Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 11, November 2003

Copyright 2003 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article below in your research. Be sure to cite the Seattle Sun as your source.

GUEST COMMENTARY:

New park seeks great volunteers and donors

By CHERYL KLINKER

Have you been thinking globally, but looking for a way to act locally?

Here is a project you may want to consider, sponsored by North Seattle Sunrisers Kiwanis, Thornton Creek Alliance and Seattle Public Utilities: A tributary to Thornton Creek known as Little Brook is being restored in a park at 14043 32nd Ave. NE in Lake City.

When the project is completed this fall, Little Brook will have 300 feet of new creek brought to the surface, and it will be surrounded with new native plants and a new decorative metal fence. The fence will be constructed by a foremost artist from Port Townsend, named Becky Pittario, who specializes in working with metals. Images in the fence will reflect the wildlife expected to use the new habitat being provided.

However, this project can only be completed with your support, and there are three ways you can do this.

First, come to our Carport Sale on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 12036 35th Avenue NE to find good buys on everything from tools and towels to computer games and books. Sale starts at 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the Little Brook project. We will be going by the cash and carry method you bring us the cash, and you walk away with a new treasure.

Second, join us, Earthcorps, and neighbors of the park in a work party on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. to put all the native plants into the ground along the creek. Meet the landscape and wetland specialists who guided the project. We will be gathering at the front of the park at 14043 32nd Ave. NE, just across from the back of Carl North Recreation Vehicle storage lot. Tools, gloves, and refreshments will be provided. Please wear sturdy work shoes and long pants.

Third, make a generous donation or direct us to donors who can provide substantial financial support to ensure the completion of the fence and help defray some of the costs for the special stream gravels, boulders and other materials we need for the new creek channel. Our goal is raise the final $15,000 by the end of December. Special certificates can be provided for those who give a contribution and want to present them as gifts for the upcoming holidays.

You can make a difference both for the people living in this very dense urban neighborhood and for the wildlife at this location as well as downstream.

Call 367-4635 for further details or a site visit.