day : 24/01/2025 11 results

Why we should have ‘less anxiety’ about beavers, plus million-gallon-tank project update, more from HPAC’s first meeting of 2025

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

If you want to pack the room for your next community meeting, put a wildlife presentation on the agenda.

HPAC invited Pamela Adams of BeaverInsights to come to its first 2025 meeting Wednesday night, and she enchanted the house with her observations about Longfellow Creek‘s beavers.

We’ll get to those shortly. But first, here’s how the meeting of the Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge community coalition – held in person at Delridge Library – began – facilitated by co-chair Kay Kirkpatrick, who observed that it’s great to have a sizable turnout about “positive things happening in the neighborhood.”

CARE DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Sean Blackwell from the city’s “third public safety department” spoke briefly, saying the CARE Community Crisis Response team is expected to expand into West Seattle in the second quarter of this year; by March 7, they hope to have 27 responders, as they staff up with the funding in this year’s budget.

MILLION GALLON STORAGE TANK PROJECT UPDATE & SURVEY: Daniel Arauz was there from King County Wastewater Treatment, with an update on the West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage combined-sewer-overflow-reduction project that’s about to be built near the 1st Avenue South Bridge. He began by explaining the problem it’s intended to solve – overflows of combined rainwater and wastewater in major storm situations. Currently when those overflows happen, the sewage/water goes into the Duwamish River from an outfall, “operating as intended, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve the system.” The “big storage tank” is one way to do it – it holds what would be overflow water until the storm subsides and it can be sent to a treatment plant. If the project works as designed, the annual average of “four or five” overflows will be cut to one. This will be a below-ground 1.25-million-gallon tank, “just an empty lot” right now, with only a small hint above ground – and landscaping – of what’s going on below. Arauz said a lot of “sustainability features” suggested by community members, such as raingardens and climate-friendly concrete, were incorporated, along with art panels planned for the facility’s side, explaining aspects of the river.

Construction of the $50 million project – which might actually hold up to 2 million gallons, Arauz noted – is expected to start this summer; it’ll go out to bid in the next month or so. Construction will involve some street closures and other traffic impacts, but the extent won’t be known until a contractor is chosen. He noted that KCWTD has just opened a survey, mostly about how their engagement/informational efforts have gone so far. You’re urged to participate – do that by going here.

SOUTHWEST PRECINCT POLICE: Next up, a brief appearance by Southwest Precinct police. Officer German Barreto introduced the two new officers who had been mentioned (but not in attendance) at last week’s community-coalition meetings, Officer Hoang and Officer Kepler. They didn’t speak to the group, but Officer Barreto presented a few crime stats, comparing 2024 to 2023 in the HPAC coverage area – thefts, robbery, and gunfire are all up year-to-year; motor-vehicle theft and aggravated assaults are down.

BEAVERS! Then came the guest almost everyone seemed to be waiting for, Pamela Adams. She is a beaver expert working in multiple areas, but the focus of her presentation was eastern West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek.

(2023 photo by Kersti Muul)

If you weren’t aware we had beavers, Adams explained they had a two-century history in the area until they were hunted pretty much out of existence locally – then they started reappearing on the creek around the turn of the millennium (Adams noted a 1992 city report on the watershed that found no sign of them). They’re continuing to make dams and she says that contrary to what some believe, that’s a good thing – the dams are filtering the creek’s water, holding back pollutants, and more fish are showing up, with coho spawners increasing in the past few years. Juvenile coho grow under some of the dams, she explained.

She showed video (“these are OUR beavers!” Adams exclaimed, to ensure attendees understood the video was from Longfellow Creek). She said she’s found evidence of at least 30 beavers and 28 dams. Longfellow Creek is undergrounded in some spots and she said they swim in and out of some of those pipes, such as the one that goes under Genesee to and from the golf course.

Then a mini-Beaver 101 – she said the species has a 7-million-year history, and a 5,000-year history co-evolving with salmon. They are a “keystone species,” she elaborated, meaning that if you remove them, other species will be affected. She showed examples of the biodiversity in the creek, such as crawfish.

Beavers’ resurgence locally followed a ban on “kill traps.” She explained that beavers mate for life and procreate annually, raising their young for one to two years. They are “100 percent herbivores” – no fish in their diet. Their incisor teeth are “self-sharpening chisels” with “an orange layer of iron enamel on the front, a softer layer of dentin on the back.” Their tails are flat, scaly, and act like flippers, kickstands, even “danger whistles.” They build not only dams, burrows/dens, and “bank lodges,” they also build “side channels” for foraging food, as well as “scent mounds” to communicate with other beavers. What they’re doing is “stuff we might not think an animal can do” – essentially, engineering! she said.

