The St. Marks Green Belt, in Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, Washington, borders East Blaine Street to the west, 10th Ave East to the east. The northern and southern borders are vague at best mixed with trees and houses. The greenbelt helps buffer the noise from I-5 from Capitol Hill. A trail entrance at the Lefler House parking lot leads through the green belt looping back to the other end of the parking lot. A small creek runs through the center of the western portion of the greenbelt weaving through corrugated pipes above and underground.

History

In 1993, the city added the greenbelt to a number of properties protected by the green space policy. Later in the 1990s, the Streissguth family donated additional land to the greenbelt that included a permanent garden. In 2007 a large grant from the city was given to Green Seattle and St. Marks Episcopal Cathedral to reduce invasive plant species and build new trails.

Plants and Animals

The greenbelt has been over run in the last decade with invasive species of plants; mainly Holly and Ivy. A lack of native species especially conifers leaves little for the urban wildlife except local birds. One positive of the location is that provides refuge for raptors hunting on I-5 and is a good place to view American Kestrels and occasional a Peregrine Falcon.

Community

Since 2006, the community especially St. Marks Episcopal Cathedral and Green Seattle have been pulling invasive and refurbishing the tails.