Kiwanis Park Stewardship Plan
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- Introduction 1.1Park Description
- Site Assessment 1.4Organization
- Attractions and Facilities
- 1.6Ecological Inventory
- Native Vegetation Characteristics
- Non-Native Invasive Vegetation
Contents1.Introduction 1 1.1Park Description 1 1.2Park Background 1 1.3Plan Purpose 1 2.Site Assessment 2 1.4Organization 2 1.5Social Inventory 2 2.1.1Attractions and Facilities 2 2.1.2Demographics 2 1.6Ecological Inventory 4 2.1.3Methods 4 2.1.4Site Characteristics 4 2.1.5Geology & Soils 4 2.1.6Hydrology 3 2.1.7Wildlife 3 2.1.8Native Vegetation Characteristics 3 2.1.9Non-Native Invasive Vegetation 4 3.Stewardship 10 1.7Recommendations 10 1.8Special Considerations 12 1.9Best Management Practices 15 3.1.1Invasive Species Removal 15 3.1.2Steep slope management 18 3.1.3Planting, mulching and composting 19 1.10Materials 19 1.11Volunteers 20 1.12Monitoring 20 1.13Timeline 22 Introduction1.1Park DescriptionKiwanis Park, owned and managed by the City of Kirkland, is a 2.57-acre forested waterfront park situated on a west-facing slope above lake Washington. The park is located at 1405 10th Street W in the Market Neighborhood in Kirkland, Washington. It is surrounded on three sides by low-density residential developments. 1.2Park BackgroundKiwanis Park has been a City-owned public park since 1920. This park has been designated an Urban Conservancy shoreline environment under the City of Kirkland’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP), allowing only development compatible with retaining or restoring the ecological functions of the area. While the park has remained undeveloped, it has over the years become increasingly overgrown with non-native invasive plants such as English/Atlantic ivy and Himalayan blackberry. In 2005, the City of Kirkland and Forterra (then the Cascade Land Conservancy) joined forces to address the declining health of forests and other natural areas in Kirkland parks. The result was the Green Kirkland Partnership, a program that draws on City of Kirkland resources, volunteers, and partners such as Forterra, to restore City-owned forests and other natural areas according to a 20-Year Forest Restoration Plan. Kiwanis Park is one of the areas targeted for restoration by the Green Kirkland Partnership. Restoration work at the park has been ongoing since 2007. As of June 2013, 686 volunteers had contributed a total of 2,388 hours to removing invasive plant species, and installing and mulching native plants at the park. 1.3Plan PurposeThe volunteer Green Kirkland Steward program is a critical component of the 20-Year Forest Restoration Plan. The purpose of this stewardship plan for Kiwanis Park is to assist park managers and volunteer Green Kirkland Stewards with the ongoing restoration and management of natural areas in the park. The goal of restoration at the park is to cultivate a resilient forest, resistant to non-native species invasion, which will provide habitat for wildlife and improved ecosystem services. Stewardship objectives include: management of invasive plant species establishment of native vegetation, including trees, particularly conifers, and understory species ongoing monitoring and maintenance of restored areas Site Assessment1.4OrganizationKiwanis Park has been subdivided into eight restoration management units to provide a spatial reference and to help organize stewardship efforts. Restoration management units were established based on habitat type, dominant vegetation, restoration history, and physical features. Hardscape, landscaped and open water areas were excluded as these areas are not suitable for restoration activities. Figure 1 shows the location, extent, and restoration status of the management units at the park. As of the end of summer 2013, 1.5 acres of a total of 1.9 acres of park and surrounding right-of-way areas targeted in Kiwanis Park have been enrolled in restoration. 1.5Social InventoryAttractions and FacilitiesKiwanis Park is a natural park designated for passive recreational uses. The park features upland forest and about 450 linear feet of unarmored lake shoreline. An unpaved walking trail leads from the park entrance down a steep slope to, and along, the lakeshore. Two picnic tables in a grassy area at the top of the slope are available for visitors to use, but there are no restroom facilities. Limited parking is available along 10th Street W. DemographicsKiwanis Park is surrounded by low-density residential neighborhoods. Park users are mostly residents from the surrounding neighborhood out for a stroll, often with their dogs. Figure 1. Restoration management units at Kiwanis Park. Note that the trails map for this park is still in development. 1.6Ecological InventoryMethodsA rapid assessment protocol, developed by Forterra’s Green Cities Program, was used to collect baseline ecological data for each management unit at Kiwanis Park. This protocol is designed to provide a general overview of site characteristics and vegetative cover. Instead of setting up sampling plots, data is collected by walking through each management unit and assessing general conditions. For each management unit, data was collected on aspect, slope, soil properties, downed and standing dead wood, litter layer, canopy characteristics, understory species, invasive plant species cover, and restoration needs. For more detail on the protocol, see Appendix I Site CharacteristicsThe general site characteristics are summarized in Table 1. The western part of the park comprises predominantly deciduous forest, with deciduous-coniferous mixed forest occurring in the eastern half of the park (Figure 2). The topography is relatively gentle at the top of the slope, then becomes very steep (management units 02 and 07), gradually flattening out to the edge of the lake at the bottom of the slope. Coarse woody debris cover is generally low, except for 08 where some black cottonwood trees were recently felled. There