You might have noticed that Beacon Hill is one of the neighborhoods with the lowest amount of tree canopy cover in Seattle. Only 19% of the residential property on the Hill has tree cover. In the 1970s, Seattle had 40% tree cover, but today, the city with “the hills the greenest green” only has a shockingly low 23% tree cover. The tree canopy went away quickly, and it will take more time to bring it back, but the city has a goal of reaching 30% tree cover by 2037.
EarthCorps and the City of Seattle are combining forces to provide free trees to residents of Beacon Hill, along with Georgetown, West Seattle Junction/Genesee Hill, and Westwood/Roxhill, all of which have a low amount of tree canopy.
Residents of these neighborhoods can apply for free trees for their planting strips and property. Trees will be available for pick up in early December. Tree recipients will be able to attend a workshop on tree planting and care, and will receive tree watering bags in the spring.
This missing bagpipes have been found! Somebody tossed them in a trash bin, but they were found before it was emptied.
* * *
Denise Louie Education Center is looking for a board member.
Leadership Opportunity – Become a Board Member
As a board member of Denise Louie Education Center, you can apply your professional experience to improving the lives of low income children and families. Our goal is to prepare children for success in school and in life, through pre-school, parent involvement, family support, healthy development, and parent leadership.
Board members provide strategic direction to the organization using information from our community assessment, program data and self assessment. They are responsible for ensuring quality service delivery and the fulfillment of the agency mission.
Board members are also volunteers working at implementation level, especially when there are fundraising events. We would love your help in achieving our goal of continuing to prepare low-income, culturally/linguistically diverse children and families for school and success. This is a leadership level position.
Requirements:
Attend board meetings (8 of 11 required);
Participate on at least one board committee (fundraising, board development or planning and service delivery);
Participate in the board’s annual retreat Make a personal financial gift at a leadership level;
Volunteer at least one time per year in the classroom, field trip, parent meeting or other activity involving DLEC children and/or families;
Help solicit other contributions to the organization or assist with a fund raising event/activity;
Participate in the evaluation of the Executive Director Recruit other board members or volunteers; and
Speak or represent DLEC at a community event.
How to find out more:
Please contact Janice Deguchi, Executive Director at (206) 792-9972 or via email at jdeguchi@deniselouie.org or Frances Lin, Director of Development at (206) 621-7880 or via email at flin@deniselouie.org.
Photo by Bridget ChristianA recap and note of thanks for the volunteers who participated in the Day of Caring at Jose Rizal Park from Craig Thompson:
Friday, 90 volunteers completed the access project through the woods of Dr. Jose Rizal Park. This opens the forest with a defined pathway to the south of the off-leash area fence, running for approximately 1/4 mile. It gives access to police, fire, and emergency personnel, and to restoration crews. The project — which was endorsed by the community in a large public meeting in 2005 — was made possible by a coalition of state and city agencies and community groups. It’s been six years from planning, four years from first boots on the ground.
Over 8,000 hours of volunteer time made the project happen, plus grants from King County and the City of Seattle. About 60,000 square feet of ivy and non-native blackberry bramble have been cleared from the ground; 1,000 trees now have ivy control measures protecting them, including trees south of the park for several city blocks. Over 1,000 native species have been planted. An apple orchard of some dozen trees has been reclaimed.
On Friday, besides the pathway, 145 native plants were planted in an area just uphill from the gateway to the off-leash area off the access road. Another 750 bulbs – tulips and daffodils – were planted on the slope beneath the parking lot overview; this brings the total to 1,600 bulbs planted as interim cover before native plants are brought in. Also, a dozen native rose bushes were planted in this area. At the entrance to the off-leash area, just inside, we cleared non-native grasses and then spread cardboard over previously bare soil and covered it with woodchips to create erosion control; we can plant native species later. A total of 15 cubic yards of woodchips were used along the pathway, the native planting area, and at the entrance to the OLA.
EarthCorps has been instrumental in providing a large base of support for the work, as has King County United Way.
This makes the third year in a row that large crews from Microsoft stepped up to make a difference. I’d like to thank Lynn Tucker, my wife Ariel, and four other Beacon Hillers who came out to help this year. I’d especially like to thank former Hillers Wayne Rennick, Dean Olson, and Kevin Kelley, too, plus my neighbors Dee, Paul, and Lynn for keeping so much going, and everyone who has spared a morning or afternoon.
