The Bigger Picture, Cutting down trees, Wellington Hills Park, We are ALL NIMBYs

Globally, about 15 billion trees are cut down every year.

I suspect there were politicians, business people and bureaucrats offered valid reasons and a whole lot of rationalizations about why so many trees "needed" to be cut down.

If you consider Wellington Hills ex-Park as an example....

• For decades it was a small, open to everyone, 9-hole golf course. The mature trees in Wellington are about 100 years old.

• King County gave Snohomish County $70 million so that King County’s Brightwater sewage plant could be built in Snohomish County.

• King Co and Snoco agreed to build a community park for the residents near Brightwater.

• Snoco then decided a “park” meant a regional sports complex.

• Community activists and your average homeowner stood-up and said there was no reason to cut down a 100-year-old forest and destroy the peaceful and rural Wellington Hills community.

• After many years Snoco tossed their plans to build a regional sports complex on the Wellington site.

• Instead, Snoco secretly sold the site to Northshore School District.

• Northshore School District bureaucrats decided, despite the fact they need new schools in other areas of their domain, they would build several schools on the Wellington site.

• Oh, and don’t ignore this – Northshore will be busing children to Wellington from other areas because this area doesn’t have the population to fill new schools.

• It’s expensive to build schools, $130+ million is a good ballpark number for a K-8 school, and architects don’t do “organic” architecture when it comes to blueprinting a school… they cut down trees, flatten the ground and then build the new schools.

• Contrary to the words of a Northshore bureaucrat, the Wellington site is not, “Flat, Dry & Cheap”.

• All the rationalizations in the world do not justify cutting down a rare 100-acre forest. Especially since it may be the last of its kind in the ever-developing Eastside.

• For a moment consider that forest are obstructions to development.

••• Do you like nature walks? Picnics under shady trees? Do you like peaceful walks with your children while pointing out butterflies, different birds or simply sitting on the ground and giving names to the overhead puffy white clouds?

••• Do you think we should have nature places, other than zoos, as homes to native animals and birds?

••• Do you think, if the Wellington site is developed; the deer, coyote, bobcats, bear, bald eagles, owls, hawks, assorted small birds and all the insects will simply pack their little suitcases and move to another forest?

••• Do you think to yourself, “Trees are just trees and if I want one I’ll go the nursery and buy one.”

Or

••• “If I want to see a forest I’ll pack the car and we’ll drive to the Cascades or Olympics.”

For over six years your neighbors have kept the Wellington Hills ex-Park as an open and natural place.

Citizen action works.

People can make a difference.

If you fear the negatives of development:

Excessive traffic, higher taxes, increase in crime, light and noise pollution…

Consider helping Neighbors to Save Wellington Park.

Every donated dollar goes to attorney fees – because that’s where the battle is – in the legal system.

When you drive 240th, we hope you take a moment and look at Wellington because, despite NSD now owning it, for over 6 years NSWP has fought to keep Wellington as you now see it.

Enjoy the view, stop and walk through it.

Then donate to NSWP.

We will prevail.

Green Space Tug-Of-War, Everett Herald

This coming May will be the five year mark since a representative of Snohomish County surprised this neighborhood with the announcement,  it was a "done deal" they were going to build a regional sports complex on the Wellington site and we were "going to love it."

As most have heard, the County has purchased the property adjacent to the north end of the Brightwater sewage plant with intentions of building their sports complex at that site.

 Anyway, the Everett Herald newspaper recently (March 19, 2017) ran a story on the battle to save the Wellington site ... go here for the article.

One point needs to be restated:

The fight to save Wellington Hills Park has become more than simply saving a natural green place.

Once we became aware of the wider effects that ANY development of Wellington will bring to this area, including the City of Woodinville... we realized how vulnerable this area was to uncontrolled development - just ask the good people living near the proposed mega-apartment complex on Paradise Lake Road (near 522 and Bostian Road) and being blindsided by potential urbanization of a rural area.

The new battle cry is:

Save Wellington and Save Our Rural Communities
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Neighbors to Save Wellington Park

Wellington Hills Park - Snow Day - February 6, 2017

A reminder of why "Saving Wellington Hills Park" is critical and necessary ... a walk through the Park on Monday's snow day, once again reveals, why we need a 100 acre park - a sanctuary for people - near homes and away from the hustle and noise of commercial areas.

February 6, 2017

Resuming Blogs

We typically blame someone or some thing when there's glitch or disruption of a service.

So, blame the lack of blog posts on the holidays, the weather, the National and State elections, time spent on Facebook or blame it on just being too busy with efforts geared to saving the Wellington Hills site (in bureaucratic-speak, "ex-Park").

As you drive through the Wellington Site... Know This: The small metal sign may say "Undeveloped Site" and the place looks pretty much the same as it has for the past years...