Adams noted certain spots along Longfellow Creek, such as what she called its widest part, the “Graham floodplain,” as well as detention ponds. The features of the watershed – whether natural, man-made, or beaver-made! – are intertwined, she explained, telling the story of how water levels were affected when High Point Pond was drained for maintenance.

Her presentation was full of video – of salmon and other wildlife as well as the beavers – and we don’t have that to share, only words (though there are some clips on her website). But she refuted more of the myths about beaver dams – she showed proof that salmon can leap over them, for example. And she urged everyone to “be a beaver detective … when you follow beavers, you follow a whole ecosystem.” An independent filmmaker is in fact making a film about Adams called “The Freelance Beaver Detective” – a bit of her video is in the trailer:

They’re adapting to our world, so we should adapt to theirs and live in harmony, she suggested, adding that “beavers are like a probiotic – a naturally occcurring medicine for our sick and dehydrated urban waterways.” The beneficial effects of their presence include a “fish-friendly temperature” in water that they’ve dammed, she added, helping fight temperature rise in urban creeks.

In all, she says. people should “have less anxiety” about beavers.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR HPAC: The group meets fourth Wednesdays most months – start time depends on the venue; this one started earlier because the library closes at 8 pm and needs groups out by 7:45. Watch the HPAC website next month for info on the February 26th meeting.

WEST SEATTLE WILDLIFE: Seal captured at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, taken to rehab

(Photos by James Tilley)

Two readers sent us photos of that harbor seal, noticing that Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network was watching it today at Don Armeni Boat Ramp. We then asked Seal Sitters’ David Hutchinson about the response:

Seal Sitters watched over this young seal until SR3 arrived. Based on their onsite visual health assesment, they captured the seal and transported it to their Des Moines facility for further examination and rehab.

There have been 2 Seal Sitter responses to young Harbor seals in the last two days. Yesterday, a seal was reported on private property along Beach Drive. Based on the initial assessment by Seal Sitters’ first responder, this animal was a candidate for pickup. However, due to increasing darkness and difficulty accessing the site, it was decided to leave it in place. The reporting party agreed to call if the seal was still there in the morning.

One of the readers who sent a photo of today’s seal sighting, Rick, also recorded video of SR3 capturing the seal for transport.

P.S. We don’t know whether this seal is one of the two in the photo we featured with this morning’s event list.

TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: West Seattle low bridge closed again

4:36 PM: Thanks to Scott for the tip and photo. The low bridge is closed again for repairs. SDOT expects two phases – closed to all surface traffic including bike/foot traffic until about 6 pm, open to bike/foot traffic after that but closed to motor vehicles, no ETA for full reopening.

ADDED 5:38 PM: More info from SDOT:

The Spokane Street Swing Bridge is closed to motor vehicle traffic as technicians work to replace a broken motor in the bridge locking mechanism. We will do our best to keep the bicycle and pedestrian path open whenever possible, although it may sometimes be necessary to close the path for short periods of time for public safety while repairs are being done.

SDOT technicians are currently working hard to reopen the bridge to vehicular traffic as quickly as possible. Repairs are expected to be completed over the weekend. The exact time when the bridge will reopen is not yet known.

The broken motor is on the western side of the bridge and drives one of the pins in the bridge locking mechanism. This motor broke on the afternoon of January 23, resulting in the bridge being closed for several hours until technicians developed a temporary solution. Technicians are now working to remove the massive motor and install a replacement part as well as assess for other damaged that may have occurred when the motor broke. This issue is unrelated to previously identified maintenance needs on the Spokane St Bridge.

6:21 PM: Looking at the live camera, it does NOT appear the bicycle/pedestrian/etc. path has reopened yet.

11:59 PM: Still hasn’t. Maybe in the morning, says SDOT’s latest update:

Crews made good progress on Spokane Street Swing Bridge repairs this evening. We have successfully removed the broken motor and are in the process of installing the replacement parts.

The bridge will be left open for ships overnight (closed to all land travel) because there are ships scheduled to pass through this evening. We hope to reopen the bike and pedestrian path tomorrow morning (Saturday, Jan 25) and will do our best to maintain bike access for most of the day if possible. We will not be able to reopen the bridge to motor vehicles until the repairs are complete.

