Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts

Shoreline residents: one week left to sign up for your free tree

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

One week left for Shoreline residents to sign up for a FREE TREE through Communi-trees, Shoreline’s community tree giveaway and planting program. 

Shoreline residents, schools, churches, and businesses are all eligible!

When you sign up for a free tree, we will help you:
Pick the right tree for your space
Plant it (subject to volunteer availability)
Learn how to keep your tree healthy
Remember to water and care for your tree

Visit ShorelineWA.gov/Communitrees for more details and to sign up for your free tree!


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Two events at Miyawaki Forest - storytelling and first birthday

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Saturday September 28, 2024 from 10am - 12pm
Life of the Forest - Storytelling

Gather by the forest to hear Roger Fernandes - Native artist, storyteller and educator - share traditional stories of local Coast Salish Tribes.

Sunday, December 8, 2024 from 3:30pm - 5:15pm
First Birthday Party - Welcome Stone Unveiled

A year ago, 300 community members of all ages planted this forest. Celebrate with the unveiling of the Welcome Stone. Roger Fernandes will discuss the inspiration behind the images he carved in the 6' by 3' glacial rock.

These outdoor events include hands-on activities, refreshments, and tours.

Shoreline Historical Museum, 18501 Linden Ave N, Shoreline WA 98133
Nearby bus routes: E line and 348

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Free trees for Shoreline residents

Thursday, August 8, 2024


Shoreline residents can receive a FREE tree through Communi-trees, the City’s community tree giveaway and planting program. Sign up for a free tree now through August 31, 2024.

When you sign up for a free tree, we will help you:
Pick the right tree for your space
Plant it (subject to volunteer availability)
Learn how to keep your tree healthy
Remember to water and care for your tree

Visit ShorelineWA.gov/Communitrees for more details and to sign up for your free tree!


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Watering the Miyawaki Forest

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Volunteers getting ready to water the Miyawaki Urban Forest

By Sarah Phillips

Last December 300 people came together to plant the Miyawaki Urban Forest at the Shoreline Historical Museum.

The forest needs to be watered and weeded for three years after which it should be self-sustaining.

Getting water to the plants is part of a grant from the King Conservation District. The grant provided funds for a 3000-gallon cistern.

The cistern is full. The rainwater is collected from the roof of the of the archive building and stored in the cistern. It was collected in June when it was raining. before the water could be used to water the forest a pump was needed. The installation of the pump is complete, and the cistern is working to water the forest.

Matt Tullio (in brown shirt) installed the cistern, installed the pump, and
built a fence around it.

The cistern was installed by Shoreline Historical Museum board member Matt Tulio. Matt also built a fence to protect the cistern an put in the pump.

Visit the museum for a storytelling event by Roger Fernandez. 

On September 28 at 10am Roger Fernandez will tell indigenous stories. In addition, there will be hands on activities for children and tours of the forest. Save the date Sunday, December 8, 2024, for the one-year anniversary of the planting of the forest and for the official unveiling of the Welcome Stone.

More information about the forest here.


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Come meet Artist Roger Fernandes and watch him carve a granite Welcome Stone at the Miyawaki Urban Forest

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Artist in Residence Roger Fernandes at the
Miyawaki Forest of the Shoreline Historical Museum

Artist in Residence Roger Fernandes of the Lower Elwha Band of the S’Klallam Tribe will be working on site at the Miyawaki Forest at the Shoreline Historical Museum this week (to Friday July 19, 2024)


Starting each day around 12pm and ending around 8pm, he will carve a piece of Cascade granite to create a welcoming feature into the Forest. 

"With a variety of skills and knowledge, we are thrilled to have him connected to this project and place." 

Even though the Museum is closed on Sunday and Monday, please come by and visit him and the Forest over this next week! Please note that his hours are subject to change.


Fernandes, artist, storyteller, and educator, is carving a 6’ x 3’ glacial rock with images based on the local tribal teachings, thanks to a grant from the Rotary Foundation.

He will be working on site at the Miyawaki Forest at the Shoreline Historical Museum until Friday, 7/19. 

