The Wild and Natural Preservation Areas near Redmond, WA. By Susan Wilkins

Redmond Preservation Map

The Long-term plan for the Bear Creek and Evans Creek Basins east of Redmond

By Susan Wilkins
Redmond, WA.

We in Redmond are fortunate to live near some of the wildest natural areas in King County. On the east edge of Redmond, running north-south along Avondale and Mink Road is the Bear Creek Valley. And the deep valley traversed by Redmond-Fall City Road (SR202) contains the Evans Creek Basin. Both of these valleys are heavily forested and surprisingly undeveloped. They both contain significant native salmon runs with wetlands surrounding the network of meandering streams, especially compared to the incorporated, urban areas of nearby Redmond and Sammamish.

The decision to preserve the Bear and Evans Creek drainage basin areas was made more than 20 years ago. According to Paul Reitenbach, Senior Policy Analyst for the King County Department of Development and Environmental Service, in the early 1990s as part of long-term urban growth planning mandated by the Growth Management Act, the county decided to designate the Bear-Evans Creek Corridor and the Soos Creek Basin (in Kent) as permanently preserved natural areas. The King County Comprehensive Plan was written to include tight restrictions on residential and commercial developments in these basins and the county began programs that promoted habitat restoration and reforestation. Land along Bear Creek has been purchased by King County for permanent preservation using Conservation Futures Tax money provided by open space levies. Many landowners along and near Bear Creek have entered into long-term habitat preservation agreements with the county in exchange for reduced annual property tax bills.  

In the Evans Creek Basin, the City of Sammamish owns the Evans Creek Preserve, a 180-acre city park with nature trails, wetlands and meadows. King County has 30 acres under permanent protection in the Evans Creek Natural Area and also own most of the land with steep slopes along Sahalee Way.  Read More >>

Herons and Dogs?

 

Nesting herons / KIM CASHON-SMITH

 
Herons and Dogs?

Kim Cashon-Smith lives on Education Hill.  This Spring she took a rare photo of herons nesting in a tree at Marymoor Dog Park  Do you see the chicks?  The mama and papa?  Double-click-pic for help. 

They're Great Blue Herons.  The city says "Great Blues" are our most important bird.  They used to nest in the evergreens across from Saturday Market.  A few years ago crows and eagles scared them away. 

They moved their homes to Issaquah.  And now they're back.  Do you think they'll stay?

Herons and dogs?

What do you say!


xxxx
Live video of Great Blue Herons feeding their chicks, Cornell University’s Sapsucker Woods Pond 

Family Business is Back!

FAMILY BUSINESS IS BACK!
  By Linda and Leon Hussey

This is truly a ‘Family Business’! Leon and Linda Hussey, former owners of Classic Nursery and Landscape Co., are back in business at 12526 Avondale Rd. NE. in Redmond. Since 2002 after selling Classic, the Husseys started another business called “Keep It Simple, Inc. (K. I. S.).”

Keep It Simple sells compost tea makers (invented originally by Leon Hussey) and the organic ingredients to put into the machines to make compost tea. Compost tea is used to replace the biology in the soil and is like ‘vitamins’ to plants. It can often make a plant stronger to ward off diseases.

The Husseys have owned the over 7 acres site located on Avondale since 2002. They sold their business and continued to lease the land to Classic Nursery & Landscape Co. This year they regained the property and are not only moving their current business but starting an ‘urban farm store’ and will also be selling organic hydroponic products. “The Farm” will have chickens, chicken coops, bee hives, rabbits, ducks, dog, cats, healthy feed for animals, as well as bird seed and feeders. As they grow, they will have fresh eggs, produce and many other organic products. The almost 8 acres will be dedicated to sustainability, permaculture and education.  Read More >>

The Dabbling Duck of Sammamish River

Sammamish River Green Winged Teal/ J. REINKE

 I photographed this solitary male green winged teal on Thursday, March 22 in the stormwater runoff pond just south of the Leary Way Bridge crossing the Sammamish River.

Teal are the smallest of the "dabbling ducks" about 2/3 the size of a typical mallard. Dabbling ducks are distinguished from diving ducks by their manner of feeding. They bob their heads, necks and breasts underneath the water to find food, rather than submersing themselves completely and swimming underwater.

