Discovery Park Habitat
Overview of the North Slope Restoration Project (NSRP)
Mission Statement
The North Slope Restoration Project (NSRP) is a volunteer project to restore a viable and sustainable native forest on approximately 13 acres in the heart of Discovery Park. This is the core NSRP as maintained for 12 years by Tom Palm and Phil Vogelzang. The North Slope continues downhill from this site and encompasses other restoration projects being done by other volunteers.
Background
The core North Slope Restoration Project (NSRP) began as the individual efforts of two restoration volunteers working independently in nearby areas as part of the Discovery Park Adopt-An-Area program. The two volunteers (Tom Palm and Phil Vogelzang) both began working on their own in the area in 1997 and 1998. They met in 2000 and gradually have been coordinating their efforts more closely until 2005, when they decided to merge the two areas (#9 and #24/#31) into one large project under the name of NSRP.
The aerial photos at the bottom of this page show how the contiguous Areas 9, 24 and 31 have evolved just from 1936 to 2002. Phil Vogelzang worked mainly on Area 9 from 2000 to 2008 (due North of the Historic houses and the site of the old Hospital). Tom Palm has been working on Area 24 and 31 since 1997 (due North of Area 9 and running the length of Utah Avenue from Five Corners to the Historic Bus Stop). Phil and Tom have also shared much work in each others areas and joined in with many work parties for adopted areas all over Discovery Park.
The lower part of the North Slope contains a stretch of Kansas Avenue which is the focus of two years of intensive work by the BOC Academy and many other schools, groups and individuals aimed at removing all invasive and non-native plants so a full native plant restoration can begin.
Just to the east of Montana Circle and at the top of the old Idaho Avenue is the Theater Site, so called for the major base theater which stood in this area during WWII. It has been worked on since 2002 by David Hutchinson and Moss Stone and also received a major restoration treatment in 2009 by the Parks Department.
Finally, the entire roadbed of Idaho Avenue from the Theater Site down to the North Parking Lot was removed and re-planted by Parks in 2008-2009.
The property was the site of the original hospital building constructed in 1899 and completed in 1900. It saw a building boom in the WW2 and Korean War years, culminating in near complete coverage with buildings, parking lots and roadways in the early 60's. The last building to remain standing - the original hospital - was demolished in the 1980's.
From 1980 through the late 90's, little to no effective restoration work was done on the site. By the time serious efforts were begun, extensive Scots Broom (SB) and Himalayan Blackberry (BB) infestations had occurred. A major infrastructure removal occurred in the spring of 2001 in which a large concrete and asphalt roadway was removed by the Seattle Parks Department. This pavement removal included 50% of the asphalt parking lot behind the old Fort HQ building (historic building #417) and the entire hospital access road (Wisconsin). The far eastern end of the access road ran through a dense mixed conifer forest before exiting onto Washington Avenue. That portion of the road was permanently closed to pedestrian traffic during 2002 and 2003 and is now regenerating forest. The western portion of the road now serves as an access route for vehicular delivery of plants, wood chip and large woody debris for restoration process. On either side of this pathway are extensive plantings meant to develop over time into a mixed forest ecology and enhancing the experience of those pedestrians passing through.
The restoration process itself consists of two broad categories. Invasive removal was the primary job at the outset of the project. Several very large BB patches were either mowed or hand cut. Rootballs were dug out. Large swaths of SB were pulled or cut. This type of invasive removal initially demanded 80-90% of volunteer time. Extensive removal was needed just to allow getting around on the site. Some areas where virtually impassable and/or frequent sites of homeless encampments.
The secondary task - native plantings - began in a fairly meager and limited way with establishment of a few small conifers. These were initially put in around 2000. Since that time, native plantings have steadily increased in number and diversity with understory and ground cover natives increasingly part of the palette.
Although the North Slope is considered "in restoration", it is clear that it will take many more years of hard work before our "500 year goal" of an old growth forest is realized. The ability of a healthy, vigorous native forest to resist the invasive weed onslaught present in an urban environment is unknown. But it is our hope that establishment of a diverse and robust native forest on the North Slope will be an enduring legacy and contribution to the overall health of the flora and fauna that call Discovery Park home. We hope this website will inspire and encourage other similar restoration sites throughout Seattle and the greater Pacific NW. We invite any interested parties to contact us. We will gladly share our lessons, ideas, sources and encouragement.