According to Fernandes, "The carvings will represent local tribal stories that teach our relationship to the plants and brings storytelling into the meaning of the rock and carved designs." 
He continued, "Plants are our greatest teachers."
Shoreline Historical Museum directions


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Drums and dancing mark the first summer at the Miyawaki Forest

Friday, July 5, 2024

Miyawaki Forest Celebration, 25 booths, Food truck, Sweet Dream Bakes and Programs

By Sally Yamasaki

Around 350 people came to celebrate The Miyawaki Urban Forest’s first summer at the Shoreline Historical Museum last Saturday, June 29, 2024. 

The Forest is in bloom - trees and flowers are reaching new heights, and the Shoreline Historical Museum field was transformed for this event.

Children's Activities

Around the edges of the field, there were 25 different informational and activity booths. Paparepas food truck, and Shoreline’s own Sweet Dream Bakes filled the air with deliciousness. Children painted night scapes, molded clay forest protectors, and made magical forest wands.

To celebrate the Forest there were drum performances. When Seattle Kokon Taiko started playing, the rumbling of the drums gave sound effects to the gray-skyed backdrop. As they continued, the deep patterned resonance of the drums seemed to pull the crowd together, as if the many heartbeats rhythmically joined the drums.

Audience Participatory Dancing

The rhythms continued the audience’s connectivity with JHP Legacy playing drums that looked over 5 feet tall. Eben Pobee, Shoreline City Councilmember and co-founder of JHP Legacy, explained and demonstrated how drums could be used for long distance communication. 

The group then led the crowd in joining in the performance with clapping out rhythms and dancing on stage as well as in seats.

Concept drawing of Welcome Stone
On behalf of the Rotary Foundation, the design for a Welcome Stone was unveiled that Roger Fernandes is creating for the Miyawaki Forest entrance. 

Fernandes is an artist, storyteller, and educator whose work focuses on the culture and arts of the Coast Salish tribes of western Washington. He is a member of the Lower Elwha S’Klallam Tribe.

His design will be an art form with function, as part of the 6’ x 3’ glacial rock which will be carved and allow for seating. 

Fernandes will carve petroglyphs that represent images based on local tribal teachings. 

According to Fernandes, "Plants are our greatest teachers. The carvings represent local tribal stories that teach our relationship to the plants and brings storytelling into the meaning of the rock and carved designs."

The Forest is always open. Come walk through it. Talk, and listen to the plants. Take a moment to pause and take a deep breath and enjoy summer. 

As the weather begins to change and the leaves of the trees begin to transition, mark your calendars to join us at our next program: Life of the Forest, on Saturday, September 28th from 10 – 12pm. 

At this event, Roger Fernandes will share traditional stories that will give us an opportunity to learn and gather again as a community.

See more photos from the event.


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Celebrate the Forest - Saturday June 29, 2024

Wednesday, June 26, 2024


On Saturday, June 29, 2024, at the Shoreline Historical Museum, you might feel the earth move under your feet! 

Not due to a Carole King concert, or an earthquake, but from a performance from two drumming groups: Seattle Kokon Taiko and Just Humanitarian Project (JHP) Legacy.

Bring a blanket and picnic or get a meal from the Paparepas food truck, or a dessert from Sweet Dream Bakes. There will be several information booths and fun activities for kids and adults, as well as docent tours through the Miyawaki Urban Forest and the museum exhibit building. 

The museum is celebrating the Miyawaki Urban Forest's first summer and our community that gives energy to its growth.

The free event begins at 5pm and is open to the public. At 6pm, the performance of two amazing drumming groups will begin - Seattle Kokon Taiko (SKT) and JHP Legacy.

Seattle Kokon Taiko

Seattle Kokon Taiko
(SKT) is Washington's first performing taiko ensemble. Taiko is a dynamic synthesis of rhythm, movement and spirit originating in Japan and evolving as a folk art over the last several hundred years. 

According to Seattle Kokon Taiko, 

"We try to combine the ancient with the modern; our repertoire is a mix of traditional pieces and contemporary compositions." 
SKT is based in the local Japanese American community. 
"Through taiko, we hope to contribute to the development of a uniquely Japanese American art form – Japanese in origin, American in expression – that weaves threads of continuity between generations and builds bridges of understanding among people of all nationalities and walks of life," said SKT.

