Grants Database

Grantee:
Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association
Amount Awarded:
$30,000
Project Title:
Expansion of Urban Restoration sites along Longfellow Creek Basin including Delridge Wetland Park
Fund:
Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund, 2022
Website:
Issue:
Water Resources/Watershed Protection ; Environmental Health & Justice ; Environmental Education ; Habitat/Wilderness/Preservation ; Land Management/Urban Sprawl/Open Space
Region:
Central Puget Sound
County/Counties:
King County
Project Description:

The Delridge Wetland Park is part of the Longfellow Creek Watershed, and now that pandemic restrictions are lifting, we plan to continue expanding our environmental engagement with youth into other sites along the watershed, where we already engage in restoration work. These include Croft Forest, and 5 other restoration sites in the Longfellow Creek drainage basin. We want to expand urban forest restoration, and bring additional neighborhood youth into these West Seattle urban greenspaces to learn the impacts of environmental awareness and stewardship. As a functioning outdoor classroom, the Delridge Wetland Park is becoming a unique asset to our community as it allows youth, and others in our neighborhood, to engage in systems-based projects while being immersed in Seattle’s urban forest. Contact with nature is essential for healthy mental and cognitive development in young children, and studies have shown that poor access to urban green spaces is associated with behavioral problems, inattention and hyperactive disorders. The pandemic has put aspects of this project on hold, but as restrictions have lifted, we are continuing the park’s construction and once again engaging with youth in this and other green spaces in the watershed. We know that the outdoors is a safer place in the pandemic, and we will continue to adhere to public health guidance as we expand and enhance programs and sites for youth involvement.