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An economy based on timber removal did not bode well for the natural landscape of the Pacific Northwest. There was no understanding, among our pioneer forefathers, of the relationship of trees to soil, soil to moisture, moisture to runoff, or runoff to water. No environmental assessments were undertaken before the first trees -- and even hills -- were removed. Watershed dynamics were disrupted. Chief Sealths's warnings about disregard for the natural landscape went unheeded.
There were other prophetic voices for the environment. They included Henry David Thoreau in the mid-1850s, John Muir at the turn of the century, and Aldo Leopold in the 1930s.
But it wasn't until Rachel Carson published "Silent Spring" in 1962 that a movement towards environmental understanding and stewardship would take root in this country. Her message was unusually successful because it came at a time when the evidence of environmental damage was overwhelming and the message was followed by pictures of the earth sent back from the moon.
Photos of the fragile blue-green planet dramatically focused, as no words had ever done, on the finite, closed system of our small planet. After that time the first Earth Day was celebrated (1970) and legislation was passed to curb some of the excesses of earlier land use practices. In the early 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency was established and the United nations began its environmental program (UNEP).
Published at roughly the same time was Ian McHarg's's "Design with Nature," a beautifully written book offering sensible, practical approaches to landscape planning and workable solutions for professionals of landscape design and engineering. Landscape professionals were ready to learn the methods of working within the rule of natural laws rather than against them, as Genesis had recommended ("Fill the earth and subdue it.")
Since the early 1970s there has been an increased effort to plan changes in landscapes with a balance of ecosystems in mind. Many current projects are attempting to remedy a past when rivers were straightened, trees were removed from hillsides and wetlands were filled. It is now accepted that an inventory and assessment of geology, hydrology, vegetation and wildlife would be completed before intrusive changes are decided upon. Once a picture of the forces governing the site has been determined, an effort can be made to reintroduce a self-sustaining community of native plant materials.
The term "Environmental CPR" summarizes the intent to work within the boundaries of the natural laws that govern natural systems. Instead "Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation," the initials in this case stand for "Conserve, Protect and Restore." This CPR is directed to the land itself instead of to an inert human body. But in the same spirit of rejuvenation, Environmental CPR is intended to provide and reactivate dynamic processes that can be sustained.
Key preliminaries of Environmental CPR are:
One excellent opportunity for Environmental CPR is now unfolding at the Three Forks Natural Area, where the North , Middle and South Forks of the Snoqualmie River come together. Located in te floodway and flood plain, the 200-acre site provides natural flood storage for the Upper Snoqualmie Valley. Landscape architects at Worthy & Associates are developing a plan for protection of riparian habitat, sloughs, forest wetlands and miles of riverfront for the significant natural values.
The firm is also involved with the master planning of the Bob Heiman Wildlife Park at Thomas Eddy in Snohomish County. The site, which lies at the edge of urban growth, includes the last remaining natural bends or "eddies" in the lower reaches of the river. Eagles, otter, deer and a wide range of migratory and resident wildlife frequent the 343-acre site.
A Des Moines Creek Trail project not only involves steps to conserve and protect riparian habitat, it also has a significant element of restoration as well. The creek's free-flowing channel will be restored under a state highway when ravine fill is removed and replaced with a bridge. This will allow an uninterrupted trail of over 2.4 miles from the Des Moines waterfront along the side of the creek into the City of SeaTac.
The firm's work along the Sammamish River is an example of restoration efforts to improve the long-term stability of habitat and riparian communities on the edge of an urban setting. Portions of the riverbanks in Redmond will be restored with aesthetic and habitat-enriching native trees, shrubs and groundcovers as non-native blackberries and invasive grasses are removed. Pedestrians and cyclists following the Sammammish River Trail in the future will be able to view this restoration and enjoy communities native to the riverside.
Within an urban setting, on Seattle's Queen Anne Hill, Kinnear Park is an example of the successful application of CPR to disturbed hillside. Where slumping and landslides had occurred as a result of tree removal, slopes were stabilized with appropriate native plants. Again at the West Point treatment facility bordering Discovery Park, slope stabilization was achieved through natural revegetation of the hillside.
In 1970 Walt Kelly, in a mood of despair, said: "We have met the enemy and he is us" (Impollutable Pogo). Would he feel the same despair today, nearly 30 years later? Current remedial efforts of the Corps of Engineers and others in the design profession show that we have built upon the early goals and methods of conservation and protection and that we can also be friends of the environment. We have accepted the vital role that restoration must now play in reversing the effects of disregard for natural systems.
Steve Worthy is a landscape architect and principal with Worthy & Associates. Diane Steen is a landscape architect and writer in Seattle.
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