JHP Legacy

JHP Legacy
is an arts organization based in Shoreline that provides culturally unique performances through dance and music.

"We are thrilled to perform 'Fume Fume,' a traditional musical piece created by the Ga people of Accra, Ghana. It is performed to ask God's blessings on mankind," according to Eben Pobee.

Secondly, JHP will perform Kpanlogo, a traditional drum/dance piece that emerged among the Gas in the 1960s, shortly after Ghana's independence in 1957. It was created and performed by the young people as a form of entertainment and for the purpose of socialization after a hard day's work.

When asked what else they would play, Pobee said, "Our third piece is ?? Give it a guess. You will have to be there to experience it!"

For more information click here.


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Magic in the Forest - Forest Celebration June 29, 2024

Monday, June 24, 2024

Miyawaki Forest Wands
By Sally Yamasaki
 
As children, growing up in Lake Forest Park, our neighborhood playground was the forest. 

I recognize now when I go back to the same woods, that being small made our forest feel all-encompassing, ominous, with trees that looked like giants. 

To add to our wonderment, one of our neighbors had a fairy garden in the woods that we would take care of and, in return, the fairies would sometimes leave us gifts of feathers, a pretty rock or pinecone, and sometimes even a shell. 

Dryad – a tree protector
This notion of magical beings in trees or forests, was not just a part of some Lake Forest Park children’s imaginations; in fact, magical beings that live in trees and cared for the forests exist in many ancient cultures.

In Greek mythology, there were Dryads, natural spirits, or nymphs that lived in trees. Their purpose was to watch over and protect the trees.

If a tree died, so would the dryad which was seen as unfavorable by the gods. If a person caused the death of the tree, there were consequences.
 
Locally, the first people of this area had a similar understanding. Forests were natural storehouses of foods and materials, but also the haunts of dangerous spirit beings. 

Clay Forest Protector, a Kodama
The forests were protected by Swah wah TEEKHW tud, dwarf spirit beings that protected the woods and punished those who used it thoughtlessly. (author David Buerge)

On June 29, 2024 starting at 5:00pm at the Shoreline Historical Museum field, 18501 Linden Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133, there will be a Forest Celebration with forest-related activities for all ages.

Nocturnal Forest Painting
Come make your own forest protectors out of clay, a Nocturnal Forest Painting, or a Miyawaki Forest Wand.

In addition to the fun activities, bring a picnic or get a meal from the Paparepas food truck, or a dessert from Sweet Dream Bakes. Meander around and visit the many booths, tour the forest and the museum. 

Enjoy yourselves as we stir up the earth with the sound of drums from Seattle Kokon Taiko and JHP Legacy.


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Creating an entryway for the Miyawaki Urban Forest

Friday, June 21, 2024

Imagine an entryway to the Miyawaki Forest

By Sarah Phillips

"Art should be something that liberates your soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further.” – Keith Haring.

The artist has a way of helping us see the unexpected.

The Miyawaki Urban Forest History Project at the Shoreline Historical Museum will have an entryway. It will be unexpected.

Roger Fernandes, a member of the Lower Elwha S’Klallam Tribe, a professor at the University of Washington, a storyteller, and an artist, has been commissioned to create the entryway for the Miyawaki Urban Forest.

His design was not what the members of the Miyawaki committee had in mind; It was better. More exciting, dramatic, and exactly what should be as an entryway.

Join us for when the conceptual drawings of the artwork will be revealed on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at the Shoreline Historical Museum’s Miyawaki Forest Celebration. 

Fernandes’ entryway is made possible through a Rotary District Grant coordinated by the Rotary Environmental Club of Puget Sound Foundation.

The outdoor Museum field will be open at 5pm for a family friendly celebration of the Miyawaki Urban Forest. 

Engage. Bring a picnic or get a meal from the Paparepas food truck, or a dessert from Sweet Dream Bakes as you enjoy yourselves as we stir up the earth with the sound of drums from Seattle Kokon Taiko and JHP Legacy. Here will be all-ages activities, booths, tours of the forest and the Museum.

