the end of July and a sigh of relief

Male Ruddy Duck in full breeding plumage at Kah Tai

July 31, 2012 is a date that held considerable concern for those who want to protect Kah Tai. It is the day that the 30-year Kah Tai lease between the City and Port has been set to expire. And here we are, on July 31, 2012. The lease is still in place while the final details are completed for the long-awaited transfer of the Port's Kah Tai holdings to the City.  That status quo for the Park's management is spelled out in '1. Escrow Account Established' in Exhibit A of the Joint Resolution signed by the City and Port on May 21, 2012.

Meanwhile, back at the Park:

Admiralty Audubon's Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park bird survey report is now complete! The report's cover image is seen above, courtesy David Gluckman.

From October 2009 to October 2011, Admiralty Audubon chapter birders conducted 52 daylight surveys of birds in the park. Two-thirds of the species counted in the survey are land-based birds, utilizing the maturing uplands of the park. Ninety-eight species and their seasonal distributions were counted during the surveys.

In the process of analysing the survey results, we were fortunate to locate in the Friends of Kah Tai's archives five historic bird lists from Kah Tai, including one undertaken by AAS chapter founder, Eleanor Stopps, and first chapter president, Bernard Beck, from 1978-1979. The historic lists were incorporated into the analysis. The Park's historic species list is now documented at 150, as a new species was added a couple of weeks ago - Western Kingbird.

AAS has just completed a data- and photo-rich presentation of the survey results. It provides a brief overview of park history, a useful guide to what birds you might expect to see at any given visit and some excellent photography of the birds at Kah Tai. If you'd like an electronic copy of the report, you can download it at http://admiraltyaudubon.org. It is approximately 2.7 MB.

Printed copies of the report will be available in limited numbers soon. Check back on the AAS website for more information.

now that we're here, it seems so easy

On July 16th, City Council moved forward with the majority of City actions needed to complete the transfer of the Port's Kah Tai lands to the City.  Specifically, they passed Ordinances 3078 and 3079 unanimously for first reading. The first ordinance will amend nonconforming use provisions  in Chapters 17.88 and 20.01 of the Municipal Code. The second will vacate rights of way in the Boat Haven. Council approved unanimously Resolution 12-030, which will lead to the transfer of City's ownership interest (except for Pope Marine Building) in City Dock and Union Wharf, and the abandoned railroad line in the boat haven (but not any part affecting the Larry Scott Trail).

They held Ordinance 3080 which would vacate a portion of Madison Street ROW associated with City Dock due to some issues about underlying property servitudes (remember RCO and perpetuity?) to be discussed by the full negotiating committee. Council approved unanimously a first reading of Ordinance 3081 repealing Municipal Code Chapter 5.46 pertaining to City Dock and Union Wharf use regulations and charges, and passed unanimously Ordinance 3082, amending Municipal Code Chapter 13.05 about utility rates and added section 13.05.055 Boat Haven - Exemption From Stormwater Fees.

On July 25th, The Port Commission held their formal hearing to surplus their Kah Tai holdings. With no objections and only one public comment (in support), the Commission agreed that the Port Administration will draft a resolution to finalize the transfer to the City to be considered (signed) at their next meeting.

See how easy this is? Or at least it looks easy sitting in the bleachers.

protecting public parkland

The complicated process required to transfer the Port's Kah Tai holdings to the City is well underway and moving along rapidly. One completely unexpected consequence can be read at the link below. Who knew that the primary voice for developing Kah Tai these last 30-odd years could have had a change of heart so complete that we now find protecting Kah Tai held up as the model for protecting public land from development?

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120627/news/306279991/proposed-land-buy-in-quilcene-by-seafood-company-to-be-discussed

On 14 June 2012, the Port Townsend Planning Commission forwarded to City Council the necessary Municipal Code changes with regard to nonconforming uses, and City Council passed Ordinance 3075 on 18 June 2012. Next up is a City Council hearing on 16 July 2012 addressing right-of-way vacations in the Boat Haven and other issues prior to property transfers.  Also look for a Port hearing soon to provide guidance and permission for the Port Manager to schedule the necessary public process to surplus their Kah Tai land so it can be transferred.

illegal conversions of LWCF parks

An MSNBC article posted this week gives us a vivid picture of what sort of bullet we managed to dodge in our efforts to protect Kah Tai. Parks created with LWCF funds have been illegally converted all over the US.

The most effective tool that NPS has in the effort to protect parks created with LWCF funds is an interested and vigilant public that requires local governments to honor their commitments. NPS can apply penalties to local governments that illegally convert parks, but it still is a matter of asking forgiveness and not permission if the damage is already done. If Kah Tai was converted, the City and Port would be required to provide replacement land elsewhere with the same citizen access and habitat value.

We have wildlife habitat that has taken nearly 50 years to develop after the dredge spoils were dumped in 1964. That habitat has been fostered with considerable citizen effort since park creation in 1981. Kah Tai is unique. It is irreplaceable.

conflict averted, for now

This cartoon from The Atlantic magazine, September 2010, has been perched quietly in the computer, waiting to be Photoshopped a little and posted. It just needed a label on that awning and some greenery along the path and it would have represented a future we dreaded for Kah Tai. Perhaps the street signs could have been labeled 'Hell' and 'High Water'. There's no telling what is ahead for Kah Tai, but it is likely it won't look like this in our lifetimes, now that the Port and City have a swap in the works.

A new article in the science journal Nature speculates, with considerable supporting data, that loss of biodiversity is increasingly likely to be a tipping point for irreversible change in the coming years. A diverse ecosystem is far better suited to respond to rapidly changing conditions. When we're down to urban habitat fit only for pigeons and English sparrows, we won't stand much of a chance at survival. Our own little urban habitat at Kah Tai boasts nearly 100 documented daylight bird species. Native plant species increase in number and diversity with diligent effort by many concerned citizens. It is our own small contribution to a buffer for the ecosystem at large.

this park is for the birds

Although the Leader had a nice article about the May 21st joint City/Port meeting, it isn't on their public website so a link isn't available. However, the Peninsula Daily News did provide a good article about the meeting on their website:

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120523/NEWS/305239994/city-port-ok-kah-tai-lagoon-swap

It isn't over yet, but the news is more hopeful than it's ever been for Kah Tai.

all together now, say 'thank you'

For once, the news in the Leader is so complete that it's been hard to find anything more to add. The news is also incredibly hopeful.

On May 21st, the City Council and Port Commission will hold a joint meeting at the Cotton Building at 7:30 pm, to vote on the peace treaty worked out by their respective staff and elected members. Once passed, the treaty places all relevant parcels and other real estate into escrow until every detail has been completed. When escrow closes, the 6(f)(3) boundary of Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park, as affirmed by RCO and NPS, will be intact.

We can call this effort historic. The last time the City and Port undertook this level of compromise was just over three decades ago, when majorities of both bodies agreed to create Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park.

It is always useful to reinforce good acts with acknowledgement, whether or not the motives for those good acts are entirely altruistic. Both the City and Port could use a 'thank you' from members of the public at the meeting.