6pm at 1000 Oaksdale Ave SW in Renton. Everyone is encouraged to attend and voice their opinion.

“Because we are so close to annexation we don’t feel this is a good idea to be making this sort of decision.” – City Manager Mike Martin

NEW SUBDIVISION AT 13032 AMBAUM BLVD. SW:
The council approved preliminary proposal 291, granting use of land in the neighborhood of 132nd to be developed into single family homes. Currently the lot is wooded and unused. The proposal includes six subdivisions, including a five-foot sidewalk and a storm water run off which current residents would be able to access to prevent drainage issues.

SEAHURST PARK AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT:
Seahurst Park Master Plan presented a restoration project including restoration efforts to return the area to a more natural environment, improve access to trails and improve natural seawall . Several options for direction area were proposed and are available at www.burienwa.gov/index.asp?NID=311.

Currently the Parks Department is seeking funding to move forward.

LIVING ROAD OF REMEMBRANCE:
Preservation efforts for Des Moines Memorial Drive and creation of a new memorial park were proposed. The NE corner of South 136th and Des Moines Way South is one suggestion for the location of a new memorial park which would include a memorial wall, seating area and more. Improvement plans would include the current memorial wall at Sunnydale Elementary, but expansion is not likely due to space restrictions.

The current wall does not include all of the Highline residents that died in World War I. The restoration project, with the help of Highline Historical Society, would include all of those names which have been compiled.

The city of Seatac would take on the majority of the cost for the new park. Some fundraising will have to be done to supplement the cost. The Burien City Council supported the efforts.

The restoration committee hopes to have the project complete by 2012. For more information visit www.roadofremembrance.org

BURIEN TO REFUND TAXES:
Due to an oversight in the wording of the Business and Operations tax bill the City of Burien collected too much in taxes from some business owners. In all about 35 people were effected to a total of $900.

The City is planning on refunding the $900 and correcting the wording of the tax measure to prevent future issues.

“It’s not only a legal, but a moral obligation to refund the money.” said council member Kathy Keene.

STUDENTS TO MAKE SCULPTURE FOR ART PARK:
A recent arts commission meeting proposed installation of a sculpture with a fish and a revolving eagle above the fish, made by the Puget Sound Skills center students and designed by a welding instructor.

The sculpture would be included in the BIAS Interum Art Space.

The city council’s next regular meeting will be held at 7pm on Monday, April 13th.

Do you have an opinion on the proposed changes to the seawall on the north end of Seahurst Park?

If so, your chance to speak up will be at 6pm on Wednesday, April 1st, during a city public meetig to take citizen comments.

As part of the City’s long-range master plan for the park, it has been evaluating possible options for the removal of the park’s north seawall.

Anchor Environmental, which previously completed the park’s master plan, is conducting the feasibility study process, and here are some important elements to consider:

• The seawall was installed and constructed by King County in 1972.
• The park itself was purchased in the early 60s and managed by King County until 1993.
• Since 1972, when the seawall was built, much has been learned about shoreline and habitat protection. In 2002 Burien adopted the Seahurst Park Master Plan which called for over $11 million in renovation and restoration to return the park to its originally intended use, and to reverse environmental degradation.
• With state, federal and local funding, the City began removing the south seawall and grading the shoreline to improve a key migratory corridor for juvenile Chinook salmon.
• In December of 2008 the first phase was completed, including removal of the south seawall, beach restoration and marine riparian plantings. Additional work focused on replacement of the decades-old restrooms, new trails, and new picnic areas as well as repairs to the south picnic shelter.
• More info on the seawall at this website.

The public meeting will review the site assessments and recommendations for the north end of Seahurst Park prepared by the City’s consultants.

The meeting will be held at Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street in Burien.

For information regarding this meeting and the feasibility study, contact Steve Roemer, Park Development and Operations Manager, at (206) 248-5513.

by Mark Neuman

It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful spot to “go to school” than Seahurst Park, showcasing the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound right here in Burien.

Our friends at the Environmental Science Center (ESC), located at Seahurst Park, announce their Spring Course programs starting March 27.

Course topics include:

• Water Heroes – Keep our watershed healthy (Classroom Presentation & Activity)
• Digging up Dirt – A Field Investigation Using the Scientific Method (Three Classroom Sessions)
• It’s a Jungle Out There - With focus on eelgrass beds found in Puget Sound (Classroom Presentation & Activity)
• Exploring Intertidal Puget Sound – Beach etiquette and stewardship are stressed (Classroom Presentation & Field Study)

“ESC strives for a ratio of 1 instructor for every 10 students in the field in order to provide high quality instruction and personal attention for every student, as well as to meet teacher’s requests for specific curriculum emphasis,” says Julie Burr, ESC Executive Director.