The Miyawaki Forest is located next to the Shoreline Historical Museum at N 185th and Linden Ave N.


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Miyawaki Forest hosts Summer Celebration June 29, 2024

Tuesday, June 18, 2024


The Miyawaki Forest hosts its Summer Celebration from 5.00 to 8pm on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 18501 Linden Avenue North, adjacent to the Shoreline Historical Museum

Join in marvelling at what’s growing, read the new bilingual English-Lushootseed signs identifying the forest’s 43 native species and enjoy Seattle Kokon Taiko and JHP Legacy Ghanian drummers. 

There will be information booths, food will be available for purchase from the Paparepas Venezuelan food truck and there will be plenty of space for picnicking.

Last December the forest was planted by community volunteers on vacant land adjacent to the Shoreline Historical Museum. It’s now one of 203 Miyawaki urban pocket forests worldwide supported by the international initiative SUGi. 

The Miyawaki method means very densely planting native species to form a self-sustaining forest within several years. 

Shoreline’s forest will filter airborne pollutants, reduce urban heat, mitigate flooding, capture CO₂, attract pollinators and improve the wellbeing of members of the community. 

Tracy Furutani of the Lake Forest Park City Council, but not speaking for the Council, was impressed after attending the Forest’s event in May.

 “The method is relatively quick way for a city to utilize small urban spaces to create much needed canopy for heat islands within the city. 
"A Miyawaki Forest reminds residents of what the environment provides, not just reducing greenhouse gas emissions or providing more habitat for various organisms, but also the mental health benefits greenery provides. And the creation and tending of the forest is a simple way to bring together the community.”

For more information click ­here.


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My Favorite Tree - the Garry Oak

Monday, June 17, 2024

Garry oak in the Miyawaki Urban Forest
Photo by Sally Yamasaki
By Sally Yamasaki

It’s been about six months since I helped plant the Miyawaki Urban Forest at the Shoreline Historical Museum and I have had a moment to reflect on what it has meant to me so far.
 
Last December, I helped plant a tree, a (čaʔadᶻac) Garry oak, Washington’s only true native oak, in the Shoreline Historical Museum Miyawaki Urban Forest on their Planting Day. 

The tree is just starting its life, but from the twig I planted 5 months ago to now, I can see beautiful deep green leaves that have emerged.

This tree is my favorite tree.

This Garry oak is so special partly because I helped plant it and it holds the hope of a healthy future for the earth to me. Garry oaks sequester carbon, and they are drought tolerant so as the earth continues to warm it will be able to survive. They are also important because they are a keystone species. So many other parts of our environment are dependent on them.

I worry about climate change and what will become of the future for my children, and their children. As a result, I recycle, try to walk as much as I can, and vote for things and people who support climate action.

Those things are good, but there is a difference in how this tree makes me feel. Whenever I go to visit it, I see how much it has grown, look to see if it is doing well or if a bunny has nibbled on it, and imagine how much bigger it will become in five, 10, 20 years. 

Although it does not ask me in words, as I sit there looking at the progress in its growth, it is almost as if it too is checking in on how I am because, invariably after a visit to the tree, I feel grounded as if I had a moment with a good friend.

On Saturday, June 29, 2024 starting at 5pm, the Miyawaki Forest Friends have a Forest Celebration planned at the field at the Shoreline Historical Museum, 18501 Linden Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133

 It is open to the public and it will give all of us a chance to visit or revisit the Forest that we planted together in December and at the same time listen to a program of drumming that is sure to help us all celebrate the Forests summer. 

For more information click here.


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Shoreline council micromanages 175th pedestrian project

Thursday, June 6, 2024

A sign warns pedestrians to stay off 175th street. photo by Oliver Moffat
By Oliver Moffat

On Monday, June 3, council members Keith Scully and Annette Ademasu called the city’s traffic engineers back to the council chambers to listen to input from residents concerned about trees that will be removed to make way for sidewalks and bike lanes along the 175th corridor.

“I think a check-in at this point when it’s not too late to make some changes seemed to make a lot of sense,” said council member Keith Scully about why he called for the study session while also acknowledging, “this is more council micromanagement then I usually support.”