A volunteer at work on the Hanford Steps last year. Photo by Jason.The Hanford Stairs Weed Busters need you! Susan Fairo is seeking teams of two people (volunteering together or matched up individuals) who can put in 2-3 hours four times a year to help keep weeds from taking over the new native plants at the public staircase near 25th and Cheasty. Rookie Weed Buster team volunteers will receive instruction on what to remove and what to ignore, and use of tools, watering, plant disposal, etc. If you’re interested or have questions, contact Susan at susan.fairo@gmail.com or call 206-349-7285.
* * *
Noticed an increase in airplane noise? Patty Fong is organizing neighbors in Beacon Hill and the Central District to address the issue with the FAA. See this comment on a previous Beacon Bits for more details, including contact information.
* * *
Teens can earn service learning credit at the library. In addition to free SAT prep and online tutoring, the Seattle Public Library is also running a teen advisory board this school year. If you know teens wishing to earn service learning credit by writing book reviews, helping at teen programs, or writing for the SPL blog, contact Jennifer Bisson at Jennifer.Bisson@spl.org or call 206-615-1410.
* * *
Catholic Community Services is looking for tutors. Their Youth Tutoring Program is an after-school educational enrichment program for at-risk students in first through twelfth grade. Volunteers offer academic support and also serve as positive role models to students, helping strengthen their sense of self-esteem and self-respect. Tutors help students with reading, homework (all subjects), math and language arts skills. Resources are available for those subjects you might not remember quite so well, and no specific background is necessary aside from a high school diploma. Tutoring Centers located nearby in NewHolly and Rainier Vista are open Monday-Thursday from 4:20-7:40pm, and tutoring would be for 1-3 hours per week on the same night every week. You can apply online at http://www.ccsww.org/ytp.
* * *
Flash Volunteer offers many more volunteer opportunities. A non-profit startup run by Brad Wilke, a former Development Director at Denise Louie, aims to link people and neighborhood-focused volunteer opportunities. Check it out at www.flashvolunteer.org.
* * *
A South Beacon Hill neighborhood watch is coming together. Mike Cheney, working with SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon’s encouragement, is trying to bring together South Beacon Hill neighbors to form a neighborhood watch group. Perhaps you read the recent Wall Street Journal article “Civilian Patrols Grow As Recession Puts Citizens on Guard” and it piqued your interest, or maybe you’d just like to make your block a safer place to live. If you’re interested, email Mike at redboneshadow@yahoo.com.
Nearly half the front page is devoted to the Risses' plum tree. From the Seattle Times front page PDF.Heidi Risse pointed out their plum tree’s front-page appearance on today’s issue of the Seattle Times. The Risses’ tree, with a bumper crop of plums this year, is featured in an article about City Fruit (previously mentioned here), an organization formed earlier this year to not only help harvest urban crops, but to assist and educate tree owners in pest control, pruning and processing. Check out City Fruit’s calendar for classes on canning and more.
Photo courtesty cityofseattle.netYou may have noticed some red and white “no parking” signs on or near Beacon Avenue south of the library recently. City workers are trimming the trees along that stretch today and tomorrow, ensuring that they don’t interfere with electrical or other utility lines.
Shoddy phone picture by Jason
Mayor Nickels–give it up. Seattle City Council members. You too. As well as King County Council members, Governor Gregoire, State representatives and all candidates for the above offices.
I’m talking about your car. For a week. Just a week.
You see, my wife and I answered the call to help the region and the planet by giving up our car over four years ago. With climate change upon us, it was imperative that we transition out of our auto-centric society. Get on the bus. Get on our bikes. Get out and walk.
We were in a good position to give up our car. We don’t have kids. We live on Beacon Hill with frequent bus service (and now light rail). We have stores, restaurants, a library, and a park all within a ten minute walking distance of our house. We both do most of our work from home.
Easy.
OK. Walking up the hill from the grocery store with a 20lb Thanksgiving turkey in an excursion-size backpack wasn’t easy. Waiting outside in a 40 degree drizzle for a bus that never came wasn’t fun. And taking 4 buses and a ferry to get to Sequim wasn’t convenient.
It didn’t take long to understand that for someone who owns a private vehicle, our city and region’s public transportation, bike paths and pedestrian corridors are top notch. Because when it isn’t easy, fun or convenient… you take your car.
When I joined the ranks of the carless, I began an education in how auto-centric our green little region is, and how far we have to go to get to be a truly livable place … for everyone.
