A skate camp held at Bellevue Skate Park was featured recently on the KOMO news feature, Eric's Little Heroes. Watch the clip by clicking on the box below, or following this link:
www.komonews.com/home/video/97444689.html
There has been a wealth of research lately validating the importance of play in social and brain development of children and adults. This video is a great example of how kids can get practice learning how to face a real challenge within a safe environment. The star of the show is Mateo, who is learning how to 'drop-in' to the skateboard ramp (the equivalent of stepping off a cliff). As he prepares, you can imagine the questions running through his head:
Has my training prepared me for this?
Do I trust my instructor?
Do I have faith in myself?
What will people think if I succeed?
What will people think if I fail?
How will I handle what other people think?
Where can I find the courage I need to take the first step?
What do I do after I take the first step?
How much of a risk am I taking?
Is the reward worth the risk?
We've all been in these situations before where we have to dig down and test ourselves. The practice these kids get through play will serve them well in later life. All this while having fun, making new friends and getting great exercise at the same time.
Thanks to Mateo for letting us all share in his victory.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Other Park Blogs of Interest
Last year, when preparing to launch this blog, I researched other city- or park-related blogs to see how things were done. Since then, I've kept my eye open for good examples and thought I would share those. First, our colleagues at King County Parks have an impressive and informative blog at:
http://www.kingcountyparks.wordpress.com/
Look at their June 16, 2010 post to see how you can get into the Marymoor Concert Series for free.
At a national level, I have collected good information from the City Parks Blog, hosted by the Trust for Public Land. That blog can be found here:
cityparksblog.org
For an intriguing look at Bellevue, scroll to their June 21, 2010 post highlighting a mapping analysis of popular tourist sites (many of which happen to be parks!) around the world. The analysis looks at photos that have been uploaded to the web and 'geotagged' with the location where the photo was taken. Most of Bellevue is included on the map of the Seattle area. Looking at the map, you will see that Pike Place Market and the Space Needle have a clear lead, but the Bellevue Botanical Garden shows up as well as Downtown Park and several of Bellevue's waterfront parks.
One other blog that I've found recently is The Dirt - hosted by the American Society of Landscape Architects:
http://www.kingcountyparks.wordpress.com/
Look at their June 16, 2010 post to see how you can get into the Marymoor Concert Series for free.
At a national level, I have collected good information from the City Parks Blog, hosted by the Trust for Public Land. That blog can be found here:
cityparksblog.org
For an intriguing look at Bellevue, scroll to their June 21, 2010 post highlighting a mapping analysis of popular tourist sites (many of which happen to be parks!) around the world. The analysis looks at photos that have been uploaded to the web and 'geotagged' with the location where the photo was taken. Most of Bellevue is included on the map of the Seattle area. Looking at the map, you will see that Pike Place Market and the Space Needle have a clear lead, but the Bellevue Botanical Garden shows up as well as Downtown Park and several of Bellevue's waterfront parks.
One other blog that I've found recently is The Dirt - hosted by the American Society of Landscape Architects:
dirt.asla.org
This blog has a national and international focus. See the June 16, 2010 post describing a trend among major corporations to offer vegetable gardens on their corporate campuses as an employee benefit.
If you know of other interesting places on the web about parks, open space, sports, cultural arts or recreation, please share by leaving a comment or sending an e-mail.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Council Considers Parks & Open Space System Plan
At their Regular Session meeting on May 3rd, 2010 (click date for agenda), the Bellevue City Council is scheduled to consider approving the 2010 Parks & Open Space System Plan.
The current draft of the plan is available on the project web page. Since the plan was presented to the City Council on March 22, the document has benefited from serious proofreading by other staff in the Parks Department and a couple community readers (thank you to those who helped in this way).
If the plan is approved on May 3, we will begin the final stage of the project. This will include gathering and creating more charts, tables and maps to better illustrate the final document. We will also incorporate photographs and poems from the contest we sponsored earlier this year.
The current draft of the plan is available on the project web page. Since the plan was presented to the City Council on March 22, the document has benefited from serious proofreading by other staff in the Parks Department and a couple community readers (thank you to those who helped in this way).
If the plan is approved on May 3, we will begin the final stage of the project. This will include gathering and creating more charts, tables and maps to better illustrate the final document. We will also incorporate photographs and poems from the contest we sponsored earlier this year.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Bellevue Skate Park and Botanical Garden Nominated Best in the Northwest
The Bellevue Skate Park was nominated in the Skate Park category and Bellevue Botanical Garden was nominated in the Best Park category of this year's Evening Magazine Best of the Northwest - Best Northwest Escapes contest. If you are interested in voting, you can click on the links for each - voting ends April 11.