The Shoreline city council has approved the 175th corridor project seven times since 2018; not to mention the times when the council reviewed the plan in the Transportation Improvement Plan and the Capital Improvement Plan

The city reviewed input from over 1,500 residents and incorporated the council-approved Climate Action Plan, Transportation Master Plan, Transportation Element, Complete Streets Ordinance, ADA Transition Plan, and the Sidewalk Prioritization Plan.

Although the project is complicated, there was little debate about the intersection of 175th and Meridian.

In 2003, a city risk assessment, warned it was built on pilings driven into soil that “has the potential for liquefaction” - now (twenty years later) an earthquake could still send the road “slipping and sliding” into nearby Ronald Bog along with sewage from neighborhood residents.

“While we can’t replace a mature tree, we can’t replace a life. And the safety aspects have been enumerated several times by people in the audience,” said Deputy Mayor Laura Mork. “I think it’s imperative we get phase one done to be safe as soon as possible,” she said about the Meridian intersection.

A screen shot from the city staff report shows the 51 foot bottleneck from Densmore to Wallingford where 175th squeezes four traffic lanes through rock retaining walls topped by mature conifer trees.

There was less unanimity about subsequent phases of the project - especially the 51 foot bottleneck from Densmore to Wallingford where 175th squeezes four traffic lanes through rock retaining walls topped by mature conifer trees.

Council member Annette Ademasu asked city staff to consider a proposal from Save Shoreline Trees that would shrink the sidewalks to five feet and detour bike lanes up 178th street. “That would be just a couple minutes out of the way,” she said about the 178th street bike route.

In written comments, city staff said, “eliminating bike facilities from any portion of the 175th Corridor Project is not in alignment with the City’s Complete Streets ordinance, Bike Plan (TE), and would make the pursuit of future construction funding difficult.“ 

Grant applications for bike lanes and sidewalks that meet route directness and level of traffic stress standards are more competitive.

Although Representative Pramila Jayapal recently announced she requested $3 million for 175th, the city doesn’t have the estimated $88 million needed for the project.

“What I’m concerned about is the cost,” said Council member Eben Pobee. “I don’t entirely agree with redesigning everything. That would not be a good decision financially,” he said. But he said he supported incorporating additional discreet modifications to save more trees.

Citing data from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, council member John Ramsdell said, “the most important thing we have to do is reduce the amount of CO2 and greenhouse gasses we are emitting and that is going to be the most effective way we can save our planet. And so when I look at this report, the 175th street project, the way it is currently designed, does just that.“

“I didn’t hear one person here say we needed four lanes between Meridian and Midvale,” said Mayor Chris Roberts. “I looked and saw we have traffic volumes of about 21,000 vehicles per day in this segment… if we were to get to one lane in each direction, not only would we have reduced traffic speeds, we would make it easier for pedestrians to cross two lanes of traffic instead of four lanes of traffic west of Meridian Park elementary. We might be able to get protected bike lanes, sidewalks and buffers in the existing right of way,” he said.

An architectural rendering from the city shows the what 175th might look like with bike lanes and sidewalks

If the city meets its Climate Action Plan goal to reduce per capita driving 50% by 2050, 175th would be a good candidate for a road diet, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The conversation about 175th is not over. “I know we are going to have a discussion coming up about speed zone cameras and red light cameras. With most of that focused on this intersection. Most of that focused on this segment,” said Roberts.

At the June 10 meeting, the city council will discuss Traffic Cameras after reviewing the annual Traffic Report and  residents are encouraged to attend and make public comments.


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No easy solution to Shoreline’s 175th problems

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

More than fifty activists with Save Shoreline Trees and Tree Action Seattle rallied on 175th against the city’s plan to expand sidewalks and add bike lanes that could remove more than 274 trees
Photo by Oliver Moffat

By Oliver Moffat

175th is a problem with no easy solutions. Traffic jams and crashes are back to pre-pandemic levels and an earthquake could send the road into Ronald Bog. Metro’s new 333 bus is coming soon to the road. The city wants people to walk and bike more but pedestrians (including students) must brave crossing up to seven lanes of traffic. 

Activists want the city to narrow sidewalks to save trees and businesses have fought road diets in the past. Whatever happens, everyone in the region will be impacted for decades to come.