But don't believe your eyes, despite the serene appearance, a war is going on for the continued existence of the Wellington Hills site - And that war will continue until we deflect the callous and inappropriate plans that will devastate more than just the Wellington Hills site.  The very nature of our community is threatened by urbanized development plans for this area.

What began as an effort to "Save the Park" has revealed our area's vulnerability to speculators and profiteers.

Now's a good time to get involved with "Saving Our Community".

Giving Tuesday - with new photo of Wellington Hills Park Site

Please remember NEIGHBORS TO SAVE WELLINGTON PARK on "Giving Tuesday" we greatly appreciate your donations and support!

It's because of donations we've been able to thwart development of the Wellington site. Let's continue the fight and keep unwarranted development out of the Wellington Hills area... and in the process, save the park for generations to come.

Thank you!

And, your donations are tax deductible!

Mail checks to:

Neighbors to Save Wellington Park
PO Box 1805,
Woodinville, WA 98072

For NSWP's PayPal direct donation button, go to right side of page.


Photo - Today, late afternoon.
Cool temperature but a beautiful moment.

Series 1: Wellington Hills Park, The vew, a drive-though

This is the first of a series of photos made between 2012-2016 of Wellington Hills Park.

Here's a drive-through of Wellington Hills Park (aka "the site"), beginning on 240th Street, just east of the commercial area, with the last photos at the intersection of 240th & 75th (aka Bostian Road).

Snohomish County and Northshore School District have BIG plans for selling/buying then changing everything you see in the photos.

If you want to see what Northshore School District's plans are for Wellington - drive north on 35th Ave. from Maltby Road ... go approximately a mile and you'll see the new North Creek High School ... drive around it... it's big and there are plenty of new houses (some still under construction) packed tightly together next to the school.

Take a look at their idea for the future of Wellington Hills Park.

ps: The legal battle continues. Join us in stopping inappropriate development in the Wellington Hills area.

The way it was & how it should be

The beauty of a park is more than the sum of its trees, grass and vistas. For most people, parks are pleasant places to visit... parks lift our spirits and we used infrequently used words: Relaxation, Calmness, Refreshed, and Serenity.

Have you noticed; towns and cities that have natural parks usually take great pride in "their" parks. Parks often become focus points of civic pride … proof of that, take a look at the advertising cities use to promote themselves ... almost always they mention or feature their parks.

Wellington Hills Park is an island in the swirl of nearby development and urbanization – This is the time to save it - because once it is gone it won’t be replaced when we become nostalgic for touches of nature – and serenity.

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Not too long ago the unnecessary gate into Wellington Hills Park was mostly open and people came, enjoyed themselves, met-up with friends and then quietly went about their days ... it was quite pleasant.

And before the parks dept. decided to stop mowing the grassy-weedy open areas (they called it "naturalization) ... it was indeed an open and easy place for walking, strolling and playing with friends, children and dogs.

Ecology - Life Cycle

Bureaucrats like to play Orwellian word games ... such as naming those giant concrete blocks that block the entrance to Wellington Hills Park... "Ecology Blocks". Yeah, sure.

Ecology, by definition is "the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings."

In Wellington Hills Park, on the north side of 240th St., towards the western boundary, there's a dead tree. I think of this tree as the High-Rise Restaurant and Condo of Wellington Hills Park ... a lot of birds, bugs and wormy things are customers and tenants. 

A dead tree might not be ideal for most homes and gardens - but here in the park, it's part of the natural cycle... a dead tree has value - perhaps not to bureaucrats and politicians - but it has great importance and value in the natural order of Life.

Photo 1 was taken February 2014
Photo 2 and 3 were taken July 2016

Noticing Nature

This post has nothing to do with the Park issue, I just wanted to share a small thing.

The photos were taken along side the rail tracks where 240th Street ends at Route 9 (Woodinville Washington).

The 240th & Route 9 intersection, as we know, can be a tense driving experience.

There are many dump trucks going to and from the concrete recycling plant ... there's ebb and flow of Aboda and Primus ...and traffic launches w/ velocity in and out of Costco ... and there's almost perpetual bumper to bumper traffic on Route 9.

I doubt most drivers have the time to glance at roadside vegetation.

Late May I did a walk along Route 9 and the railroad track area, looking for photographic possibilities. I noticed one plant which seemed tenacious in a particular location (photo 1).

 I suppose it could be called a weed ... to me, the plant was visually interesting; I decided to revisit the plant after a few weeks passed.

Yesterday morning (Father's Day) the sky was clear and sunny so I revisited the edge of the rail tracks, looking for that "interesting" plant. It was easy to find.

Here are a few locations photos... and then a closer look at the plant.

Nature always provides something worthwhile. In this case, well, you can see for yourself.