These two unique facilities represent the diverse range of activities that are available throughout the parks system. I recommend a visit to both. At either location you can observe and perhaps learn a trick or two from masters at their craft, be it gardening or skateboarding.
Pop quiz: Is "deadhead" a gardening term, a skateboarding term, or both?
These two unique facilities represent the diverse range of activities that are available throughout the parks system. I recommend a visit to both. At either location you can observe and perhaps learn a trick or two from masters at their craft, be it gardening or skateboarding.
Pop quiz: Is "deadhead" a gardening term, a skateboarding term, or both?
Learn more about the Skate Parks here:
http://bellevueskatepark.blogspot.com/
http://www.bellevuewa.gov/highland_skate_parks.htm
Learn more about the Botanical Garden here:
Friday, March 19, 2010
DRAFT Parks & Open Space System Plan
A draft of the updated Parks & Open Space System Plan is available at the project web page. Along with the draft is a map and list displaying the long-range capital project recommendations included in the draft. Click here to go to the web page.
Within Bellevue, the Council meetings are broadcast on cable channel 21. The meetings are streamed live over the internet from the Bellevue TV web page. Previous council meetings are archived for viewing as well, so if you are reading this sometime after March 22, you can still find a tape of this or any other Council meeting at the Bellevue TV page.
Since we started gathering public feedback for this project in September 2009, we've made thousands of contacts with Bellevue residents and park users through various surveys, this blog, and in-person presentations. To all those who have participated, thank you for taking time to express your opinions and future hopes for Bellevue's parks and open space system.
The draft plan is scheduled for review by the City Council at their meeting on Monday, March 22, 2010. Council agendas can change, so please check the Council agenda web page for the most up-to-date information (or contact me).
Within Bellevue, the Council meetings are broadcast on cable channel 21. The meetings are streamed live over the internet from the Bellevue TV web page. Previous council meetings are archived for viewing as well, so if you are reading this sometime after March 22, you can still find a tape of this or any other Council meeting at the Bellevue TV page.Since we started gathering public feedback for this project in September 2009, we've made thousands of contacts with Bellevue residents and park users through various surveys, this blog, and in-person presentations. To all those who have participated, thank you for taking time to express your opinions and future hopes for Bellevue's parks and open space system.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Parks & Open Space System Plan Taking Shape
The blog has been silent recently as all writing attention was shifted to the edits and re-writes necessary to update the 2003 Plan to meet 2010 expectations. The plan is still in its draft form and will continue that way until it is reviewed and approved by the Bellevue City Council. This should take place in the next few months.
A draft of the full plan will be posted to the project web page before the end of March. In the meantime, I would like to share the introductory section from the working draft here. Let me know if you like it, if you don't or if you notice a glaring grammatical error. I will admit up front to run-on sentences, but if you see a dangling participle, I'd like to know about it.
Also, a reminder that all the previous blog posts are still available for you to peruse and add comments where you like (most discussion topics can be found in August 2009).
**********************
DRAFT - 2010 Bellevue Parks & Open Space System Plan - DRAFT
Introduction
In 1888, John Muir saw Bellevue in a way that few others had ever seen and in a way that is impossible today. Muir was a celebrated naturalist, whose detailed and emotion-filled written descriptions of the American West were widely published in national magazines. His writings painted a picture of natural wonder so compelling that he is credited as one of the driving forces behind the creation of this county’s National Parks system.
In a published collection of essays and travelogues entitled, Steep Trails, Muir describes how from his home in Yosemite, California, he ventured north by ship up the Pacific Coast, through the Strait of San Juan de Fuca and into Puget Sound. Landing in Seattle, he visited several points in East King County, including Snoqualmie Falls, on his way to attempt a climb to the summit of Mount Rainier.
With a party of eight, Muir reached the summit on a beautifully clear day with views of Washington Territory in all directions. Muir later wrote, “We remained on the summit nearly two hours, looking about us at the vast maplike views, comprehending hundreds of miles of the Cascade Range, with their black interminable forests and white volcanic cones in glorious array reaching far into Oregon; the Sound region also, and the great plains of eastern Washington, hazy and vague in the distance.” Included in his view, an expanse of heavily forested rolling hills directly east of Seattle, bounded by two large sparkling lakes.
This was Bellevue as John Muir saw it, just over 120 years ago. The tiny settlement around Meydenbauer Bay and scattered farms were perhaps not even visible, and if so, certainly dwarfed by the huge expanse of untouched forests, lakes and streams. Yet, sensing this area’s future, Muir noted that “[Washington Territory] is already rich in busy workers, who work hard, though not always wisely, hacking, burning, blasting their way deeper into the wilderness, beneath the sky and beneath the ground. The wedges of development are being driven hard, and none of the obstacles or defenses of nature can long withstand the onset of this immeasurable industry.”