An arial photo shows the 75 foot crosswalk at the intersection of Meridian and 175th where pedestrians must brave five lanes of car traffic in all directions

On Sunday, May 19, 2024 more than fifty activists with Save Shoreline Trees and Tree Action Seattle turned out for a rally on 175th to protest the City's plan to widen 175th between Aurora and I-5 to make room for pedestrians and bicyclists which could cost over $88 million and require chopping down 274 trees.

With traffic jammed (as usual) on 175th street, passing drivers honked enthusiastically, showing their support for the activists’ calls to save trees by narrowing the proposed sidewalks.

Shoreline city council member Keith Scully even stopped by to show his support.

Flyers distributed by Save Shoreline Trees called on the city to reduce sidewalks to 7 feet or less and said 13 foot sidewalks are unnecessary. The group said they don’t want 175th to be “devastated” like 145th where the city removed more than 300 trees to make way for sidewalks and roundabouts to support the light rail station opening later this year.

Trees increase walkability by providing shade and mitigate urban heat islands caused by large expanses of pavement, according Sandy Shettler from Tree Action Seattle. “Walkability includes shade. These are the public’s trees and they should be saved for the good of public health” she said while waving to passing cars.

A map from the Washington State Patrol Collision Analysis Tool shows the locations of ten years of crashes along 175th between Aurora and I-5 

Plagued by traffic jams, N 175th Street between I-5 and Aurora is Shoreline’s busiest city street with more than 20,000 vehicle trips per day. It’s also one of the city’s most dangerous roads. According to data from the Washington State Patrol, collisions on N 175th Street have roared back to pre-pandemic levels: in 2019 there were 77 crashes; in 2023 there were 76.

Starting in 2019, the city collected feedback from over 1,500 residents to list their top priorities for 175th street: pedestrian walkability, solving traffic jams, and improving safety were the top three priorities. 

Although the city didn’t ask specifically about tree preservation, “landscaping character” was rated at the bottom of the wishlist just above bike lanes by Shoreline residents.

To address traffic jams, the city won’t be able to make the road much wider - it’s already a five-lane road and is over 75 feet wide. It narrows to four lanes at Wallingford where it squeezes between rock retaining walls and spreads out to seven lanes at Aurora. Because of the phenomenon known as Induced Demand, adding more lanes probably wouldn’t help.

But traffic jams are just the start of the problems. When the city started designing the project, they discovered an earthquake could cause 175th to “slip and slide” into nearby Ronald Bog and received an $8 million grant from FEMA to rebuild the road.

Flyers distributed by Save Shoreline Tree called 175th “a primary access route to I-5 and a truck route” and said because there was no light rail station, wider sidewalks weren’t necessary. But later this year, Metro’s new route 333 will provide frequent, cross-town bus service along 175th street, increasing pedestrian traffic on the road.

The city’s Transportation Element Bicycle Plan, adopted by the city council in 2022, promises bike lanes on 175th street that would be safe enough for children to ride on.

At the rally, Susanne Tsoming, co-chair of Save Shoreline Trees, when asked about the city’s plan said, “It’s a major arterial and not made for strolling… I think it’s insane to ride a bike on this road with cars.”

Parents and students, who must brave five lanes of car traffic to get to Meridian Park elementary, want the city council to do something about traffic safety on 175th. Between I-5 and Aurora there are only seven crosswalks and the road can be up to 90 feet wide.

The location of trees to be removed to make way for sidewalks and a bike lane near Meridian Park elementary are shown on a map from the arborist report 

The city’s Climate Action Plan says vehicles are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Shoreline and sets a goal to get more people to ride busses and bikes. Shoreline’s Complete Streets policy requires road projects to be designed for the safe and convenient access of all users including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users; not just motorists.

On the other side of town, the city’s Transportation Improvement Plan calls for a road diet on the east side of I-5 that (instead of expanding the width of the road) would shrink NE 175th St from four lanes to three while adding bike lanes. 

