Meadowbrook Update: November 2014

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Since June 2014 the arterial 35th Ave NE has been closed at the point of NE 107th Street while the South Branch of Thornton Creek has been rechanneled and a flood plain created for greater capacity to hold water.  The work of the Confluence Project necessitated digging up the roadbed.  The work is coming along, but the target date for re-opening 35th Ave NE has been set back due to delays caused by rainy and cold weather.  The roadway is being rebuilt with a bridge-like structure, sidewalks and rails, and time is needed for the concrete to “cure.”

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Autumn Leaves

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Flame Ash trees along 35th Ave NE

The Wedgwood neighborhood of northeast Seattle, renowned for its beautiful trees, is a wonderland of color during the autumn season.

The flame ash street trees along the arterial 35th Ave NE turn crimson in October-November.  These street trees extend along 35th Ave NE beginning at NE 84th Street, northward to where the arterial meets Lake City Way NE at NE 137th Street.

Not only along the arterials, but also on side streets and in the yards of residences in Wedgwood, the show of colorful leaves is a feast to the eyes.

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Meadowbrook Update: October 2014

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

In October 2014 the flame ash street trees along 35th Ave NE are showing their autumn colors.  Since June 2014 street signs have been posted to warn drivers along the arterial that 35th Ave NE is closed to through-traffic at NE 107th Street where construction is underway at The Confluence. The Confluence is the place at NE 107th Street where the North and South Branches of Thornton Creek converge.  At that lowest point in the roadway, stormwaters have often flooded surrounding streets and houses.  This year of 2014 is the third phase of construction at The Confluence to add capacity for water and improve the environment for fish.

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Autumn’s Untidy Beauty

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Author Christy Peterson has provided us with a good excuse NOT to rake up all the leaves in the yard!  Skip the tidying, Christy advises.  Left where they fall, leaves and dying vegetation provide habitat for birds.  In rethinking fall clean-up, Christy writes,

Autumn seed heads provide food for birds. Photo courtesy of Tweets & Tree Frogs blog, October 2014.

Autumn seed heads provide food for birds.   Photo courtesy Christy Peterson, October 2014.

My little corner of the earth is slipping towards its winter nap. Leaves are falling, flowers fading, and everything is looking just a bit unkempt. (More so than normal anyway – my garden has never quite achieved the opposite of unkempt!) Despite the ragged edges, I won’t be rushing out with clippers and rakes. That’s because the fallen leaves and ragged stems that look untidy to us are gold for backyard wildlife.

Read more at Christy Peterson’s blog, Cultivating Wonder.

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Pumpkin Season in Wedgwood

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History
The ever-ready Scouts of Troop 151 promote pumpkin sales in Wedgwood.

The ever-ready Scouts of Troop 151 promote pumpkin sales in Wedgwood.

This year’s fun fall festival of pumpkins is brought to you by Scout Troop 151.  They are getting into the spirit with costumed sales helpers and a great variety of gourds for your October decorating needs.

The annual pumpkin extravaganza is held in the heart of the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle at the Hunter Tree Farm, 7744 35th Ave NE next to the Wedgwood Post Office.

Shop for pumpkins on Friday evening from 4 to 8 PM, and all day on Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 6.  Sunday, October 26 will be the last day of pumpkin sales.

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Meadowbrook Update: September 2014

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

The rain and cooler temperatures of the week of September 21 to 27, 2014, were a signal to fish, that it is almost time for them to swim upstream!  The summer dry-season is over, and in-water work at The Confluence on Thornton Creek must finish by the end of September in compliance with state regulations on habitat for fish.

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Bird Migration Routes

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History
Rufous Hummingbird by Lois Manowitz via Birdshare

Rufous Hummingbird by Lois Manowitz via Birdshare

An article from the All About Birds Blog of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology explains how birds migrate seasonally, following the “green wave” of plant resources.  The bird migration patterns show the importance of conservation efforts such as building the tree canopy.

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The New Boardwalk at Yesler Swamp

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Yesler Swamp TrailThe Yesler Swamp is a wetland on part of what was the property of Henry Yesler, a Seattle pioneer who moved his sawmill business from downtown to this site on Union Bay in 1888.  The Town of Yesler later became part of Laurelhurst.

On Sunday, September 21, 2014 from 2 to 4 PM there was a celebration and ribbon-cutting for the first section of a new boardwalk completed on the Yesler Swamp Trail.  The celebration was held at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street, where the Trail is easily accessed from the east corner of the parking lot.

Yesler Swamp overlook on the boardwalkThe Washington Conservation Corps recently completed this first phase of the Yesler Swamp boardwalk.  Made of cedar planks, the boardwalk extends out toward the lagoon and includes two overlooks so visitors can pause to enjoy the view.  Yesler Swamp is located on the north shore of Union Bay and is home to over 100 species of birds, plus other wildlife such as beaver and otter.

UPDATE:   The Yesler Swamp Boardwalk was completed in 2016.

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Twentieth Anniversary Celebration: Thornton Creek Alliance

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Thornton Creek Alliance (TCA) is an all-volunteer organization whose goal is to benefit the watershed by encouraging individuals, groups, schools, businesses, and government to work together in addressing the environmental restoration of the creek system.  It has been twenty years since a few concerned activists began organizing to improve water quality, flood prevention, and habitat throughout the northeast Seattle watershed which includes the North and South Branches of Thornton Creek.

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August 2014 Update: Construction on the Creek

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

In the Summer of 2014 work is continuing on improvements at The Confluence, the joining-place of the north and south branches of Thornton Creek on 35th Ave NE at NE 107th Street.  The two branches flow into Meadowbrook Pond, a water-filtration and flood control area created by the Seattle Engineering Dept. in 1997-98.  In 2012-2013 the Pond was dredged and enlarged.  In 2014 in this final stage of construction, the creekbeds near to the Pond are being enlarged and an adjacent flood plain is being created.

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