Photo and Story by John Reinke

Education Hill, Redmond

Dabbling Ducks feeding

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Snoqualamie River Channel

Here is an interesting article that is not related to schools, but I wanted to write it while the horse show tents are up at Marymoor Park.  It turns out that the photos don't capture what the eye sees, but once you know what you're looking for, you wonder why you didn't see it sooner. - Susan Wilkins

SNOQUALMIE CHANNEL CUT INTO HILLSIDE ABOVE MARYMOOR PARK
(note the arrow in the sky marking the channel )

 HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: THE SNOQUALMIE RIVER CHANNEL 

The tents for the Cavalia Horse Show at Marymoor Park give us a good reference point for finding the ancient Snoqualmie River Channel. During the last Ice Age when the continental glacier from the north blocked the Snoqualmie Valley and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, water melting off the glaciers and out of the Cascade Mountains flowed over the large hill between the Snoqualmie Valley and Bear Creek Valley east of Redmond. We can see the channel if we look at the horizon to the right of the Cavalia Tents where the hillside appears to have a large bite taken out if it. This is what’s left of the ancient Snoqualmie River Channel.

At the time that the channel was in use, about 15,000 years ago, the downtown Redmond, Bear Creek and Sammamish Valley basins were filled by a great lake called Glacial Lake Russell. Lake Russell filled Puget Sound from the Olympics to the Cascades and all the way south to Olympia near the State Capitol Building. The surface elevation of Lake Russell was at 160 feet above sea level. The bottom of the Snoqualmie Channel that we see cut into the hillside hangs in the air at 160 feet above sea level because that is where the Snoqualmie River flowed into Lake Russell.

J. Harlen Bretz, the famous geologist who discovered the Missoula Floods in eastern Washington, visited Redmond in the early 1900s and recognized that the Snoqualmie River had once flowed across the hillside from the east and into the Sammamish Valley. He wrote about the Glacial Snoqualmie River in his 1913 classic, Glaciation of the Puget Sound Region.

Next time you drive down SR520 into Redmond, look for the Snoqualmie River. It’s up there, hiding in plain sight.

By Susan Wilkins
Redmond resident & frequent contributor
Photo by Wilkins

The goose that flew 2,000 miles to Redmond, WA.

Yukon Delta Cackling goose with neck band '@04' grazing
along the Sammamish River by Leary Way

The goose that flew 2,000 miles to Redmond, WA.

By John Reinke
Redmond, WA.

On January 16, I came across a huge flock of Canada and Cackling geese just a few hundred yards southeast of Redmond's Leary Way Bridge over the Sammamish River. It was the day after our snowstorm, and they were all busy munching on grass underneath the snow and making geese small talk.

The different sizes and coloration patterns of the geese confirmed the presence of both species. (Cackling geese are smaller than Canada geese, which they closely resemble.)  Read More >>

"Pump House", by Sigmunde Potgieter

a Maple falls for Sigmunde's Pump House

Sigmunde Potgieter lives on Northeast Education Hill on a parcel filled with trees, deer, bobcat and critters.  She loves to photograph nature and took this picture during our January storm.  

Urban Coyote with prize squirrel

KIM / Urban Coyote with Squirrel

"Guess everyone deserves a good breakfast...that's when this took place...he returned later to blink at us....ha."

 --Kim,  Education Hill residential neighborhood, South-end

Photo by Kim, 1/18/2012

Plan a trip to the beach with Ecology's new online tool.

Ruby Beach - Olympic National Park

Plan a trip to the beach with Ecology's new online tool

OLYMPIA - Anyone interested in visiting one of Washington's public beaches now has a great new online recreational planning tool, thanks to the Department of Ecology (Ecology).

A new Public Beach Access feature on Ecology's Coastal Atlas website (www.ecy.wa.gov/coastalatlas ) provides detailed information on where to legally access the state's public beaches - including those owned by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Department of Natural Resources, counties and cities, or another agency.

Dr. Kathy Taylor of Ecology's Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program said, "Especially with the high price of gas, no one wants to spend a day driving only to find a beach is closed for swimming or there is no legal access close by. Now, you check that before you leave, make sure the campsite you picked has the features you want, and even view photos of the beach and trail heads."

