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Volunteers urge committee to clarify parks’ plans for environmental‑education levy funding
Summary
Two public commenters who work or formerly worked as Urban Nature Guides told the committee they are concerned parks may not use levy funds to preserve the program’s nine positions and asked the committee to request a parks presentation on how levy money will be spent on environmental education.
Maggie Johnson, a volunteer Urban Nature Guide with Seattle Parks’ environmental education program, told the Parks, Public Utilities & Technology Committee on July 23 that volunteers and program supporters are worried parks administration may not follow through on levy‑backed funding for staff positions.
"We are so grateful to you, the council and to the mayor's office for deciding that our program is critically important for the youth of our city and must be saved," Johnson said. She said the mayor's office included funding for nine staff positions in the school levy but that Parks had instructed a program manager to prepare a work plan for only four positions. Johnson asked the committee to request a presentation from Seattle Parks and Recreation explaining "what they plan to do with the levy budget should it pass" and specifically how the environmental‑education program will be staffed and sustained.
Why it matters: Johnson said the program serves volunteers, community partners and tens of thousands of participants; she told the committee that parks had not shared its plan for environmental education with staff, volunteers or the public.
What the commenter requested: Johnson asked the committee — which does not directly run day‑to‑day park operations — to request a formal presentation from Parks about their plans for environmental‑education staffing and use of levy funds.
Additional public comment: Adrienne Dorf, who identified herself as a resident of the Haller Lake neighborhood and a former Urban Nature Guide, urged the committee to "protect the Magnuson Park wetlands for the wildlife that rely on them and the people who enjoy the peace and quiet they offer," and asked the council to find another location for a proposed noisy pickleball court that would sit adjacent to the wetland. Dorf connected her remarks to environmental education by saying that preserving the wetland supports wildlife and quiet places used by nature‑education programs.
Discussion versus decisions: These remarks occurred during the committee’s public comment period; no formal actions or votes were taken on either request during the July 23 session. Maggie Johnson’s request for a parks presentation was recorded; the committee did not schedule a presentation at the meeting.
Ending: Committee staff acknowledged public comment and proceeded to the public hearing on Council Bill 121005. The speakers’ requests provide a record for the committee to consider when scheduling future briefings on parks’ levy implementation and park‑planning decisions affecting wetlands.
