By Todd Burley At Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR), we define a healthy environment as a thriving ecosystem where everyone has equitable use of, and responsibility for, public spaces. It is a healthy urban forest that cleans the air and soil and serves as a natural sanctuary for people and… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley Today is Global Recycling Day, and Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is looking at how we can improve our waste diversion in our parks. In 2021 we partnered with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) to conduct a waste audit at four athletic fields – Magnuson Park, Woodland Park,… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley The impact of climate change is being felt here in Seattle today, and Seattle Parks and Recreation is already taking many actions to adapt to hotter and drier summers, wildfire smoke, intense winter rain events, and sea level rise. Yet we realize that this new reality will… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is not immune from the impacts of climate change, as we described in the last blog post in our Climate Resiliency series, Climate Resiliency: Impacts to Seattle’s Parks and Recreation System. Extreme heat, sea level rise, intense rain events, and more are… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley The climate is changing, this is clear. According to the 2021 Climate Change: The Physical Science Basis report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere… [ Keep reading ]
By Greg Van Hollebeke, Rocky Tharp, Michael Yadrick, and Todd Burley When most people think of parks, they don’t initially picture golf courses, but Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) manages four courses – West Seattle, Interbay, Jefferson, and Jackson Golf Courses – that provide recreational opportunities for many. In fact,… [ Keep reading ]
By Karen Galt and Todd Burley Plants need water, and those that are subject to heavy use like turf grasses require even more to remain healthy. Every year, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) uses nearly 176 million gallons of water for irrigation in our 6,414-acre park system! We work daily… [ Keep reading ]
By Nicholas Johnson and Todd Burley While walking through your favorite park you may come across a pile of mulch where there used to be a tree. What happened? You liked that tree! Isn’t Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) trying to add trees, not take them down? Maybe you notice a large cedar… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley If you are out and about in some of our parks, you might notice longer grass in areas where it was usually mowed. This is intentional! Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is piloting a shift in our turf management practices to improve habitat for declining pollinators, save… [ Keep reading ]
By Michael Yadrick, Lisa Ciecko, and Todd Burley People have always had a relationship with Seattle’s forests, although it has shifted over time. This past year, with the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social isolation, has underscored how essential the 2,754 acres of natural areas in Seattle are to our health… [ Keep reading ]
