QUICK
CLICKS
SPRING HAS
SPRUNG AT GREEN LAKE
Spring has arrived and the lake's austere winter presence is giving way
ever so gradually to spring's renewal. Trees are budding, the grass is
green. Water quality is key to the enjoyment of Green Lake's popular activities,
and the water is still so much cleaner because of the alum treatment in
2004. (Photos by Karen Schurr, Jon and Paul Hewitt.)
SEATTLE PARKS
AND RECREATION 2007 ANNUAL REPORT ONLINE /PUBLIC MEETINGS PLANNED ON RENEWING
PARKS TAX LEVY
Seattle Parks and Recreation has published its 2007 Annual
Report online, covering the wide range of activities city-wide that
come under its scope - including our Green Lake park, beaches, community
center, and Evans Pool. 2007 was a year of change, with the development
of the Strategic Action Plan, a new Superintendent, completion of many
Pro Park and Community Centers Levy projects, and the initiation of an
online reservations system for programs. Community input was requested
on the Stategic Action Plan, and Friends
of Greenlake submitted a letter to new Parks Superintendent Timothy
Gallagher asking for a consolidation of responsibility for the many varied
aspects of Green Lake management - which are currently scattered among
different departments of city, county, and state entities. Upcoming are
three city-wide meetings to get input on renewal of a levy to fund parks,
open space, boulevards, trails, green infrastructure and recreation projects.
More information and meeting location details are available on the Seattle
City Council website.
REPORT TOXIC BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
BLOOMS
Toxic blue-green algae looks pea-green in this Feb. 2008 Green Lake
photo.
The Washington Dept of Ecology has started a program to test blue-green
algae blooms for toxicity. Any blooms in Green Lake should be reported
so they can be recorded and tested. The bloom usually looks pea-green,
and can be scum or filaments or small spheres. As the cells die, they
can release pigment that is a striking blue, as seen in the photo below.
Digital photos help document the bloom and can determine whether to sample.
Contact Gayle Garman/Richard Fleming (206-525-1974), Sally Abella (206-296-8382,
or Tricia Shoblom (425-649-7288) to report a bloom.
Dec. 2007 close-up photo of the toxic blue-green algae in Green Lake!
The 2007 bloom was sampled by the County Dept. of Natural Resources and
was predominantly Anabaena flos-aquiae, which can produce a neurotoxin.
Shoreline accumulations also were seen Jan. and Feb. 2008. The blue-greens
float to the surface, are pushed around the lake by the wind, then accumulate
at the shoreline. The toxin may persist in the water a week or more after
the bloom. The best way to minimize possible animal poisonings by the
blooms is to keep animals away from the affected waters.
|
MEETINGS |
|
DISCUSSED AT MEETING
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 |
|
TAKE A WALK ON
THE WILD SIDE OF GREEN LAKE |
Introductions - Gayle Garman, Chair
About Us | Contact Us | How To Help | Links
©2008 Friends of Green Lake
PO Box 30544, Seattle, WA 98113
Webmaster - Ellen Hewitt
Updated
May 13, 2008
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