Union Bay Natural Area Remediation & Restoration
Donation protected
Hello reader!
About Us:
We are Dario (left), EmmaRose (middle left), Eva (middle right), and Apollo (right), and we are the current University of Washington (UW) Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management (ESRM) undergraduate students completing a capstone through a phytoremediation and restoration project at the Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA), under the supervision of Professor Sharon L. Doty Ph.D.
Check out our sites for more info!
UBNA Background:
Starting in 1911 and ending in 1966, Seattle dumped everything from residential to industrial waste into the marshland that is now UBNA. The site is contaminated after taking roughly 60% of the city's trash for over 50 years with little recording keeping or regulations in place. Remediation and restoration are needed to prevent the buried toxins from continuing to leach into the nearby waterways including Ravenna Creek, Union Bay, Lake Washington, and Lake Union.
The Project:
This project began in the fall of 2021 by Professor Doty. With help from students from her classes and the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) (https://sites.uw.edu/seruw/), she plans to practice phytoremediation at the un-remediated former landfill site. By the fall of 2022, a group of four ESRM undergraduate students with supervision and support from Professor Doty had taken on the current remediation and restoration project.
Phytoremediation allows for the natural fixing of the soil and water without the need for traditional more expensive and less aesthetically pleasing methods. Our project is focused on planting native and biodiverse, willows and poplars for remediation as well as planting for a riparian buffer above Ravenna Creek. We will also be planting, funding dependent, Red Osier Dogwood and Nootka Rose while removing invasive species such as Himalayan Blackberry, English Ivy, and others from the site. We will also attempt to complete ground cover in some form to prevent invasive grasses from overtaking the saplings and the site.
Working in nature goes hand in paw/leaf with working alongside the native species of the area. Using Willow and Poplar is great for the native habitat but has proven difficult to keep alive with the local groups of rabbits and beavers chewing them. As a result, heavy-duty welded wire fencing has been used as a small barrier around the base of some saplings to allow them to become more established while leaving some for the rabbits and beavers.
Beyond cleaning up the human impact of the former landfill, restoring and remediating the site also allows native species beyond plants such as beavers, birds, rabbits, and turtles to again live and thrive safely in the space. This project also helps to maintain a portion of the 70+ acres for people to enjoy too!
Use of Funding:
We're seeking monetary donations to aid us in our restoration of a section of UBNA, which is the former site known as the Montlake or Ravenna Dump, and the Yessler Lumber Mill. The minimum we expect costs to be is approximately $2,500. We’re setting our goal a little below double to allow us to plant and protect as much as possible during our 6 months at the site.
Below is a list of supplies and approximate costs before sales tax.
Nootka Rose
50 at $1.70 each = $85
Poplars
500 at $0.96 each = $480
Red Osier Dogwood
100 at $1.53 each = $153
Willows
500 at $1.08 each = $540
Compost
- TBD (dependent on amount needed)
Gloves
- 4 pairs approx. $10+ per pair
Ground cover supplies
- TBD (dependent on size of the area needing covered)
Post-hole diggers
- 4 at approx. $40 each
Signs
- TBD (based on size/number needed)
Soil/Water sample analysis
- $700 (based on previous sample analysis cost)
Welded wire fencing
- Minimum approx. $50 for our needs (depends on roll size)
All funds will go directly toward purchasing supplies and implementation of our project with any remaining funds being passed onto future use at the site.
Thank you for your support!!
-Capstoners at UBNA
Organizer
Apollo Normet
Organizer
Seattle, WA