kerrpark2024.com

This is Mable Kerr Park, February 2024. It is an incredibly beautiful and sadly neglected 20 acre park. No visible maintenance is conducted in the park. Dead Trees and Blackberry vines impede any access to most of the area.

Project Update Campen Creek

This creek bed area is where the LCEP project will take place if the effort gets the hoped-for grant.

Brenda, John, and Brett Met with Sean Mulderig on 5-2-2024.

We got a view of the Campen Creek Drainage improvement project the City is working on with Lower Columbia Estuary Partners. This project will change the drainage of Campen Creek in the Park to provide more area to drain the creek

Here is where we started: February 22, 2024. this is before some trees were cut down. We hiked the park and took some views. Of course the eye-catching thing about this park as a whole is the host of dead trees. The neighbors indicate the trees died years ago, but were never cut down. As a result the East Winds from the Columbia Gorge blow some trees down, but there are still many standing. In addition, the invasive Blackberries are doing their best to take over all of the walkable space.

5-1-2024 What great news. The City has pushed down and cut down many of the dead trees. This is the same location with a very different skyline.

4-30-2024 Thank you City of Washougal Works! Here’s a new tree stump. Lots of trees felled this week.

No support from the City on keeping this area clear . (Yet?)

4-6-2024 this is the same area that is now overgrown with Reed canary and other grasses, as well as blackberries resurging up to 5′ tall.

Next Meetup

EARLY START: 9:00 m We’ll be at the Gifford Place Entrance on Sunday, 5-19-2024. We’ll be clearing wood debris from the area where the City cut down some of the dead trees. It is warm weather, so we’re getting started earlier.

Bring saws, clippers, rakes, wheelbarrows, wear gloves, long pants and long sleeves. Bring a friend!

Cleanup Results 5-11-2024

On 5-11-2024 our small crew came to dig up blackberries by the roots. Since the City is not mowing, we’re concerned that the blackberries will be back again just as big as before we cleared the area. We encountered chest-high Reed Canary Grass in the area, as well as Blackberries we had cleared, now as tall as 5 feet. We clawed and cut our way to as many vines as we could find and dug them up. Hot and sweaty work on this beautiful day.

On 5-13-2024 Brett Asked the City Council (again) for help with mowing the areal we’ve cleared so that we don’t have to clear the same area multiple times. Stay tuned for any progress.

5-11-2024 Cleanup

We had a small but mighty crew in the Park Saturday to dig up Blackberries. But the Reed Canary Grass in the area we had already cleared is chest-high! So we had to chop our way to the blackberries in the grass.

Here’s a shot of one of our regular “contributors: in the area we have already cleared once. Clearing it again, digging up Blackberries by the roots.

We think this area would be ideal for a picnic table. Hopefully when Kerr Park is officially a Park, this will be a great new amenity.

Cleanup Results 5-1-2024

5-1-2024 These dead trees are at the Park entrance, behind a tall (Ten foot) blackberry briar. The trail is right in front of the trees. Not cut down yet.

4-30-2024 Two City employees, a back hoe and a dump truck came to remove the blackberries and debris our crew removed from the Park.

4-27-2024 This is our Saturday crew. They have done miracles in the Park, with hand tools and sweat.

4-20-2024

This is a typical space in much of the park. There is a lot of wood debris which can be removed to improve accessibility in the Park.

Photo removed on request. One of the homeowners whose property borders the park has pitched in to help clear, and then put up a No Trespassing Sign, as well as moving logs into place to create a barrier across the park. The debris from these efforts is thrown into the park area not yet cleared. The City will need a tractor and a dump truck to move all of this. Unlike our efforts, which are done as the City requires with only hand tools, this neighbor is using chain saw and tractor. Photo is removed on request.

Here’s why kerrpark2024 exists: We’re the citizens of Washougal, working to rescue this beautiful park from neglect. these spaces are spectacular even with debris and blackberries.

Now we know what the habitat is for! We walked the trail that the city mowed, and found the Fauna.

Here’s where the neighbor dumped the debris from the area they cleared.

List of reasons the City is not cleaning up Kerr Park:

Kerr Park is different: not intended to be a park, but a “natural area” 2. LCEP will perhaps do some drainage changes in 2025 or later, if money is granted from unknown source for the work. Which will include some clearing (unknown scope) of dead trees in unknown area. Currently unfunded. 3. “This is all going to be bulldozed” (Works department employee at the Park) 4. Part of the area belongs to the Washougal School District 5. We’re going to do something about that. We don’t know what. 6, This takes time, we can’t do anything immediately 7. We need input from the Arborist. 8. We tried to close the park but nobody obeyed the signs. 9. We have a Park Pals ivy clearance scheduled for June. 10. We don’t know what the status of this effort is. 11. You Heard it here first: This is not a park. 12. Dead trees are Habitat. 13. This is private property. No Trespassing. 14. park closed as we assess some hazard trees to ensure the safety of those utilizing the trail 15. We don’t want people cutting the Himalayan blackberries because they’re native plants. 16. Can’t you go to a different park? 17. You’re pissing people off. (who doesn’t want Kerr Park to be rescued?)

