BTB Contributor Maureen Hoffmann sent us the following note and photos, regarding Seahurst Park Beach, which will close in late September or early October for a restoration project:
An elder Burien resident called last night urging me to accompany her to Seahurst Beach to shoot photos at low tide today. It would be the last low tide of this level, -1.6, before the “Seahurst Beach Restoration Project” is set to begin on Sept. 16 (more info here: http://www.burienwa.gov/index.aspx?NID=471)
At low tide, the beach is a rich, complex plain of life and variation. We listened to the large barnacles “clicking”, gently nudged the anemones and watched them contract, admired the ospreys and herons in their seashore hunts.
The shoreline will be forever altered in the process of the beach “restoration”. There is expected gain, but also loss. How much of these living sands will be trampled under the weight of the ingress and egress of heavy equipment? How many of the natural rocks will be removed along with those installed in the 70s? “Recovery” will not occur on the last day of the project, but likely some time long after.
Go to the beach now, when the tide is low. Look closely and enjoy the complexity of the life there. This will be your last chance until late next Spring 2014.
Here’s a tide table: http://www.saltwatertides.com/cgi-local/washington.cgi
Here are photos Maureen shared with us (click images to see larger versions/slideshow):
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Thanks for your thoughts and pictures. It will be interesting to me to see it restored to the way I remember it as a child before the park was built.
Me, too, Robbie. I was in high school when all of that was being built. Now it’s being torn down. But the fragile tidal zone will take a while to reestablish itself.
I don’t understand why they don’t just leave well enough alone. More wasted Burien dollars.
Clearly you have no idea what you’re talking about. Perhaps you should research the project a bit and see how it’s funded.
Also, this project restores the beach to its natural state.
Citizens can learn more about the long-range planning that has been done by the community for Seahurst Park, and why this project is being done, by viewing this short video: http://youtu.be/HOI4MaEQBi8?t=2m … project updates will be posted over the next several months at http://www.burienwa.gov/SeahurstProject
Thanks for the video link!
For more about the larger shoreline restoration effort which Seahurst is part of, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/aug2113a/