Juanita Woodlands
Juanita Woodlands
As drivers and cyclists head westward on 116th Avenue past Juanita Village and Juanita Bay Park, they ascend on Juanita Drive above Lake Washington’s northeastern shores. Within minutes, the sight of businesses and hillside homes is replaced by towering canopies of Douglas fir trees–a lush 40-acre urban forest amidst the neighborhoods on Big Finn Hill’s eastern slopes. As they pass by, commuters may notice a blue sign that identifies the stand as the “Juanita Woodlands Park.” What they may not know is that just a few years ago, this impressive stand of trees was marked for removal and replacement by a subdivision.
Over a five-year period, the community banded together to save the woodlands. Today, thanks to the efforts of local residents, businesses and government representatives, the grove is now a park that preserves an important habitat for native species and provides countless benefits for humans, including recreational opportunities–not to mention beautiful roadside scenery.
Log Blog: Thank You Volunteers
Log Blog to March 30th volunteers-A big THANK YOU! “We had a great turnout! A big thank you to all 25 volunteers. We had beautiful weather, everyone really worked hard. Mother nature, the woodlands, and the neighborhood are immensely grateful”, says Teresa Chilelli, Chairperson of the Juanita Woodlands. She reports volunteers cleared invasive Himalayan blackberry and holly, and also re-tagged and staked native trees planted January 2012 in the Woodlands east section. And here’s photos of some of their accomplishments. Huge...
read moreLog Blog Spring 2013
Juanita Woodlands Log Blog What’s Growing & Going On In the Park Third Edition, Spring 2013 By Anne Fleming, Volunteer, Stewardship Committee Saturday morning March 30th clean up the east section of Juanita Woodlands Spring forth! Volunteer! No experience necessary. Families welcome. It’s fun. Do it! Have the satisfaction of helping to create a healthier and more beautiful Woodlands! FREE hot Starbucks coffee, hot chocolate, muffins and donuts. Pull unwanted invasive plants, like Himalayan blackberry, ivy, and holly to enable young...
read moreJuanita Woodlands Clean Up
Volunteers Needed on March 30th…you came…we worked Update: 4-3-2013 We had a beautiful sunny day on March 30th. It was delivered for this fantastic clean-up. Thank you all for coming out to work in the Woodlands. We made great progress and the trees thank you….Teresa Did you know that strategically placed trees can decrease utility bills or that an acre of trees absorbs the amount of carbon produced by driving a car 26,000 miles? We need your help to help preserve the Juanita Woodlands! Please join us at 9:00 AM on...
read moreLog Blog Winter 2012
Juanita Woodlands Log Blog What’s Growing & Going On In the Park – Second Edition, Winter 2012 Walking through the wintery Woodlands in December, bare branched Birch, Ash, and Big Leaf Maple almost disappear among the green canopy of conifers. There is stillness and silence in the forest–no other voices heard, no dogs barking. Even the trees are still and silent in their winter dormancy. Darkness falls early in the day. We celebrate the very shortest day of the year on December 21st– the Winter Solstice. This day is...
read moreThe Juanita Woodlands Story
What’s Growing and Going On In the Park First Edition-Fall 2012 Introducing the new Log Blog for the Juanita Woodlands Park—your connection to what’s growing and what’s going on in the park. Have you ever wondered how many inches a young tree can grow in 4 months? Or if different species of trees are growing at different rates? Then the see the new Juanita Woodlands Tree Study Project results, posted in each quarterly edition of the Log Blog! Keep up to date with how the trees are growing, in the on-going Tree Height Measurement...
read moreJuanita Woodlands Clean Up on October 27
Please save the date! Volunteers are needed on October 27 at 9:00 AM for pulling invasive species and re-tagging trees that were planted last year. If you are interested please meet other volunteers near the 120th Street trail head on the east side of Juanita Drive at 76th Pl. NE. For more information or to sign up contact Theresa at tchilelli@aol.com or call 425.501.4693. Any other questions can be forwarded to Matt Pruitt matt@finnhillalliance.org To Learn More about the Clean Up Help Needed, Click Here to view...
read moreSaving the Juanita Woodlands
In 2001, DCNA turned to another important challenge: Saving what became known as the “Juanita Woodlands,” a 40-acre island of forest amid the rapidly expanding residential and commercial development of Kirkland’s Juanita area. The state had made known its possible intention to sell this parcel of woodlands along Juanita Drive. Held as School Trust Land by the State of Washington as a potential revenue source for the construction of public schools, the land was at risk of being sold to private developers, who would likely clear cut the...
read moreJuanita Woodlands on Finn Hill
Juanita Woodlands is a 40 acre urban forest on the west side of Finn Hill, spanning across Juanita Drive and Holmes Point Drive between N.E. 116th and N.E. 118th streets. If you stroll through the park, you will see Douglas fir, Western Red Cedar, Big Leaf Maple, Cottonwood, Madrona, Huckleberry, Sword Ferns and many other tree and plant species. The Woodlands became a King County Park through a community grass roots effort. The Finn Hill neighborhood, led by Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance (DCNA), teamed up with King County to acquire the...
read moreTree and Hillside Protection – Holmes Point
The unique topography of Holmes Point bluff, along the northern Lake Washington shoreline, makes it particularly susceptible to erosion and landslides. In fact, approximately 60% of the Holmes Point Planning Area is classified by King County as landslide prone. After a series of landslides in the zone–including at least 11 landslides in a recent two year period–the community recognized the need to educate homeowners and developers on the risks of disturbing trees and native ground cover. After four years of close cooperation...
read moreJuanita Woodlands work party on Saturday, November 5
Want some good wholesome exercise on a brisk November morning? Sure you do! And DCNA has you covered! We’re organizing a work party in the eastern portion of the Juanita Woodlands on Saturday, November 5, to clean out blackberries and other invasives so that we’ll be ready to plant over 2000 new trees in January. We’ll meet at 9am on 120th Street, which runs east from Juanita Drive (just below the Plaza Garcia Restaurant). Park on the street. If you have hand tools — loppers, clippers, and shovels — feel free to bring them,...
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Kirkland Patch
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