Since that time and in keeping with Muir’s assessment, exponential growth and development has led to a vastly different environment on these rolling hills between the lakes. According to a study commissioned by the City in 2008, Bellevue’s once dominant tree canopy has diminished to 36% of the city’s land area. Impervious surfaces (any type of surface that does not allow water to travel to the ground below, primarily streets and rooftops) have spread to cover 46% of the city. Within the foreseeable future, there is a strong possibility that balance will tip and the majority of Bellevue’s land area will be either paved or otherwise built upon.
This pattern and pace of development has produced a change in the community’s perception of the natural environment. In the early 20th Century, the natural environment was valued as resource to be reclaimed and repurposed for uses perceived to be more beneficial, such as farming, mining and lumber. Today, in the early 21st Century, the natural environment is valued as a resource to be recaptured or preserved for other types of uses now perceived to be more beneficial. These benefits include acting as a “green infrastructure” system , providing a range of economic benefits and supporting development of a healthy community. Evidence of this shift in priorities is shown through a survey of Bellevue residents in September 2009 where 76% of respondents agreed that Bellevue Parks & Community Services should place a priority on improving the health and ecological function of forest, wetland, lakes and streams.
Working as a green infrastructure system, the forests, wetlands and open areas that Bellevue has preserved through its interconnected park and open space system clean water, clean air and absorb carbon emissions. They are a piece of infrastructure as important as the city’s roads and sewers. A 2008 Urban Ecosystem Study calculated that Bellevue’s tree canopy provides 62 million cubic feet in stormwater detention services and removes 687,000 pounds of pollutants from the air annually. Further, it absorbs 2,582 tons of carbon each year, helping to reduce the city’s overall carbon emissions.
Bellevue’s parks provide economic value to city residents. Many studies have shown that parks are a good investment for a community. John Crompton, a professor at Texas A&M University has published several studies showing how providing parks within neighborhoods attracts homebuyers and increases property values. Parks also attract economic development. Early Bellevue residents recognized this fact by using parks and recreation to draw tourists to the small town. In her history of Bellevue, titled The Bellevue Story, Connie Squires writes, “As a result of these steamers [ferries crossing Lake Washington], Wildwood Park was set up near the present Meydenbauer Yacht Club. This became a large attraction for Sunday Seattle picnickers… later a large dance hall was built there and eventually it was used as a skating rink…” Today, in addition to local tourism, high quality parks, schools and other quality of life indicators are used increasingly by businesses to decide where to locate their offices, seeking places to retain and attract a productive and well-educated workforce.
Parks play a significant role in the community’s overall health. Access to and contact with nature provides medical benefits including lowering blood pressure and stress indicators, decreasing recovery time from surgery, and improving symptoms of mental health and behavioral disorders. For example, one study from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that access to places for physical activity led to a 25.6% increase in the percentage of people exercising on three or more days per week.
By cleaning the environment, supporting a high quality of life and encouraging healthy lifestyles, the investment the community has made in the parks system pays itself back.
The community’s vision for how parks and open space should serve the city is captured in the Bellevue Parks & Open Space Plan. The plan is a long-range planning document that guides the City’s continued investments in parks and open spaces. The Plan is begins with a general description of Bellevue’s demographic profile and its physical and natural resource characteristics. From there, the mission of the Parks & Community Services department is provided along with an overview of the scope and functions of the organization. With this context in place, a detailed discussion of future recommended capital projects is presented for the years 2010 to 2029. The plan ends with sections regarding the importance of maintenance, renovation and security as well as methods of financing considered to implement the recommended projects.
A draft of the full plan will be posted to the project web page before the end of March. In the meantime, I would like to share the introductory section from the working draft here. Let me know if you like it, if you don't or if you notice a glaring grammatical error. I will admit up front to run-on sentences, but if you see a dangling participle, I'd like to know about it.
Also, a reminder that all the previous blog posts are still available for you to peruse and add comments where you like (most discussion topics can be found in August 2009).
**********************
DRAFT - 2010 Bellevue Parks & Open Space System Plan - DRAFT
Introduction
In 1888, John Muir saw Bellevue in a way that few others had ever seen and in a way that is impossible today. Muir was a celebrated naturalist, whose detailed and emotion-filled written descriptions of the American West were widely published in national magazines. His writings painted a picture of natural wonder so compelling that he is credited as one of the driving forces behind the creation of this county’s National Parks system.
In a published collection of essays and travelogues entitled, Steep Trails, Muir describes how from his home in Yosemite, California, he ventured north by ship up the Pacific Coast, through the Strait of San Juan de Fuca and into Puget Sound. Landing in Seattle, he visited several points in East King County, including Snoqualmie Falls, on his way to attempt a climb to the summit of Mount Rainier.
