Don’t ignore what’s on the floor! New Lincoln Park signs to remind you

| Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Thanks to Mark Ahlness of Friends of Lincoln Park for the photo of one of two new signs installed at the park, “part of an effort to raise awareness that the forest floor is alive, that the habitat (home to many creatures and essential to our well being) is in the process of being restored by Friends of Lincoln Park volunteers, and that it needs protection and ongoing maintenance.” He says FLP worked with the Seattle Nature Alliance, whose initial membership drive funded the signs, installed by Seattle Parks, as were two similar signs placed in Schmitz Preserve Park last September. (For more on why staying on the trails matters, see this story we reported and published last March, about a student researcher’s work with FLP on the issue.)

julie98106 July 15, 2015 (3:09 am)

Yes!

Ttt July 15, 2015 (7:58 am)

So walkers with dogs off leash already ignored signs, and the ones I say something to as my dog is on a leash and their dog runs up to mine, ignore me too. Are there ever any consequences for them? I like the new signage but I think it would be more helpful if a city dog control worker actually gave out fines once a week. I was at the park a couple of days ago, for an hour, and saw three dogs off leash.

WSB July 15, 2015 (8:15 am)

Seattle Animal Shelter officers *are* visiting parks. https://westseattleblog.com/2015/05/pet-owners-take-note-seattle-animal-shelter-back-to-full-patrol-strength-in-local-parks/

atthelibrary July 15, 2015 (11:45 am)

Nice signs!

Let’s keep in mind that Seattle has a shortage of dog parks given the number of dogs. We should support the spirit of this signage and also support COLA (Citizens for Off Leash Areas) to find new lots for dog parks. Not necessarily at any existing park, people. Read this comment from the same story WSB linked above by one of COLA’s representatives.

This city NEEDS MORE DOG PARKS. Support COLA to purchase land.
Hi Everyone, I hear all the frustration in this thread with off-leash dogs. I represent the non-profit that got Seattle the 14 off-leash areas we have now, Citizens for Off-Leash Areas (COLA). If you would like to help get more legal off-leash areas in this city, please contact us at http://seattlecola.org. The simple fact is that Portland has 33 dog parks, Vancouver BC has 35 — Seattle has 14 — both cities have far fewer dogs than Seattle, and far greater acreage for legal dog off-leash time. This city needs more legal spaces — the science over the past twenty years has proven that a more balanced dog population makes for a better city for even non-dog owners, as running off-leash creates a more balanced, less aggressive dog. New York CIty went from 40,000 dog bites a year to 4,000 dog bites a year when they opened their wide off-leash program in its parks. I am not advocating for Lincoln Park to go off leash — we are working on getting spaces where it can be done safely and fairly as a fair use of a park. And beyond that, it is a great health benefit to the dog owners of Seattle, who financially support the community centers, pools, kids playgrounds, etc of Seattle, whether or not they have kids. 1 in 4 households in Seattle have a dog, and Seattle’s 25 acres of legal off leash are comprised of 20 acres for four parks, and 5 acres for the other 10 parks. We need more space — without jumping on you, your children, or the native wildlife/plant species. Thanks for reading this far!

Comment by Ellen Escarcega — 11:01 am May 7, 2015 #

KokoPup July 15, 2015 (1:02 pm)

I live next to Lincoln Park and have for years.

I have never seen the park and parking lot so crowded and overflowing.

The real issue is overuse of the park (by people and pets), and lack of green spaces (dog parks too) given the recent explosion in population in WS. As long a micro-housing projects and increased density without a thought to infrastructure, this and other issues will increase too.

At some point the mayor and city leadership should ask if they represent those who live here, or those that will someday. Seems like they only focus on the the latter.

Lyanda July 15, 2015 (9:17 pm)

Nicely done Seattle Nature Alliance and FLP. The signs are beautiful, the artwork is gorgeous, and the reminder is welcome and necessary. Things won’t change overnight but I can imagine people over time pausing along the trail to remember, yes, “The forest floor is alive.” What a lovely thought. THank you SNA/FLP.

Scofflaws July 16, 2015 (12:48 am)

Yes koko!

Tom McArthur July 25, 2015 (1:33 pm)

Great!! Discovery Park has needed something like this since its beginning but Parks is either unable or unwilling to make an effort to teach people the importance of staying on maintained trails. As a result Discovery Park is a spider web of trails with the resulting loss of habitat. Please contact Friends of Discovery Park to see if they could get some of these signs to begin the education process. Thank yyou

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