News and Notes
November may be chilly, but it’s a busy month for Metro Parks. Take a Tacoma Giants tour of tall trees, enjoy a concert at the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, join the Norpoint Turkey Trot fun run/walk or walk around Zoolights.
You also can attend a Park Board meeting, ask to join Point Defiance Park’s Park Watch or take part in one of several volunteer work parties to help take care of our beautiful parks.
And you can walk or drive by construction of some of the district’s capital improvement projects: a new community center for Tacoma’s Eastside, a new aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and major improvements at Point Defiance Park’s Pearl Street entrance.
Metro Parks has a lot going on – and here are just a few ways you can not only stay on top of what’s happening but take part.
Getting information
Metro Parks Today. If you’re reading this, you’re probably already signed up for our monthly newsletter. It’s a great way to stay on top of what is happening in the park district. If you know people who might want to get it, you can point them to
this link to sign up.
MetroParksTacoma.org. The main Metro Parks website is a great source of information. We post regular construction project updates, events and background about the park district, including entries for all of the parks and other facilities available to you. We recently published an
Annual Community Impact graphic full of numbers about the park district’s service to the community.
Event calendar. We publish three event calendars each year, each one full of things you can go and do, plus fun facts about the district. Staff are finishing the winter/spring calendar right now – look for it soon in the district’s
community centers and in The News Tribune. It’s also
online.
Go Guide. This printed guide features class schedules and more from our recreation programs. You also can see it
online.
Talking with Metro Parks
Speakers. Metro Parks is full of experts in park management, horticulture, recreation and the district itself. If you’d like a staff member to speak with your civic, school or other group, contact Chief Public Affairs Officer
Hunter George.
Safety concerns. We operate a
Citizen Action Request system through the website. The online form can be used to report maintenance problems such as broken playground equipment and other non-urgent safety issues (call 911 if you are witnessing an emergency).
Talking with staff. If you have questions about park operations or programs, staff are generally accessible. You also can email
info@tacomaparks.com with general questions or call my number at (253) 305-1092.
Participating
Volunteer. Thousands of people donate their time to help Metro Parks carry out its mission of creating healthy opportunities to play, learn and grow. You can look for opportunities
online.
Park Board meetings. Metro Parks is not part of the City of Tacoma's governance. Instead, it’s an independent park district governed by five elected commissioners. They generally meet
twice a month. The meetings are open to the public, and you are welcome to give input during citizen comment time.
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Advisory councils. One way to volunteer is by
joining one of our four citizen advisory councils. They focus on our mission-led areas – active lifestyles, arts and heritage, nature and environment – as well as business operations. Citizen council members lend their expertise to the district on policies, budgets, programming, operations and other topics.
Public meetings and other input. With a $198 million capital improvement bond funding projects throughout the district, we have numerous public meetings and open houses to discuss project plans before ground is ever broken. We list them
online, and we also use postcards, news stories, social media posts and other announcements about meetings. And if you can’t go … we often conduct surveys and use other means to get your opinion registered.
Whether you want to stay informed, ask questions, take on a more active role or simply participate, it’s your park district. Make the most of it.
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Michael Thompson is
public information manager
of Metro Parks Tacoma. Contact
him at (253) 305-1092 or
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Commitment to urban forestry benefits the community: Park Board Notes November 2017
This year’s fantastic fall leaf palette, by painting our surroundings in a collage of gold, orange and red, beautifully reminds us to treasure trees.
At Metro Parks Tacoma, there’s no doubt that we do.
A canopy of trees covers about 60 percent of the parks and natural areas that Metro Parks manages. Besides being attractive and providing habitat for wildlife, trees offer cooling shade in summer, filter stormwater, muffle sound, absorb atmospheric carbon and limit ozone pollution.
That’s not all. Studies on the effects of trees and other vegetation in cities have shown that they help people unwind, slowing heart beats, lowering blood pressure and relaxing brain wave patterns. Trees also have been associated with increased property values, reduced crime, plus a boost in civic pride and the quality of life.
So it’s not for lack of reasons that Metro Parks exercises a longstanding and continuing commitment to what we call urban forestry.
We cherish an outstanding and diverse collection of historic specimen trees in parks such as
Point Defiance,
Wright,
McKinley,
Manitou, and
Wapato. For our landscaped parks, urban forester Mark McDonough uses interactive mapping software and a related database to track the status of roughly 5,700 live trees. He inspects each tree at least once every five years for signs of disease, and to determine whether the tree poses a safety hazard, among other things.
Additionally, Metro Parks manages about 1,200 acres of minimally developed land we call natural areas. In those places, we monitor trees along roads and trails, near buildings and shelters and in other spots that might be vulnerable to falling trees. Trail inspections in natural areas take place on a two- to six-week rotation.
In caring for the urban forest, we seek a balance between public safety and wildlife habitat needs. That’s how we prioritize tree maintenance, such as tree trimming or removal. Above all, we strive to conserve trees, especially mature specimens.
This ethic has influenced the design of a paved bike-pedestrian trail in Point Defiance Park and the recent decision to remove a yew tree to make room for new restrooms at the
W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory. In the case of the trail, we’re trying to avoid cutting trees. As for the yew, it was one of several specimens in Wright Park; we took cuttings to replant after the Conservatory expansion is finished.