“For schools with more than fifty percent of their student population on free or reduced lunch, please inquire about our program cost fee waiver,” Julie said.

Programs are aligned with 2009 Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, Science Standards, and Environmental Education Standards.

ESC staff will work with teachers to modify programs to fit their curriculum needs.

Know a teacher or school principal/administrator? Send them this article or give them a call! ESC works with thousands of students from schools all around the Puget Sound area every year.

For more information, here’s how to contact Julie and her staff:

Email: Julieb@envsciencecenter.org

Phone: 206-246-2144

Website w/class info: www.envsciencecenter.org/Programs/programs.htm

Here’s how to get there (see map below):

• From Ambaum Blvd. in Burien, head west on SW 144th
• Turn right on 13th SW. That road will take you all the way to Seahurst Park; drive down to the beach, where parking is available (if it isn’t, there’s a second parking lot near the top)
• Walk north along the beach a couple hundred yards and there you are!

View Larger Map

by Gina Bourdage

And The Award Goes To…

Each year the City of Burien takes nominations for outstanding efforts from extraordinary community members that are making a significant and positive difference in our community.

For 2009 the winners are nothing short of remarkable people we had the pleasure of speaking with, including the 2009 Environmental Leader Kevin Alexander.

“I think it’s because I have the time to work with different projects.” Said Kevin Alexander when asked why he though he received the nomination. “It’s good exercise and it makes me feel good.”

If you have the privilege to spend time with Mr. Alexander, you will see that it takes a lot more than free time to tackle the projects he has underway. While he welcomes community volunteers, Kevin spends a lot of his time taking care of the parks and beaches by removing invasive plants such as ivy from trees.

“Ivy can add around 2,000 pound of weight to a tree if not kept under control. In a heavy rain or wind storm some of those trees don’t stand a chance with all of that extra weight.” Said Alexander.

Working with the city to bring green methods of removing these plants, Kevin also assists in the management of 100 goats that are chowing down on plants that pose as a threat to native species.

“The City of Burien has been great in assisting, providing tools and support. The Parks Department has a limited budget but they do what they can with what they have.” Said Alexander.

Mr. Alexander has strong hopes for the building of the educational building plans for Seahurst Park. The Environmental Science Center will provide education to the public about our diverse marine life. If you would like to learn more about the projects in progress, to volunteer or learn more about our environment, visit www.seahurstpark.org. Puget Sound residents can also make efforts to keep water clean and request a test kit for their neighborhood at www.soundcitizen.org . Events such as educational moonlight beach walks, area clean up efforts and salmon restoration information available at these sites.

Kevin Alexander, and a long list of volunteers, hope not only to stop the contamination and degradation of our parks and wetlands, but to see actual improvements so that we can enjoy them for generations to come.

Here’s what the City of Burien had to say about Mr. Alexander:

Instrumental in acquiring the necessary Army Corps of Engineer permitting, allowing the removal of sediment from a lower detention pond in the Seahurst Park.

This work was critical to support the salmon hatchery program managed by the Highline School District Marine Technology Program, as it removed accumulated sediments deposited within the salmon rearing pond.

Removing the sediment provided the salmon access to their original watershed, which allowed for egg collection and future hatchery release.

Spends considerable time removing invasive plants with much of his focus spent on tackling invasive Holly.

His webmaster skills have provided vivid images and lots of useful information to countless, long distance visitors at www.seahurstpark.org.  Here you can see pictures of Seahurst Park, read about the park’s history, get involved in volunteer opportunities, or take advantage of the links to a variety of community resources.

Founding member of the organization Sustainable Burien.  The organization’s goal is to involve residents and businesses in the process of creating a sustainable local community by sharing their ideas, passions, knowledge and talents.  For information on this group please visit (yes, again Kevin) www.sustainableburien.org.

And here’s a video showing some of the fruits of his efforts for the restoration of Seahurst Park:

You can meet Mr. Alexander in person (along with the other three award winners) at the City of Burien and Discover Burien’s Annual Awards Dinner/Auction, which takes place Friday, March 6th at Karuna Yoga Studios in Olde Burien.

Cost is $25 per person.

For more information call Burien City Hall at (206) 241-4647 or Discover Burien at (206) 433-2882.

by Mark Neuman

One of our area’s hidden gems is Seahurst Park.

And tucked away at the beach there is another diamond – the Environmental Science Center.

The Environmental Science Center (ESC) is the only community-based, not-for-profit environmental education organization in south King County with programs for all ages.

With a primary focus on K through 12, ESC offers school-day programs including classroom lessons and field trips, after school programs, summer camps, and community presentations.