History

Great weekend work party 4-14-2024. Lots of new faces and record attendance. It was a real family affair and we also welcomed some Washougal High School students who are volunteering as part of their mandate as members of Future Business Leaders of America. Leadership indeed.

We attacked some of the logs and limbs that we could reach and we could lift. Here’s some Trailside debris

We made a couple of piles of the logs and debris we picked up. Here’s one ready for pickup by the Washougal Works Department. They have come and picked up our piles of debris each week. Thanks, Works!

The Waiver – Would You Adopt a Park?

The new Adopt a Park form has been updated. We sent in and were approved to Adopt Kerr Park on the previous form. The City has a new requirement. See if you would sign.. We would be agreeing to take on the City’s liability for the Dead Trees. Cool, huh?

The City Council and City Manager indicated at the City Council meeting that this language was required by the City attorney.

Here’s the language:

The organization/group listed herein recognizes the possible safety risks in participating in the City of Washougal’s Adopt-a-Park program, including physical injury and death, and has informed all its participants in the Adopt-a Park program of these safety risks. Knowing the safety risks, the participating organization, group, and individuals ASSUME THOSE RISKS and hereby shall release, indemnify and hold harmless the City of Washougal, its officers, employees, agents, volunteers, and elected officials from and against any and all claims, suits, actions or liabilities of any nature, including but not limited to injury or death of any person, loss or damage to property, or any other basis whatsoever, arising out of the use of city property resulting from any act or omission, or thing done, permitted, or suffered to be done, by the organization, group, and participating individuals. It is further understood and agreed that this waiver, release, and assumption of risk is to be binding on heirs and assigns.

4-6-2024

Seven of the Sward Soldiers showed up to slay blackberries and liquidate limbs. Here are most of the crew

Happy volunteers at the end of our efforts

This diligent volunteer moved a giant pile of wood we found under the blackberries.

A Small but mighty crew showed up on Saturday 3-23-24. As you can see, the area we worked on is transformed. Who knew that under the logs and blackberry vines there was a grassy sward? Actually Grassy sward is redundant: a Sward is a grassy area. We’re in the Sward-Excavating game now.

On February 17, 2024, some Kerr Park neighbors gathered at the entrance to Kerr Park. We were surprised and gratified to be greeted by Washougal Mayor David Steube! He welcomed our interest in revitalizing Mable Kerr Park, and cited some examples of volunteers pitching in to clean up other parks. So here’s looking forward to a great partnership between the City of Washougal and our Band of Mable Kerr Park Neighors.

Mayor David Steube at Mabel Kerr Park 2-17-2024

Kickoff Success

3-18-2024

Here’s our first week debris pile: we removed blackberries, both live and sprayed, as well as lots of fallen tree branches which had been piled up under the blackberries

Here’s our Last Fruit Tree before Brenda and John got started clearing around it.

A Great Time was had by our crew. Here we were at the end of a successful day, with some of the “fruits” of our labor.

We chose to Honor Mable Kerr by cleaning around the Last Prune Tree in the Park. We’ll finish the job next Saturday.

At the end of Kickoff day, here’s our major area of work – cleared of blackberries and branches.

Here’s the same trailside shot before we started work. It doesn’t even look like the same place!

Progress!

Update March 10, 2024:

We have a go-ahead to work in the park. We have scheduled a kick-off work party for Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 9:30AM. Our scope is limited, but OK to begin. Neighbors should bring their own garden shears and clippers, shovels and we could use a couple of wheelbarrows. You will need gloves, and long pants also, long sleeves highly recommended.

Definitely bring a friend. Or two.

Also, please vote on a regular day for action: What works for you? Saturday or Sunday?

Email Brenda: brendahttn@frontier.com

Stay tuned!

Still waiting for a joint meeting date…

I found the picture online: It’s Mable Kerr Park before. That’s our goal – bring it back.

Update March 5, 2024:

No Progress. The Neighbors are awaiting a meeting with the City of Washougal to get a go-ahead. Our instructions:

“Please refrain from doing any work in the park until we have our joint meeting, which I hope will be in the next couple of weeks. At our meeting, we can discuss the questions below and develop a scope of work. This is an important step in the process so the city, consultants, and volunteers can work in a collaborative manner.”