When trees fall, due to windstorms or otherwise, Metro Parks maintenance crews are typically first on the scene. Their first priority is to assess the risk. For example, a falling tree in dense woods may leave broken limbs hanging in adjacent branches. Sometimes trails are temporarily closed to prevent accidental harm. Workers may crank up chainsaws to cut out parts of trees blocking trails.
Besides being the time of year when storms threaten our forests, now is also the dormant season when Metro Parks plants native trees and shrubs—often several hundred. When mature trees come down, we typically replace them on a two-for-one basis or better.
This year, we kicked off planting during the annual Green Tacoma Day on Oct. 14, when volunteers put in 28 trees at
Verlo Playfield on the Eastside. This week, at Wright Park, Metro Parks crews were scheduled to plant 20 deciduous trees, including plums and magnolias. Elsewhere, new trees will be planted in
Titlow and
Stewart Heights parks, plus six Garry oaks to stand outside the
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in Point Defiance Park.
You can help us maintain trees. Consider joining
CHIP-in!, or Citizens Helping Improve Parks. Regular Saturday work parties are scheduled year-round.
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Want to learn more about Metro Parks’ most outstanding trees? Sign up for one or another of the monthly
Tacoma Giants walks with arborist Mik Miazio in Point Defiance Park. Or take a self-guided tree tour of the Wright Park arboretum using
a Champion Tree Tour Booklet available online. Pick up printed copies inside the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory.
You’ll find urban forest throughout the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma. When you visit a park, please take note of the trees. Aren’t they lovely?
Erik Hanberg has served on the Metro Parks Tacoma Board of Commissioners since January 2010 and was re-elected in November 2017. He is one of five commissioners and has served in the roles of clerk and president. He and his wife have two children and can regularly be found playing with them at one of Tacoma’s great parks.
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Erik Hanberg
Metro Parks
Tacoma
Board
of Commissioners
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Capital Improvement Projects
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Tickets now on sale for Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo
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It’s
almost that most wonderful time of the year. In just over two weeks, the switch will be thrown to illuminate more than 650,000 brilliant, energy-efficient lights in whimsical and realistic animal shapes, plus local landmarks, covering the grounds at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
Tickets are now on sale for Zoolights, the Puget Sound region’s longest running and most-loved holiday lights extravaganza.
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Points Northeast Historical Society treasures Browns Point light
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The iconic, Art Deco style tower that houses the U.S. Coast Guard’s Browns Point light is one of a kind.
Not simply an artifact of Tacoma’s maritime history, it continues to be an important navigational resource for the city’s working waterfront. It’s also the only lighthouse in Pierce County.
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Interactive mapping software speeds up Metro Parks outdoor jobs
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A geographic information systems project a couple of years in the making has begun to help Metro Parks Tacoma maintenance crews get things done faster.
For example, it’s now possible to use interactive mapping software in certain parks to quickly locate buried sewer or water connections that lack above-ground, visible landmarks. This sophisticated software is so effective that a person carrying a connected smart device can pinpoint his or her location on an interactive Metro Parks map.
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Get half off general admission with food donation
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This holiday season, animal-lovers can give back to the community – and get a big discount on wildlife-watching in return.
Each visitor who brings two or more items of non-perishable food to Northwest Trek Wildlife Park near Eatonville or Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma will receive half-off general admission from now through Nov. 19.
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Visitors’ donations plus foundation grants top $25,000 for fisher conservation
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When Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium visitors were asked to help fishers in the wild, they scurried to the task quicker than one of the mustelids in pursuit of prey.
By the end of a fund-raising drive that concluded a few weeks ago, members and visitors to Northwest Trek had contributed...
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New animals welcomed to Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
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Two young badgers are now at home in the wetlands area at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Their habitat is completely renovated, giving these two burrowing animals lots of space and time to spend in their dens.
And out in the Free-Roaming Area, a 12-year-old female mountain goat recently arrived from the Oregon Wildlife Foundation. She joins two other females, ages 14 and 11.
Plus, Northwest Trek’s six moose are busily exploring the woods, with the three “youngsters” often hanging out together.
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Upcoming Events & Public Meetings
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, November 10
Saturday, November 11
Sunday, November 12
Thursday, November 16
Friday, November 17
Saturday, November 18
Thursday, November 23
Friday, November 24
Saturday, November 25
Sunday, November 26
Monday, November 27
Tuesday, November 28
Wednesday, November 29
Thursday, November 30
Friday, December 1
Saturday, December 2
Sunday, December 3
Monday, December 4
Tuesday, December 5
Wednesday, December 6
Thursday, December 7
Friday, December 8
Saturday, December 9
Sunday, December 10
Monday, December 11
Tuesday, December 12
Wednesday, December 13
Thursday, December 14
Friday, December 15
Saturday, December 16
Sunday, December 17
Monday, December 18
Tuesday, December 19
Wednesday, December 20
Thursday, December 21
Friday, December 22
Saturday, December 23
Sunday, December 24
Monday, December 25
Tuesday, December 26
Wednesday, December 27
Thursday, December 28
Friday, December 29
Saturday, December 30
Sunday, December 31
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PUBLIC MEETINGS
Board of Park Commissioners Meeting
Monday, Nov. 13 & 27
Monday, Dec 11
6:00 pm
Capital Improvement Committee
Wednesday, Nov. 15 & 29
Wednesday, Dec. 13 & 27
5:00 pm
Committee of the Whole
Monday, Nov. 20
Monday, Dec. 18
5:30 pm
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Metro Parks Tacoma | (253) 305-1030 | metroparkstacoma.org
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