How community involvement shaped the Seahurst Park ecosystem restoration project

The Seahurst Park Ecosystem Restoration Project (Project) is an excellent example of how community, stakeholder, and tribal involvement can inform and shape a science based restoration project. Located on the eastern shore of Mid Puget Sound, south of downtown Seattle, Seahurst Park consists of approximately 1 mile of shoreline. Most of park was armored with several types of materials. The armoring prevented the park's natural sediment supply from reaching approximately 10 miles of nearshore to the north. The park is in the City of Burien, an economically and ethnically diverse City. It is the most popular and heavily park used in the City's system. A diverse team of scientists, engineers, planners, and landscape architects were involved in the planning, design and permitting of the project during all phases. This team led the investigation of numerous baseline studies, and established restoration goals for the project. Anchor QEA was the lead consultant for these efforts. The project was a partnership between the City of Burien, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District. Numerous state grants and other funding were obtained from the Washington Recreation Conservation Office for the project. Community and stakeholder involvement occurred in two distinct phases over the project's 12-year planning and implementation process. Both phases brought out the importance of balancing community and stakeholder concerns with science based information. The need for this balanced approach applies to many aspects of the project, but one of the best examples pertains to shoreline access. The resulting project achieves its ecological goals, as well as park and recreation, and environmental education community needs. Given how the park is used, and its natural processes, the public and stakeholder involvement process was essential is developing a highly integrated, site specific resolution to seemingly conflicting needs and concerns.