Very well written, David, and a real pleasure to read, as are all of your contributions to the natural history and ecology of Seattle and its surroundings. And thanks for mentioning us in your acknowledgments. Jason King and I are working on an even deeper dive into Seattle’s creeks and streams, in more of a guidebook form under the working title of "Once Upon a Forest Stream: The Hidden Hydrology of Seattle"...for which we are actively seeking a publisher! Best Regards, Patrick Trotter
Patrick, Thanks for your kind words. Great to hear that you are continuing to move forward on your book project. I look forward to seeing it out in the world. David
Ghost rivers and the ghost beasts that once traveled them... Really enjoyed this piece. One of the most powerful stories I've read of the active "burying" of a creek under concrete is in the beginning of David James Duncan's "My Story as Told by Water", where the creek he knows so intimately as a boy is swallowed by sprawl before his eyes.
(I agree with those who prefer the audio and textual formats combined in a single transmission.)
Thanks again for a fantastic piece about our interactions with the natural world, in this case what should be a wake up call for all urbanites to go out and explore. It’s such a shame that most kids today are missing a right of childhood: idling away hours at the local (clean) creek. This essay deserves a wide Seattle audience like in Pacic NW Magazine.
A SE Seattle ghost river provided hours of fun with elementary aged kids in the greenbelt area S of Dearborn Park School on Beacon Hill a few summers ago. They cleared an overgrown wetland trail and re-"discovered" running water there beneath brambles. They proceeded to have a glorious couple of days making informal "bridges" with downed limbs. Idiling away hours in earnest abandon cleared enough wildspace to reassert a very find natural area for outdoor education. Huckleberry Finn would have appreciated their muddy smiles, for sure.
All this came about as part of a two week all-outdoor Camp Read-a-Rama program, gloriously combining reading with the outdoors. For more information on past and upcoming outdoor literacy experiences, see https://www.read-a-rama.org/
David — Good topic, these ghost creeks in Seattle. Larry Hubbell and I have been working seven years on to restore what we call Arboretum Creek to a semblance of its former self (see arboretumcreek.org ). It used to run north starting near Garfield High School and E. Yesler Street, all the way to Union Bay. 90% of its original watershed is now in the combined sewer. The current creek starts with the outflow from the Japanese Garden’s koi ponds, and these headwaters run dry in the summer when no outflows come from the koi ponds. Yet just uphill are two large springs, running year-round at 40,000 gallons per day, directly into the combined sewer. Our project will reconnect these clean springs to the creek, providing year-round flow, and will filter stormwater runoff before it enters the upper creek. A future project funded with SR520 mitigation monies by WashDOT will daylight the mouth of the creek, to finally allow fish to re-enter after more than 100 years of barrier. Your creek #45, Washington Park, is our Arboretum Creek. Thanks for highlighting these urban watershed. — Dave Galvin
Again, an excellently wriiten newsletter. I see the utility of a combined podcast as a means to communicate your newsletter audibly on a cell phone while out walking or otherwise unable to view the text online. My only suggestion for improving the podcast is to rehearse its recitation so that the story flows better, without the occasional hesitations that mis-direct emphasis and distract the listener.
Thank you! Very interesting. Happy to see Scheuerman creek included—- one of these days I’ll get back to work on my Christian Scheuerman articles, have family connections to this pioneer.
Very well written, David, and a real pleasure to read, as are all of your contributions to the natural history and ecology of Seattle and its surroundings. And thanks for mentioning us in your acknowledgments. Jason King and I are working on an even deeper dive into Seattle’s creeks and streams, in more of a guidebook form under the working title of "Once Upon a Forest Stream: The Hidden Hydrology of Seattle"...for which we are actively seeking a publisher! Best Regards, Patrick Trotter
Patrick, Thanks for your kind words. Great to hear that you are continuing to move forward on your book project. I look forward to seeing it out in the world. David
Ghost rivers and the ghost beasts that once traveled them... Really enjoyed this piece. One of the most powerful stories I've read of the active "burying" of a creek under concrete is in the beginning of David James Duncan's "My Story as Told by Water", where the creek he knows so intimately as a boy is swallowed by sprawl before his eyes.
(I agree with those who prefer the audio and textual formats combined in a single transmission.)
Chris, Yes, I know that opening story of his. Great stuff. And, thanks for your thoughts on the combo spoken and written word format. David
Thanks again for a fantastic piece about our interactions with the natural world, in this case what should be a wake up call for all urbanites to go out and explore. It’s such a shame that most kids today are missing a right of childhood: idling away hours at the local (clean) creek. This essay deserves a wide Seattle audience like in Pacic NW Magazine.
That would be cool if they published it. Thanks for your kind words.
Yet again, another facet of this world so easily missed. Thanks for drawing our attention, David!
What a fine piece of writing! Thank you. I was so pleased to wake up to this. Newly returned to Seattle I intend to explore these ghosts.
A SE Seattle ghost river provided hours of fun with elementary aged kids in the greenbelt area S of Dearborn Park School on Beacon Hill a few summers ago. They cleared an overgrown wetland trail and re-"discovered" running water there beneath brambles. They proceeded to have a glorious couple of days making informal "bridges" with downed limbs. Idiling away hours in earnest abandon cleared enough wildspace to reassert a very find natural area for outdoor education. Huckleberry Finn would have appreciated their muddy smiles, for sure.
All this came about as part of a two week all-outdoor Camp Read-a-Rama program, gloriously combining reading with the outdoors. For more information on past and upcoming outdoor literacy experiences, see https://www.read-a-rama.org/
ps Rivers in the Sky is now on my hold list at the library. Thanks for the reference.
David — Good topic, these ghost creeks in Seattle. Larry Hubbell and I have been working seven years on to restore what we call Arboretum Creek to a semblance of its former self (see arboretumcreek.org ). It used to run north starting near Garfield High School and E. Yesler Street, all the way to Union Bay. 90% of its original watershed is now in the combined sewer. The current creek starts with the outflow from the Japanese Garden’s koi ponds, and these headwaters run dry in the summer when no outflows come from the koi ponds. Yet just uphill are two large springs, running year-round at 40,000 gallons per day, directly into the combined sewer. Our project will reconnect these clean springs to the creek, providing year-round flow, and will filter stormwater runoff before it enters the upper creek. A future project funded with SR520 mitigation monies by WashDOT will daylight the mouth of the creek, to finally allow fish to re-enter after more than 100 years of barrier. Your creek #45, Washington Park, is our Arboretum Creek. Thanks for highlighting these urban watershed. — Dave Galvin
Again, an excellently wriiten newsletter. I see the utility of a combined podcast as a means to communicate your newsletter audibly on a cell phone while out walking or otherwise unable to view the text online. My only suggestion for improving the podcast is to rehearse its recitation so that the story flows better, without the occasional hesitations that mis-direct emphasis and distract the listener.
Thanks for your comments. I am still figuring out the details of how all this works. Hopefully you'll hear improvement over time.
Thank you! Very interesting. Happy to see Scheuerman creek included—- one of these days I’ll get back to work on my Christian Scheuerman articles, have family connections to this pioneer.