are very few snags in the park. Geology & SoilsThe surface geology at Kiwanis Park consists predominantly of glacial till. The soil that typically forms in this type of deposit is Alderwood gravelly sandy loam. Minor components of other soil types can also be expected, especially towards the bottom of the slope, where fine-grained lake sediments were likely exposed when the water level of Lake Washington dropped upon completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 1917. Field observations confirmed that the soils in most management units consist of silt and/or sand (Table 2). Soils in most of the park appear to be stable, but evidence of slumping was observed below the landscaped area at the top of the slope in management unit 07. The City of Kirkland has identified the steep slopes in the park as medium to high risk for landslides. Light to moderate compaction was noted in some areas, mostly associated with trail use, beach access, and restoration activities. The depth of the litter layer is less than ½ inch throughout the park. Table 1: General site characteristics
CWD=Coarse woody debris Snags: Low=1-5/acre Medium=6-20/acre High=>20/acre Table 2: Soil characteristics
Figure 2. Map of existing habitat types at Kiwanis Park. HydrologyKiwanis Park is situated on the shores of Lake Washington and forms part of the Kirkland Slope basin in the Lake Washington-Cedar River watershed. There are no documented streams or wetlands in the park. Soils in the areas below the steep slope (management units 01, 05, and 08) are saturated during the winter months, and water has been observed running down the slope in 07 and 08. It is not clear whether this is the result of groundwater seepage or stormwater runoff. WildlifeKiwanis Park provides habitat for a variety of terrestrial wildlife, including mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Species of particular interest include the bald eagle—these birds forage in Lake Washington and use tall trees along the shoreline for perching sites. The lake itself is home to several species of fish considered Priority Species by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, including Dolly Varden/bull trout, Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, winter steelhead trout, and cutthroat trout. Native Vegetation CharacteristicsNative vegetation characteristics for each management unit are summarized in Table 3; scientific names of plant species can be found in Appendix III. Note that only the dominant species present are recorded during the rapid assessment. Deciduous forest (management units 01, 02, 04, 05, and 08) The dominant overstory trees in the deciduous forest habitat consist of black cottonwood, red alder, big-leaf maple, and Oregon ash, with subordinate western hemlock and Douglas-fir. Overstory canopy cover ranges between 25 and 75%, with tree density averaging from 50 to 150 stems per acre. Overstory tree diameter averages 5-15 inches in 01 and 02, 15-20 inches in 05, 20-30 inches in 04 and >30 inches in 08. Regenerating tree density is low and, particularly in the case of conifer trees, consists mostly of trees installed during restoration. Naturally regenerating trees include Oregon ash, big-leaf maple, and black cottonwood. Installed tree species include Douglas-fir, western redcedar, Sitka spruce, grand fir, western hemlock, and cascara. Percent native shrub cover is low in 08 (<5%), and higher in the rest of the deciduous forest, particularly in 02 and 05 where it is more than 75%. Dominant native shrub species include beaked hazelnut, red elderberry, thimbleberry, salmonberry, Indian plum, Nootka rose, and vine maple. Herbaceous cover is less than 25% and consists of western sword fern, trailing blackberry, and common horsetail. Mixed conifer-deciduous forest (management units 03, 06 and 07) The dominant tree species in the mixed conifer-deciduous forest habitat are Douglas-fir, western redcedar, big-leaf maple, western hemlock, Oregon ash, Garry oak, and black cottonwood. Conifer tree density is low (<50 conifer tree stems/acre) with average tree diameter less than 30 inches. Regenerating tree species include western redcedar and Douglas-fir, both installed as part of restoration activities, and big-leaf maple. Native shrub cover is more than 50% and comprises Indian plum, mock orange, snowberry, low Oregon-grape, salal, and vine maple. Herbaceous cover consists of western sword fern, trailing blackberry, and rock penstemon.
Non-Native Invasive VegetationNon-native invasive vegetation characteristics are summarized in Table 4; scientific names of plant species can be found in Appendix IV. Invasive overstory density is low throughout the park, consisting of Portugal laurel, common hawthorn, and sweet cherry. Regenerating tree density is low to medium, and in addition to the species mentioned above, includes English holly and horse-chestnut. The dominant shrub species is Himalayan blackberry. Evergreen blackberry is also present, and, for the purposes of this report, is included with Himalayan blackberry. Himalayan blackberry cover is less than 5% in the areas where restoration has already been initiated, and up to 75% in areas not yet in restoration, mainly 07 and part of 05. Invasive species in the herbaceous layer is generally <5% where restoration has already occurred, and up to 50% where restoration is yet to happen. Dominant herbaceous species include herb Robert, hedge false bindweed, creeping buttercup, nipplewort, knotweed species, St. John’s wort, bull thistle, English ivy, and introduced grasses. Table 3: Native vegetation characteristics
Tree density: low=0-50 stems/acre medium=50-150 stems/acre high=>150 stems/acre *Horticultural variety Table 3 (continued): Native vegetation characteristics
Stem density: low=0-50 stems/acre medium=50-150 stems/acre high=>150 stems/acre *Horticultural variety Table 4: Non-native invasive vegetation characteristics
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