WEEKEND PREVIEW: Here’s what Rethink the Link plans at Saturday forum

As previously reported here, tomorrow (Saturday, January 25) is the day the light-rail skeptics of Rethink the Link are planning a public forum at the Center for Active Living. We asked organizers for updated details of the planned 10 am-noon event – here’s their summary:

The purpose of this town hall is to host a community discussion of Sound Transit’s West Seattle light rail plans. A gallery will display maps of the route segments, station maps, and charts of properties impacted from the Alaska Junction to SODO. This will give people an integrated look at what the West Seattle Link Extension light rail project entails.

Our group discussion will be framed by five topics will be posted on display boards; Cost escalation, Ridership changes, What voters approved, Environmental disaster, and Better, More Workable Transit Alternatives. Neighbors are invited to write their questions on those topics (on sticky notes). Each topic will be given a 15-minute time block to help maintain focus. All comments will be tallied and posted on rethinkthelink.org website.

We have invited Mayor Harrell, King County Executive Constantine and our other elected representatives to join us. As we did not ask them to RSVP we do not know if any (or all) will be attending.

The center is at 4217 SW Oregon. Meantime, exactly three months after the Sound Transit Board approved routing and station locations for the West Seattle Link Extension, the agency continues to await the formal federal Record of Decision, most recently estimated as likely to come out next month. The current estimated opening timeline remains late 2032.

UPDATE: Crash on southbound 35th south of Avalon

2:55 PM: Thanks for the tip and photo! Police and fire are on scene of a crash on southbound 35th SW south of Avalon. Avoid the area for a while.

3:15 PM: Our tipster reports the vehicles have been pulled to the side and southbound traffic is moving again. We’ll be checking with SFD regarding injuries.

6:24 PM: SFD tells WSB that no injuries were reported.

BIZNOTE: Head for the mountains! Ski-shuttle season starts this weekend at Mountain to Sound Outfitters

If you’re ready to go skiing and/or boarding and looking for an easier way to get into the mountains – here it is, as announced by Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor):

Hey, West Seattle skiers and boarders! You asked for it, so here it is! Mountain to Sound Outfitters has partnered with To The Mountain Shuttle and will be shuttling people up to Crystal Mountain on Sundays starting THIS Sunday the 26th. Pick up will be at M2S at 7:15 am and dropoff at 4:45 pm (9 am to 3 pm on the mountain). We are super excited to be able to bring this back. Book your tickets here! She’s also doing an intro promo this weekend for 20% off if you use M2S20.

Mountain to Sound Outfitters is in The Triangle at 3602 SW Alaska.

P.S. For a live look at Crystal Mountain, its webcams are here.

READER REPORT: Apparently abandoned bicycle at Alki

From the WSB inbox:


Found bike, Alki. Very nice bike with tire flat. No lock. No one nearby.

Possibly yours? Email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we’ll connect you.

Looking for a different bike? Click the archive link “Found Bicycles” beneath the headline on this story and you can scroll through previous posts.

First Lutheran Church of West Seattle: Welcome, new WSB sponsor!

Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, First Lutheran Church of West Seattle. New sponsors have the opportunity to tell you about who they are and what they do – so here’s a message from FLCWS’s Pastor Bryon Hansen:

We want you to know that all are welcome at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle (4105 California SW).

First Lutheran has been in West Seattle since 1918. For more than a century, the people of First Lutheran have gathered for worship and we have carried out our ministry and mission. The congregation has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the neighborhood and community of West Seattle.

We worship every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome to worship at First Lutheran, whether you’ve been a church member all your life or you’re new to the church, or a seeker who is searching for a faith community and a deeper connection with the mystery of God. All are welcome! Nursery care is available for families with small children. Holy Communion is celebrated each Sunday.

First Lutheran has a long tradition of rich music. Congregational singing is ably supported by the Deo Gloria Cantores choir and, since 1976, the Noack pipe organ. Hundreds of musicians from far and near have visited the organ that has brought joy and comfort and many more who have experienced its beauties in the worship life of the church.

All are welcome to our coffee hour every Sunday. We meet in the parish lounge after the service, for coffee and cookies and conversation.

For those who desire formation in faith, an adult class takes place most Sundays after the coffee hour. Currently we are exploring “Life in Christ.” This is for all and especially geared toward those who are new and seeking to get connected to the people and ministry of First Lutheran.

