Top: Extensive restored wetlands; middle: signage points to multiple uses; bottom: Northern Shovelers winter in park’s restored ponds
Sometimes this crazy, dysfunctional city gets it right. Due to its endless process and debate many Seattle civic projects have languished. An exasperated council member once referred to Seattle as a “can’t do” city. Once in a while, though, a winner emerges from Seattle’s process-heavy approach. Magnuson Park is a case in point.
Named after the late Washington State Senator Warren Magnuson, a former naval officer and advocate for protection of marine areas and Puget Sound, this park was an active naval base until 1991. Now the 350-acre park, Seattle’s second largest after Discovery Park, has an intriguing mix of ball fields, off-leash dog runs, re-purposed military buildings, low-income housing, and restored natural wetlands. True to form, there were massive arguments and still are, about how all of these uses should or should not be accommodated. I would argue that the multiple uses are on balance working well.
Apparently many others agree with me, because they are voting with their feet. Magnuson has become one of the city’s most popular parks. One of the most exciting features of Magnuson Park’s development is the restored wetland area. An interpretive sign sits on a hillside overlooking this area, which comprises 43-acres, a dozen ponds, and extensive plantings of native vegetation and even the placement of more than 20 “snags” or wildlife trees that were removed as hazard trees in other parks. This wetland complex has become one of Seattle’s premier natural areas.
Trails wind through these wetlands, and along with the many people who enjoy them, birds and wildlife are moving back into them. In the two years since the wetlands were completed, at least six new species of birds have been found there and numbers of native Western Chorus Frogs have increased dramatically. The repopulation of birds and wildlife is even more remarkable when you consider what the area was three decades ago: a military airport with large buildings. The transformation has been spectacular and serves as a reminder that nature can be restored from a heavily built environment.
In addition, miles of new trails have been created for walkers, joggers and bicyclists. Magnuson is a work in progress; the best is yet to come. Of course, this park faces issues like vandalism, graffiti, more and better signage, and invasive species, but these problems exist in almost every city park, and not just in Seattle.
To the Seattle Parks Department and all who worked on this park, congratulations. Magnuson Park is a marvelous public resource that will be enjoyed by thousands, if not millions, for years to come.