Since its founding in 1999, rapid expansion in programs has led to an increasing number of program participants served, with more than 8,000 clients during 2008, up from 5,000 clients in 2006.

“We want to foster the next group of environmental stewards,”  said ESC Executive Director Julie Burr. “Kids don’t get out there, really out-of-doors, like they used to. We reach out with special effort to minority or lower-income children.”

Julie recently spent time showing the B-Town Blog around the Center, and brought us up to speed on a big project they have in mind.

“We have a vision for an Environmental Learning Center,” Julie said. “And we have the perfect spot to build it on.”

Years ago, when Seahurst Park was the property of King County, a park caretaker actually lived in a cottage just a few yards from the building ESC currently works out of.

The caretaker is long gone, and the cottage is boarded up.

“We will renovate inside and expand the cottage a bit on its south side.”

The result will be a 2,200 square foot facility which will seat fifty students.

It will take about $1.3 million to fully renovate. The fundraising has been going on for a while, with $900,000 having been raised to far.

“The remaining $400,000 is proving the toughest. Several major corporations sincerely want to help, but have had to drastically cut back their civic donations” due to the current economic state of affairs.

Corporate groups who have contributed toward the Learning Center include Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Waste Management.

“We greatly appreciate, as well, our funders who help keep our regular programs running,” Julie said. These groups include:

• The Russell Family Foundation
• The JiJi Foundation
• The Bottler Charitable Trust
• The City of Burien
• The Horizon Foundation
• The Seattle Foundation
• King Conservation District, WRIA 9

Julie received a special gift last month.

“My daughter, Jesann, bless her heart, went out and raised $1,540 from her friends for the Learning Center. She didn’t tell me about her efforts at all,” Julie recalled. “Then on Christmas Day she gave me the checks. What a sweetheart.”

No gift is too small (or too big!), so if you would like to contribute, please feel free to contact Julie anytime:

Julie Burr
Executive Director
Environmental Science Center
Julieb@envsciencecenter.org
phone 206-246-2144

DIRECTIONS:: From Ambaum Blvd. go west on 144th. Turn right on 13th. That road will take you all the way to the beach, where parking is available.

The Environmental Science Center and the cottage are about 200 yards north of there.

View Larger Map

Seahurst Park is having a Moonlit Beach walk this Saturday, Jan. 10th from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. There is no charge, but it will be cold so participants are asked to bundle up, bring a bright flashlight with good batteries, wading boots, warm hat & dry gloves.

Naturalists will be on the beach during the full moon at low tide to share information and guide walks.

Here’s a blurb from the Seahurst Environmental Science Center website:

Imagine you’re on the shoreline at a lovely low tide.

Rocks that are covered all year lie exposed to view while the sea animals remain happily cold and wet in the dark.

All around you, people with flashlights are intently studying the amazing and  abundant sea life as local naturalists help you discover the wonders of your Puget Sound shoreline.

For more information contact Barb or Darrell Williams at (206) 901-1964.

A public meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 6, 2008, to take citizen comment regarding proposed changes to the seawall on the north end of Seahurst Park.

As part of the City’s long-range master plan for the park, it is examining the feasibility and possible options for the removal of the park’s north seawall.

Anchor Environmental, which previously completed the park’s master plan, is conducting the feasibility study process.

The seawall was installed and constructed by King County in 1972 The park itself was purchased in the early 60s and managed by King County until 1993. Since 1972, when the seawall was built, much has been learned about shoreline and habitat protection. In 2002 Burien adopted the Seahurst Park Master Plan which called for over $11 million in renovation and restoration to return the park to its originally intended use, and to reverse environmental degradation.

With state, federal and local funding, the City began removing the south seawall and grading the shoreline to improve a key migratory corridor for juvenile Chinook salmon. As of 2006, the first phase was nearly completed, including removal of the south seawall, beach restoration and marine riparian plantings. Additional work this past year has focused on replacement of the decades-old restrooms, new trails, and new picnic areas as well as repairs to the south picnic shelter.

The public meeting will review the site analysis, as well as preliminary assessments and recommendations prepared by the City’s consultants. The meeting will be held at Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street in Burien.

City staff and consultants will meet with the public again in January to further review and take comment on draft plans for the seawall removal project, the shoreline alternatives, the upland alternatives, cost estimates, and other considerations.

For information regarding this meeting and the feasibility study, contact Steve Roemer, park development and operations manager, at (206) 248-5513.

“The City wants the final plan for the north seawall area to serve the needs of the park’s many users while also protecting and enhancing the park as an environmental asset,” Roemer said

A very interesting and highly unusual musical art performance will be taking place Saturday (Aug. 16th) at Seahurst Park at 11:30am and Eagle Landing Park at 12:30pm.