A table shows the number of car lanes and widths of the seven crosswalks pedestrians must brave while crossing 175th street between Aurora and I-5.
That plan would cost about $2.3 million without removing trees. Although the U.S. Department of Transportation says road diets improve safety and calm traffic, twenty years ago the city council rolled back a plan to put 15th Ave NE in the North City business district on a road diet after push back from businesses.

On May 20, the city council was scheduled to vote on adoption of the Transportation Improvement Plan. And the council was scheduled to discuss a plan to roll out Scooter and Bike Sharing in the city. The Natural Environment and Transportation sections of the Comprehensive Plan were also on the agenda.

UPDATE: At the June 3rd city council meeting, the 175th street project will be back on the agenda for discussion.

A presentation from Save Shoreline Trees is no longer on the agenda. In an email, Kathleen Russell from Save Shoreline Trees said, “Although the City initially approved our application for a presentation, we are not in agreement on the guidelines and we have withdrawn our application.” 

On June 10, the much anticipated (and overdue) Annual Traffic Report will be reviewed by the city council and Traffic Enforcement Cameras will be discussed. The council will vote on whether to add Scooters and Bicycle Sharing to Shoreline’s roads.

On June 24, before the council adjourns for their summer vacation, the Commute Trip Reduction Plan will be reviewed.

5-23-2024 Save Shoreline Trees will not be making a presentation at the June 3rd council meeting.


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An outdoor summer forest celebration at the Shoreline Historical Museum’s Miyawaki Forest June 29, 2024

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Celebrate the Forest

An outdoor summer forest celebration at the Shoreline Historical Museum’s Miyawaki Forest

Saturday, June 29, 2024, 5 - 8pm

The Shoreline Historical Museum is celebrating the first summer of the Miyawaki Urban Forest, with its 1200 plants representing 43 species planted by community members in December 2023.

The program starts at 6pm with an introduction, followed by Seattle Kokon Taiko (Japanese percussion instruments) and JHP Legacy (Ghanian percussion instruments). 

See what’s growing as the vibration of the drums stirs the Forest. Bring a blanket and picnic or purchase food at the event, enjoy activities and information booths for all ages and tour the Miyawaki Forest with the new bilingual English-Lushootseed clay signs. (see previous article)

Shoreline Historical Museum 18501 Linden Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133. There will be parking and buses run on Aurora Avenue North regularly – check the Metro Trip Planner. The E Line is the main bus route on Aurora. The 348 is the main bus line on 185th.

For more information click ­here.


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Shoreline’s Climate Action Plan: fewer cars; more trees and sidewalks

Saturday, May 18, 2024

A graph from the 2022 Climate Action Plan shows 56% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Shoreline come from transportation (mostly gasoline-powered vehicles).

By Oliver Moffat

On May 13, 2024 after hearing public comments from school children asking for safer streets, and tree activists calling for narrower sidewalks on 175th street, the city council reviewed how much progress was made on Shoreline’s Climate Action Plan.

The city’s first Climate Action Plan in 2013 set a goal to reduce emissions by 25% between 2009 and 2020; but by 2021, the city had reduced emissions by only about 6% for the entire decade.

In 2022, the city set a new goal to reduce emissions 60% between 2019 and 2030; meaning the city will need to reduce emission 6% per year on average for every year this decade.

The city also wants to reach net zero emissions by 2050 by offsetting all emissions with sequestration.

According to the city’s plan, Shoreline’s tree canopy covers 37% of the city and currently sequesters about 13,890 metric tons of CO2 each year; while Shoreline’s cars emit ten times that much CO2 each year: 139,782 metric tons.

At 56% of the total, by far the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Shoreline comes from transportation (mostly gasoline-powered vehicles).

Getting people to give up their cars will require safe sidewalks and bike lanes that people actually want to use, so the city’s plan lays out a long list of actions to make the city more walkable and bike-able.

But adding sidewalks and bike lanes on 145th street while preserving the wide, five-lane road for cars has required removing trees - angering tree activists who are now calling for narrowing the proposed sidewalk on 175th to save trees.

Councilmember John Ramsdell
Photo courtesy City of Shoreline 
Councilmembers Scully, Pobee and Ademasu promised more trees would be preserved on 175th street; councilmember John Ramsdell highlighted the challenges of balancing tree preservation with the need to get people out of their cars.