With a party of eight, Muir reached the summit on a beautifully clear day with views of Washington Territory in all directions. Muir later wrote, “We remained on the summit nearly two hours, looking about us at the vast maplike views, comprehending hundreds of miles of the Cascade Range, with their black interminable forests and white volcanic cones in glorious array reaching far into Oregon; the Sound region also, and the great plains of eastern Washington, hazy and vague in the distance.” Included in his view, an expanse of heavily forested rolling hills directly east of Seattle, bounded by two large sparkling lakes.
This was Bellevue as John Muir saw it, just over 120 years ago. The tiny settlement around Meydenbauer Bay and scattered farms were perhaps not even visible, and if so, certainly dwarfed by the huge expanse of untouched forests, lakes and streams. Yet, sensing this area’s future, Muir noted that “[Washington Territory] is already rich in busy workers, who work hard, though not always wisely, hacking, burning, blasting their way deeper into the wilderness, beneath the sky and beneath the ground. The wedges of development are being driven hard, and none of the obstacles or defenses of nature can long withstand the onset of this immeasurable industry.”
Since that time and in keeping with Muir’s assessment, exponential growth and development has led to a vastly different environment on these rolling hills between the lakes. According to a study commissioned by the City in 2008, Bellevue’s once dominant tree canopy has diminished to 36% of the city’s land area. Impervious surfaces (any type of surface that does not allow water to travel to the ground below, primarily streets and rooftops) have spread to cover 46% of the city. Within the foreseeable future, there is a strong possibility that balance will tip and the majority of Bellevue’s land area will be either paved or otherwise built upon.
This pattern and pace of development has produced a change in the community’s perception of the natural environment. In the early 20th Century, the natural environment was valued as resource to be reclaimed and repurposed for uses perceived to be more beneficial, such as farming, mining and lumber. Today, in the early 21st Century, the natural environment is valued as a resource to be recaptured or preserved for other types of uses now perceived to be more beneficial. These benefits include acting as a “green infrastructure” system , providing a range of economic benefits and supporting development of a healthy community. Evidence of this shift in priorities is shown through a survey of Bellevue residents in September 2009 where 76% of respondents agreed that Bellevue Parks & Community Services should place a priority on improving the health and ecological function of forest, wetland, lakes and streams.
Working as a green infrastructure system, the forests, wetlands and open areas that Bellevue has preserved through its interconnected park and open space system clean water, clean air and absorb carbon emissions. They are a piece of infrastructure as important as the city’s roads and sewers. A 2008 Urban Ecosystem Study calculated that Bellevue’s tree canopy provides 62 million cubic feet in stormwater detention services and removes 687,000 pounds of pollutants from the air annually. Further, it absorbs 2,582 tons of carbon each year, helping to reduce the city’s overall carbon emissions.
Bellevue’s parks provide economic value to city residents. Many studies have shown that parks are a good investment for a community. John Crompton, a professor at Texas A&M University has published several studies showing how providing parks within neighborhoods attracts homebuyers and increases property values. Parks also attract economic development. Early Bellevue residents recognized this fact by using parks and recreation to draw tourists to the small town. In her history of Bellevue, titled The Bellevue Story, Connie Squires writes, “As a result of these steamers [ferries crossing Lake Washington], Wildwood Park was set up near the present Meydenbauer Yacht Club. This became a large attraction for Sunday Seattle picnickers… later a large dance hall was built there and eventually it was used as a skating rink…” Today, in addition to local tourism, high quality parks, schools and other quality of life indicators are used increasingly by businesses to decide where to locate their offices, seeking places to retain and attract a productive and well-educated workforce.
Parks play a significant role in the community’s overall health. Access to and contact with nature provides medical benefits including lowering blood pressure and stress indicators, decreasing recovery time from surgery, and improving symptoms of mental health and behavioral disorders. For example, one study from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that access to places for physical activity led to a 25.6% increase in the percentage of people exercising on three or more days per week.
By cleaning the environment, supporting a high quality of life and encouraging healthy lifestyles, the investment the community has made in the parks system pays itself back.
The community’s vision for how parks and open space should serve the city is captured in the Bellevue Parks & Open Space Plan. The plan is a long-range planning document that guides the City’s continued investments in parks and open spaces. The Plan is begins with a general description of Bellevue’s demographic profile and its physical and natural resource characteristics. From there, the mission of the Parks & Community Services department is provided along with an overview of the scope and functions of the organization. With this context in place, a detailed discussion of future recommended capital projects is presented for the years 2010 to 2029. The plan ends with sections regarding the importance of maintenance, renovation and security as well as methods of financing considered to implement the recommended projects.
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