How many of my neighbors park their cars across the sidewalk. How cracked and poorly maintained those sidewalks are. How fast the cars fly by on our residential streets. How few cars yield to me in a cross walk. How few bike racks there are outside the businesses I frequent. How poorly signed (or not at all) the bike routes are throughout the city. How terrifying biking can be in downtown Seattle. How little park space we have downtown and how much space we devote to parking.
So many issues and problems invisible to me while driving in my own personal vehicle.
Now I’m asking you all to give up your car. Not for four years. Just seven days.
For seven days live the life that few have chosen and many have no choice but to live.
Believe me, no matter how long you have lived in or served this region, you’ll learn things that will surprise you.
I know I did. And I’ve lived here for 25 years.
The best decisions about transit and neighborhood planning will be made by government officials who have taken the time to live a life without a car as an option.
Photo by WxMom.Once upon a time, Beacon Hill was covered with a green forest. You can contribute to making it green again through the Neighborhood Matching Fund Tree Fund. This project provides free trees to neighborhood groups to plant in planting strips on residential streets. Yes, free! Groups of five or more households on a street can get together to apply for the trees. The deadline is August 21; here is the application. This year, Tree Fund participants who plant neighborhood street trees in a group can also select one fruit tree per household to plant on their private properties.
Speaking of fruit trees, the City Fruit project at cityfruit.org has a calendar project in the works, and they are looking for photos related to growing urban fruit, to feature in the 2010 calendar. Photos might show urban orchards, harvesting, jam, bugs, etc. The deadline is September 1, and photos should be sent to info@cityfruit.org.
Lastly, today at 2pm, the City Council will discuss a resolution to prioritize the protection of Seattle’s tree canopy, and legislation to create an Urban Forestry commission which will advise the Mayor and Council on urban forestry issues. If you have an opinion on the matter, you may want to call the council or the mayor this morning.
Some recent activity on the neighborhood mailing list:
Jon Gould is looking for a tenant for the 2200 square-foot (1100 upstairs, 1100 downstairs) space at 3315 Beacon Avenue South formerly occupied by Buggy (opening today in Madrona, by-the-way, with an opening party on the 11th). He’s asking for $1300/month in rent. Email Jon for further details.
Jon also notes that The Stranger‘s Christopher Frizzelle is looking to speak with people who have experienced Sound Transit-related sinkholes.
Several neighbors have discussed outdoing mail thefts, including the pilfering of bill payment checks, in the northerly areas near 16th Ave S recently. Shea Bajaj (of Viridian Design, an architect with an interest in building Detached Accessory Dwelling Units) passes on some information he received from his postal carrier: If you’ve suspect or have experienced mail theft, contact your local postal inspector. Additionally, through the same contact, you can lodge a request that recently removed blue postal drop boxes be replaced and/or petition for the establishment of a neighborhood postal collection unit like newer townhouse complexes have.
Hazel points us to a new website cataloging fruit trees around town: City Fruit. For more information, see the project’s home site. Relatedly, Theresa points us toward the Community Fruit Tree Harvest project from Solid Ground, a program looking for donations of tree fruit. They’re also considering fruit tree care classes and volunteer arborist services for donators. For more information, visit the website or contact Gail Savina.
If you’re not already on the mailing list, join here. It’s a great way to get recommendations from your neighbors for drywallers, plumbers, electricians, etc. or announce your garage sale or whatnot.
Thanks Jon, Theresa, Hazel, Shea, and everybody else on the lists!
Please, only bring paper documents to be shredded! No animal shredding will be allowed. Photo by oddharmonic.Vivian Valencia, Regional Relationship Manager at Verity Credit Union down by the VA Hospital at 1660 S. Columbian Way wrote to let us know about an event coming up this weekend:
Identity theft is on the rise which means shredding sensitive documentation is critical. This Saturday, June 13th, 10am – 2pm, Verity Credit Union’s VA Hospital/Beacon Hill branch is sponsoring a community shred-a-thon. Everyone is welcome. A minimum $5 donation is requested. All proceeds benefit the Beacon Hill Food Bank. For more information, contact Courtney Ilsley, (206) 315-6717 or CourtneyI@Veritycu.com. On the day of the event, call (206) 762-0410
You might have noticed that Beacon Hill is one of the neighborhoods with the lowest amount of tree canopy cover in Seattle. Only 19% of the residential property on the Hill has tree cover. In the 1970s, Seattle had 40% tree cover, but today, the city with “the hills the greenest green” only has a shockingly low 23% tree cover. The tree canopy went away quickly, and it will take more time to bring it back, but the city has a goal of reaching 30% tree cover by 2037.