“Believe me, I love trees,” he said, “But I think there’s a really important statistic to be aware of: … a mature tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. 
"If we can remove one car from using our roads… according to the EPA, a typical car emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. That’s over 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide greenhouse gasses per year.”

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Stop the Chop rally Sunday by Ronald Bog

Friday, May 17, 2024

 Photo by Kean Engie

Join the “Stop the Chop” rally on Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 1pm at Ronald Bog Park to call attention to the City's plans to remove trees along N 175th between Stone Way N and I-5 for the N 175th Corridor Project.

Some of the trees to be cut are marked with
orange ribbons. Photo by Kean Engie.
Volunteers from Save Shoreline Trees have tied an orange ribbon on many of the 274 trees along N 175th identified in the December 2022 draft arborist report to be removed.

The public is invited to join the "Stop the Chop" rally, and bring your own sign, or “write a note to a tree” at this event.

Save Shoreline Trees agrees safety for all is a top priority.

However, for the sake of climate resilience and emergency, we ask the Council to reconsider the design for N 175th Corridor Project. 

This project is scheduled to be discussed by Council on June 3, 2024.

Volunteers with Tree Action Seattle will host a “write a note to a tree” table on Sunday.

Ronald Bog Park is located at 2301 N 175th St, just east of Meridian Ave N.

Update: Photos by Kean Engie. "Write a note to a tree" table on Sunday.

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New skyline at Ronald Bog

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Photo by Sam Hansen

Thank you to Meridian Park resident Sam Hansen who took this photo and tipped us about the fall of the "eagle tree" into Ronald Bog.

The tree, with yellow leaves, is center in the photo.

Martin de Grazia followed up with an article about the tree Favorite Tree: "Eagle tree" falls at Ronald Bog


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Do trees communicate with other trees - topic of presentation at Miyawaki Forest event May 4, 2024

Wednesday, May 1, 2024


The Miyawaki Forest was born back in December 2023 in the vacant lot next to the Shoreline Historical Museum at N 185th and Linden Ave N. 

Still in its infancy, the Forest is responding to the care of volunteers who’ve been weeding, mulching, rabbit proofing and creating clay signs to show the public what’s growing.

The first of three free events this spring-summer-fall is Language of the Forest on Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 10am - 12pm at 18501 Linden Ave N, Shoreline WA 98133

Professor Dana Campbell will pose the question: Do trees communicate with other trees? There will be fun and informative activities for all ages and refreshments.


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Favorite Tree: "Eagle tree" falls at Ronald Bog

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The "Eagle Tree" standing tall in 2008

Story and photos by Martin DeGrazie

It seems everyone in their life has a favorite tree. As a kid our family had a beautiful large Rainier cherry tree that adorned our front yard.

The tree was visibly leaning. 

As an adult my favorite tree lived across Ronald Bog from us. I learned to look at the tree as soon as I came out of our back door, sometimes missing the eagle right above my head in my own yard. 

I frequently took pictures of the tree, especially when I could capture its reflection in the still waters. 

Eagles built a nest but didn't stay

Birds would always flock to this tree. In 2023 I had mixed emotions when the Eagles started to build a nest in it. I considered purchasing a better camera to take pictures of baby eaglets but I was concerned for the other wildlife on Ronald Bog. I love all the critters in the water and did not want to see them disappear. 

Alas, my concerns were unfounded, as the eagles abandoned the nest. Canadian geese would enter the nest every now and then. This spring they were up there so much, I was afraid they would sit on eggs up there themselves. 

The tree is now lying in the water

This past weekend while I was out of town this beautiful tree fell into the water. 

I can't tell you how many times I looked over there and wondered if it was leaning more. We've had three trees fall into the water from our lot on the other side of Ronald Bog.

The stump was shattered

The silver lining is the tree in the water is a nice landing spot for other critters in the bog. Eagles, otters, turtles and other animals will all use it. But, I will miss it. 

I haven't been to that side of the bog in a long time and I am really impressed at all the new growth trees. They have really shot up. I expect we will see much more wildlife at Ronald Bog in the coming years. The end of an era, but a new one is on the way.


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