Bellingham leaders are under deadline pressure to finalize a master plan for a new park tentatively called Hundred Acre Wood — actually 112 acres of forest and wetlands nestled between Padden and Chuckanut creeks on the south end of the city.
But city officials and a special parks district board appear to disagree over how this park should be shaped, once crews begin working on it next year. Commissioners on the Chuckanut Community Forest Park District board, who have been developing a vision for the park over the past decade, say the city Parks and Recreation Department is putting human access above protecting habitat and wildlife.
In an eight-page letter to the mayor and City Council, the five park district commissioners criticized a 6-foot-wide gravel trail that would be built during phase 1 of the park’s development, between Fairhaven Park and the Interurban Trail.
The master plan says proposed trail improvements are meant to reduce the erosion and wetland impacts caused by the several unmanaged trails throughout the park. Some trails would be built above wetlands using boardwalks, while access to some others would be blocked.
Park District President Frank James told the City Council at a public hearing Monday a wide trail over mature, forested wetlands “is the opposite of preservation,” adding it amounted to a “fatal flaw” in the master plan.
James also took issue with the park’s proposed name, “Hundred Acre Wood.” During the hearing, he repeated a request the commissioners made in their letter: Add the word “preserve” to the name.
“The wetland forest has inspired community members for more than two decades to work toward this goal of conservation, preservation and restoration,” the letter said.
Not all park users place this much emphasis on preservation. About 40 cyclists held a protest in the park in March in response to proposals to limit bike access. A survey conducted last year indicated bicycling was second only to walking among activities in the park.
The City Council will try to approve the park’s master plan before the end of September, to start a one-year clock on the dissolution of the Park District. Mayor Seth Fleetwood reminded the council the park district must be dissolved before the end of 2023.
After the public hearing, council member Michael Lilliquist said he wanted the council to talk next month about where dogs and bicyclists might fit into the park plan.
“I think we can strike the proper balance” between human activities and habit preservation, Lilliquist said.
Council member Lisa Anderson said she was like Lilliquist, somewhere in the middle on the preservation versus recreation debate — although she leaned a little toward conservation.
She said the park was an important sanctuary for humans and wildlife both, and the disruptions created by dogs and speeding bicyclists might not be appropriate. Bicyclists, Anderson said, have other options around Bellingham, alluding to Galbraith Mountain.
“Bikers have a mountain dedicated to them, pretty much,” she said.