The performance, called Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas will include opera singers and percussionists performing original work by Seattle Composer Byron Au Yong at Seahurst Park, Eagle Landing Park, Des Moines Marina, Des Moines Beach Park, and Salmon Creek Ravine.

Performers will be David Stutz and Stuart McLeod, and it’s basically an on-location opera performed at/near the water.

UPDATE: We now have a schedule, thanks to Mike Min:

• 10:30am: Salmon Creek Ravine
• 11:30am: Seahurst Park
• 12:30pm: Eagle Landing Park
• 1:30pm: Des Moines Marina (Farmer’s Market)
• 2:30pm: Marine View Park
• 3:30pm: Des Moines Beach Park

From their press release:

By taking opera out of the opera house, the Bottled Operas connect the power and beauty of traditional operatic voices with a musical experience intimately connected to nature. The site-specific performances allow Au Yong to take his music directly to places where people interact with many forms of water, creating opportunities for audience members from all walks of life to experience heightened awareness, understanding, and awe of the powerful forces of nature and humanity in a natural environment.

Percussionists play the water found at these locations with instruments that include wood, stone, bamboo, bone, rope, hide, plants, and metal. Libretti are written by eight writers from diverse cultural and artistic traditions not often represented in opera; the 64 Bottled Operas will be anything but a traditional operatic experience.

Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas will be performed by opera singer/water percussionist duos in rivers, lakes, fountains, ravines, and other waterways as part of 4Culture’s Site-Specific Performance Network on August 4, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 26, and 28.

4Culture Site-Specific Performances are FREE to the public.

Byron Au Yong creates ceremonial musical events for voices with Asian, European and hand-made instruments. His works have been performed in Canada, China, England, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Local projects include Piao Zhu: Flying Bamboo created for the Seattle Asian Art Museum and YIJU: Songs of Dislocation presented at the Jack Straw New Media Gallery. Au Yong was the only American selected for the Jerwood Opera Writing Programme where his mini-opera The River Museum was performed at Aldeburgh Music.

Performance Schedule available online at hearbyron.com and sitespecificarts.org.

NOTE: If you miss this on-location local performance, you can still see Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas at Bumbershoot in two weeks (full details here).

Here’s a musical taste of some of Au Yong’s work:

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The City of Burien and Volunteers for Outdoor Washington is having an “Earth Day In May” clean-up celebration at Seahurst Park this Saturday, May 31st, from 9am to 12:30pm:

Meet and sign-in will be at the Seahurst Park North Picnic Shelter.

All-ages are welcome and no tools are necessary, so bring the family and enjoy a day in the great outdoors while helping to preserve this wonderful local resource.

Don’t forget that after the clean-up is over, there will be a very cool Beach Naturalist Walk lead by Environmental Science Center Naturalists (and no, the term “naturalist” doesn’t mean they’ll be au naturel…), where you may see something like this:

Sign up at www.trailvolunteers.org or for more info call (206) 988-3700.

The B-Town Blog is proud to present more amazing work by local Photographer Cheryl Moorhead, an incredibly talented B-Towner who has taken many superb nature photos.

This week, we’ve got an entire slideshow chock full of everyone’s fave Spring thing, those populous neighbors that outnumber us all – insects!:

The B-Town Blog is proud to present some work by local Photographer Cheryl Moorhead, an incredibly talented B-Towner who has taken some amazing nature photos.

We’ll be showcasing her work often, but for starters, here’s some of her pics focusing on Seahurst Park:

This Thursday, April 24th is national “Take Your Child to Work Day” and we encourage everyone to bring their child to work so us grownups can finally take some time off!

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If your workplace participates in this annual event, may we suggest that you make it even more interesting by showing your kid(s) some of the other aspects of life in Burien, such as:

• 4/23 UPDATE: Moshier Art Center event is fully booked! 10am: at Moshier Art Center (430 South 156th Street), Gina Kallman will be on hand to provide a tour. You’ll also have a chance to make some quick and easy “Clay Fish.” Please let her know you’re coming at ginak@burienwa.gov.
• Noon: A brief tour of Eagle Landing Park with volunteer naturalist and park steward, Jim Branson.
• 2pm: a low tide at Seahurst Park is a perfect opportunity to discover Burien’s 178-acre asset. Stop by and check out the low tide at the beach and the park’s great views of the Olympic Mountains.
• 2pm – 3:30pm: While at Seahurst, stop in at the Marine Technology Lab at the north end of the park and have a look at the salmon hatchery operation there. Teacher Joe Weiss will be on hand to answer your questions.

More information about national “Take your Child to Work Day” is at www.daughtersandsonstowork.org