One of the features of First is our commitment of care and compassion for the poor and hungry. We support the West Seattle Food Bank/Helpline, Mary’s Place, and the ministry of Riverton United Methodist Church offering shelter and support for asylum seekers and refugees.

First is part of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the largest Lutheran church body in the United States. For more information, see elca.org or our church website at flcws.org.

I’ve been with First Lutheran since March of 2024. It is such a blessing to be with this incredibly loving community. My hope is that we will continue to open our doors wide and to be a place of prayer for all people, and that we will continue to engage the people of West Seattle in meaningful relationships and service to our neighbors in need.

God’s Peace in this new year,
Pastor Bryon Hansen

Thanks to First Lutheran Church of West Seattle for sponsoring community-collaborative news on WSB. Is your business/organization/church/school/etc. interested in becoming a sponsor too? Please call 206-293-6302.

Music, tea, more for your West Seattle Friday

(Harbor seals seen off West Seattle this morning – photo by Carol Ann Joyce)

With the weekend in view, here are highlights for today/tonight, mostly from the West Seattle Event Calendar:

MADISON FUNDRAISER AT DREAM DINNERS, LAST CALL: Today’s the deadline to place orders with Dream Dinners-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) to solve your meal challenges and help Madison MS‘s WEB mentorship program.

SCHOOL TOURS: Under way right now at Pathfinder K-8 (1901 SW Genesee) until 10:15 am. (Here’s our list of all the schools with tours/open houses yet to come.)

STAY ‘N’ PLAY: 10 am-11:30 am free drop-in indoor play at Arbor Heights Community Church (4113 SW 102nd): “Stay ‘N’ Play is our Friday morning open gym for infants and preschool kids. We open up our lower level with games, toys, a bouncy house and more for kids to run and play.”

QI GONG AT VIVA ARTS: 12:15 pm – info in our calendar listing. (4421 Fauntleroy Way SW)

LIVE AT C & P COFFEE: The Dennis Rea / Blue Jay Blue, “musical travelogues,” 6-8 pm. No cover, all ages. (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor)

AT THE CLAY CAULDRON: Make handbuilt animals with Kirsten, 6-9 pm. Our calendar listing explains how to sign up. (5214 Delridge Way SW)

MENOPAUSE TEA WORKSHOP: 6:30 pm at My Necessitea (3237 California SW), reservations required, $20.

LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Prelude to a Pistol, Dual Analog, Replicas perform at 8 pm (doors at 7) at The Skylark. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

BASKETBALL: No home games on the schedule tonight.

AT THE SPOT: Fridays are Live Artist Showcase nights at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), 7-10 pm.

REVELRY ROOM DJ: 9 pm, DJ Illvester tonight! (4547 California SW)

MAKE IT LOUD: Skating to live music at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW), doors at 9 pm, $18 cover, $5 skates, 21+. Tonight’s slate: Tomo Nakayama, Rub, & Leeni.

If you have something to add to our event lists or calendar, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

SOFTBALL: West Seattle High School team offering clinics for younger players

West Seattle High School‘s softball team is inviting younger players to clinics in two weeks to get ready for the upcoming season – two sessions, for beginners and more-advanced players. Here’s the announcement we were asked to share:

West Seattle High School’s softball team is putting on a one-day clinic Sunday, February 9, for girls ages 7–13 at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex upper field, for $25.

Beginner Session 8:30-10:00 am, Advanced Session 10:15-11:45 am

*Check in begins 15 minutes before each session. Each session will cover the skills in the infield, outfield and hitting. No pitching and catching instruction will be held. Players, please bring softball equipment and payment if you are paying in cash.

Questions, please email jenny_ignacio@hotmail.com

You can register in advance with this form.

TRAFFIC CAMS, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Friday notes

6:01 AM: Good morning – it’s Friday, January 24, 2025.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Cloudy, then clearing, breezy, high in the low 40s. Sunrise/sunset – 7:44 am and 4:58 pm. (5 pm sunset tomorrow!)

(Wednesday photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)

TRANSIT

Metro busesRegular schedule.

Water Taxi Also on a regular schedule today.

Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Salish as the “bonus boat.”

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:

Spokane Street Viaduct – This view usually looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:

Low Bridge – Looking west:

1st Avenue South Bridge:

Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.

See trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!