Think before you dig!
Are you missing shovels, lawn chairs, buckets?
Is Juanita Woodlands attracting your kids and their bikes?
Many on Finn Hill have worked hard to preserve open green spaces with money and time. These green spaces are fragile but attract ideas for recreational activities that may be detrimental to the health of the areas. This year, unauthorized large bike playgrounds have been constructed in Juanita Woodlands which is a King County Park. These large bike jumps continue to be removed by King County Parks. Let’s get our youth into fun recreational summer activities! Carving out bike jumps in the fragile Juanita Woodlands and any trail construction and digging needs prior approval from King County Parks.
Below are photos taken from Juanita Woodlands east of Juanita Drive earlier this week.
The photos below were taken on the west side of Juanita Woodlands.
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- Large hole cut into tree’s roots.
In the first photo, do you see the hole six inches from a tree where the man is standing? All the roots on that side were cut. Now the tree is looking a bit sickly, it is not likely to be alive in 2 years.
This article is by the FHNA Board
Contact FHNA board@finnhillalliance.org with any questions
Sometimes I see people digging or riding motorbikes while I walk in the Woodlands. I have asked them to stop and have been met with resistance. What do you recommend residents do when someone is digging or on a bike?
Good question: Motorized vehicles are banned, but pedal bikes are not currently banned in Juanita Woodlands. (Pedestrians always have right of way.) What is banned is trail construction and bike feature construction without the permission of King County Parks. (These activities are misdemeanors.) Thanks for speaking up and it is not surprising there is resistance. Never put yourself in danger! You can call the sheriff. You can take photos of the people and send them to King County Parks. As the article mentions, we need positive sanctioned kid activities on Finn Hill to use up all that industrious energy!
I am not sure about pedal bikes. That would be a county question as the woodlands are slated for passive use.
Katy, I would call the Sherif. I am at a loss as to why people get indignant, arrogant, and oombative when they know hey are breaking the law or doing something destructive.
It is Mountain bikers like these that give all mountain bikers a bad name. Not only are they causing harm to the woodlands that may not be seen for years, but they are causing harm to the general public. These trees can be very dangerous when compromised. Something not everyone understands.
We all live here because of the unique environment that surrounds us. I believe it is our duty o protect it.
There are slated areas for bikers to use in Big Finn Hill and St. Edwards. Please encourage all mountain bikers to use these trails instead of making new ones that can cause a great deal of harm to all.
The lower set of photo’s were taken in the county right of way of an abandoned road and not the Woodlands. The person that decided to complain said that he could not use the trail because of the jumps. The trail was not there until the jumps were built. It was previously covered with blackberries and fallen trees. The tree mentioned in the article was dying as are many of the trees in the Woodlands. The roots were not cut but they were damaged when KC brought an excavator in to plow the ground smooth. Look and you will see. I and the boys who built the jumps participated in making the first trail from one end to the other. They also participated in evasive species removal and tree planting. When you walk these trails understand that they were build by neighbors committing misdemeanors. Enjoy the woods I helped pay for.
Could you give me an exact location of the lower set of jumps. A couple friends and I have been longing for jumps like those around.
They were removed in the spring. Send me an email and I can tell you of another location nearby that has legal sanctioned jumps by Kirkland Parks.
tnkasper at gmail dot com
Please contact Troy K (who commented in this section) for more information on legal mountain bike features on Finn Hill.
On public land, there is a public process to review and get approval for changes. Please contact KC Parks for more information on how to start the process and legal limitations to what can be done in Juanita Woodlands.
The top set of photos were taken in the upper Woodlands. These woods have no access from any direction. The only reason anyone knows the boys were there is the same complainer following my son around. These woods are a filth hole. There is nowhere that you can stand and not kick up garbage. Bottles, cans, stoves, tires, bumpers, fenders and chemical containers. If you all want to protect these woods why don’t you get out there and clean it up. The jump building boys are! And while your at it, why don’t you go after the neighbors surrounding all of the Woodlands that seem to think that this is there own private dumping grounds.
Sounds like king county and the Finn hill alliance are being idiots. Are the woods luring my kids and their bikes to the woods? Yes!! Good!! Kids are going outside and getting exercise just like Michelle Obama wants!!
This is stupid bike jumps are fun and a good pass time and the jumps that are created are not hurting anything but the way king county wants to fix the problem is by driving a large excavator along the small trails to fix them! They kill more than we do! I would like to know why what we do is bad and would like to have someone reply to me
Nicolaas, Alex and PA –
I understand your frustrations, but we have to consider all users of the park and we have to take into account the health and safety of the forest and its users. Although it seems like a small harmless thing if EVERYONE was allowed to do what they wanted unfettered where would we be?
I too used to build whatever/whenever when I was younger, but in a densely populated area with high usage we have to follow some rules so that everyone can enjoy the park. I too have sons who want to build jumps, but I don’t let them so I’ve spent the last 5+ years working to make it possible and we DO have a plan that is approved by King County Parks and a committee made up of different groups of park users.
We have some great things planned and approved by King County to build in Big Finn Hill, but it takes time. I and others have been working for YEARS to get an approved trails plan that is good for everyone. Everyone had to make compromises, but the alternative was not getting anything and having it ALL taken out.
Please contact me, I’d be happy to meet you onsite. I do a lot of volunteering for Evergreen Mtn Bike Alliance, I do trail work all over the area and coach a Jr High/High School mtn bike team. Please contact me as I’d love to use your skills on future projects.
You can email me at tnkasper at gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Troy
Wow, that is some beautiful work and took a lot of time and energy.
Kids need this type of outdoor, creative, hard working outlet, but in an approved manner that keeps the forest and it’s users safe and healthy.
As Jeanette said above it is absolutely appropriate to call the Sheriff/Police. If they are doing unsanctioned work it is vandalism and we need to channel that energy into approved projects.
Work to come up with a trails plan was started 5+ years ago for exactly this reason and many people have worked hard to get where we are today. The hard part is reaching everyone before they put all of this time and energy into something that will be destroyed.
For anyone not familiar with the work being done PLEASE read the trails plan and read through the meeting minutes to get caught up on the latest discussion and work being done.
If you have any questions there is also contact information on the KingCo BFH site: http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/trails/backcountry/bigfinn.aspx
When the community came together to save the woodlands, they worked very hard and have spent many hours trying to make the woodlands a healthy urban forest, planting over 4200 trees and many hours pulling invasive species and picking up garbage. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get to all parts of the woodlands, but have been there is a plan to get to all parts of the woodlands.
The Woodlands was also given money by the King County Conservation futures trust fund. This made the Woodlands a Passive open space an wildlife preserve.
It is understandable that the Woodlands is very attractive to Mountain Bikers and children, but not everywhere can be a Mountain Bike or Play area. Yes Kids need a place to play, and it is great to see them outside, therefore, St. Edwards State Park and Big Finn Hill Park have many trails for Mountain Bikers and many play areas. They are not that far from the Woodlands and these areas are meant for Mountain Bike use and maintained as such.
When new trails are forged in the woodlands and new bike jumps etc… It becomes very dangerous to the public. Please notice houses in the background of the pictures. The tree that has had its roots cut is now likely to fall on someone’s house.
King County is trying very hard to maintain all of their parks, but when illegal activities happen, it takes away from the other maintenance they can do and in the end, everyone looses.