The website includes interactive maps and photos of trail heads, viewpoints and signs. This is especially helpful for access points that aren't well marked or are located some distance from the beach.

Users can enter a beach name or a general location, or hover a computer mouse over a map and click to zoom in. The site includes information on:

* Whether beaches are closed to swimming, with links to advisories and monitoring reports.
* Public boat launches, docks, piers and marinas.
* Campsite availability, accessibility, hours of operations, fees.
* Amenities such as bathrooms, drinking water, picnic tables, barbeque pits and whether pets are allowed.
* Hiking trails.
* Links to weather and tide information.  Read More >>

Backyard feral cats and kittens on Education Hill

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Last November my small dog was barking crazy. When I went to get her, a mom cat was hissing with all teeth showing protecting her small litter of kittens.  The mom nested her babies near a crawl vent under an eve.  We kept the dog away and fed the family, yet the Tom cat wasn't to be seen.  Soon after their birth, the heavy winds and rains came.  The nursing mom moved her babies (by the scruff) to our above-water, wooden club house about 130 feet away!  We kept feeding her.  Later, I learned most wild kittens die from starvation.  The mom cat hissed and wouldn't get near to us. Oh no, it's a wild, "feral" cat!  One of more than a million in Puget Sound!


It was cold!  The mom moved her kits, again, under the chimney framing to stay warm.  This mom is smart!   We kept feeding her.  The Tom cat finally made his appearance.  He was huge and strong.  He could have easily taken our 10 pound dog down; but Tom was wild and skittish, too.  OMG!  We were feeding a family of four now!  I told Pam and Lexie we had to start thinking about getting them fixed.  But they were so cute!  Look at those little guys looking at you  with their Mom protecting the rear.  What would you name them?

When they were almost up to this size, the Mom moved them from the chimney to our barn-shed down below.  Lots of shelter under the shed and some great places to practice climbing!  The mom was teaching her kits to run and climb when they saw me.  They were 8 weeks old and almost weaned.  Since we couldn't get close to hold them, they became "feral" kittens.  We kept feeding them   Tom always ate first to test the food.  Mom ate next, after submitting, and then her kittens.


I started to get anxious about these guys growing up and going off on their own to make more cats!  Plus, I inherited four cats and never wanted any!  So, I rummaged through the Internet to see what to do.  I was amazed at all the organizations and non-profits with help and advice.  I called a Redmond "Feral Cat Coalition" (no longer in operation) and guess who answered?   Richard Grubb, a beloved Redmond city councilman of 10 years.  [I always remember Richard speaking up to protect Perrigo Heights Woodlands and help us cope with the ordeal.  He is a friend of the environment, a great writer of Letters and true public servant.  I don't know anyone at City Hall who doesn't admire and respect Richard.  ]

Richard gave me four cat traps and told me how to be gentile while using them.  Traps are hard to come by.  I was lucky and caught the Mom first using food for bait.  Tom cats roam alot but he came to see what was wrong and got caught next!  The white kitten was next.  But "blackie" was coy; I caught him in the afternoon.  I drove all four caged cats to a clinic in Lynwood that fixes them for free.  The Tom was heavy!  12 pounds!   These Tom and Mom pictures were taken the day after they got fixed and just before I released them into my backyard.  You can see the mom cat wasn't too happy.  So what came of the family?  The kittens were fostered by a clinic volunteer expert in training wild kittens!  Phew!
The Tom ran off. Will he come see us?  I hope so!  The mom decided to stay and  is "ours"!  Do you want to see a picture of her in our yard?  She's living in the club house and we feed her every day.  She's a good ratter and is nice enough to let us (and Roxy) see her outside of meal-time.

Bob & Pam Yoder

Read More >>

Calm Before The Storm



Rainbow covers Redmond before El Nina strikes 

I was leaving the QFC at Bella Bottega Wednesday afternoon only to discover this lovely rainbow arching across the sky!  The rainbow was already starting to fade when I snapped this picture. (click rainbow to enlarge). It wasn't raining in the immediate area but, just enough humid air to create this beautiful effect!

It soon vanished, reminding me to savor life in the moment.

Story and Photo By John Reinke
(See all of  John's work)