The Green Seattle Partnership
As described in the "About" page for this site, the Green Seattle Partnership has enrolled a large number of restoration sites in Seattle parks into its system and many volunteer Forest Stewards are actively working on these sites. Since the Discovery Park Adopt-An-Area program pre-dated the GSP by almost ten years, the current AAA stewards are considered unofficial GSP Forest Stewards until they go through the formal training and orientation process given yearly. Tom Palm is the lead GSP Forest Steward for Discovery Park and coordinates between AAA volunteers, Grounds Maintenance and GSP.
As part of a mapping effort by EarthCorps Science Unit and GSP, the interactive restoration map was created and can be reached via the above link to GSP or via EarthCorps. This map shows every park in Seattle where any GSP sites are enrolled. This includes Discovery Park, where over 100 restoration sites have been identified, not all currently enrolled in GSP. To be enrolled means that GSP commits to the long-term maintenance and monitoring of the site to see that it is sustainably restored.
As part of this mapping process, all GSP sites in Discovery Park have been carefully measured and the outlines on the map reflect the current boundaries. The numbers used on the map reflect the Zones assigned in the Discovery Park Vegetation Management Plan of 2000. The new site IDs assigned to elements of the NSRP as part of this mapping effort are shown below.
- 16-01: Tom Palm Utah Avenue, aka Area 31
- 15-01: Tom Palm Historic District, also part of original Area 31
- 16-02: Phil Vogelzang Site, aka Area 9
- 16-03: Tom Palm Site, aka Area 24
A map showing just the GSP sites in Discovery Park is available at DP GSP Sites and the current assignment of AAA volunteers and other organizations to these sites is available at DP GSP Volunteers
Please take a look the images and links below to see the visual history of the site and the changes we have accomplished in a few short years.
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A good place to start! An overview aerial photograph of the Park on which the various original North Slope Volunteer Restoration Projects (VRPs) are identified. |
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The North Slope VRP, from the air, looking east. The big, curving road on the left is Utah Avenue, and the only building left is the 417 Building, the original Fort Lawton HQ. Taken in 2003. |
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Similar image, only more overhead and looking east and slightly north. |
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Similar image, only looking more to the south. Note the newly restored 500 Area at the upper left, the Cold-War era Nike Building at top center and Officer's Row curving off the top of the picture. |
Historical photographs of the North Slope during the Fort Lawton days
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This image shows the base hospital in 1907. It was built in 1900 and remained until the 1970's. It was demolished around 1980. It stood right at the edge of the North Slope where it drops off to Utah Avenue, just about where the Area 31 Blackberry heath removal project described below is happening. |
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A direct overhead aerial shot. This image shows the North Slope from the air in 1936. North is UP. Note in the next few aerials how many buildings came and went over the years before leaving for good and allowing us to begin restoration in earnest. The building near the top is the hospital. Utah Avenue does not exist. The big road in front of (South of) the hospital was finally removed in 2001. The little building with the prominent white roof is the old base HQ, called Building 417. Most of the North Slope before WW2 was open, mowed grass. |
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1946 aerial overhead. North is UP. There are a lot more buildings here due to the huge WW2 building boom. Utah Avenue has been built, looping over the north part of the site. A large theater building sits at the top left. Most of these buildings serve as support for the base hospital, built years earlier. |
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This image shows the North Slope from the air in 1956. Little has changed ñ except a little more vegetation. |
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An oblique aerial view done around 1970. The view is to the southeast. Most of the WW2 era hospital buildings still stand. |
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This image shows the North Slope from the air in 1980. The Theater is now gone (see top left). The ranks of the 500 Area barracks still stand as they did until they were demolished in 2001, under the guidance of a public process and plan ñ funded by a small and simple grant obtained by the Discovery Park Advisory Council. |
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This image shows the North Slope from the air on July 1, 2010. The Theater site has undergone an extensive restoration process. (see top left). Wisconsin Avenue which used to run through the middle of the lower meadow has been gone since 2002 and is surrounded by hundreds of new trees and shrubs. Almost all the blackberry mounds between Utah Avenue and the paved trail just South and West of Utah have been cleared and are growing up with native plants. |
Where are some of the VRPs taking place in the North Slope area?
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This image shows a hand drawn map of the North Slope which identifies the boundaries of its constituent adopted areas: Area 9, 24 and 31. Area 24 and 31 are also divided into many smaller zones which make it a lot easier to track work, plan projects and moniter what native plants have been planted where. Each zone currently has one or more active projects taking place in it and each zone will be intensively worked in the coming years. |