Friends of Discovery Park

10/08/2026

Many Seattle residents may be unfamiliar with Discovery Park’s nearby neighbor, Kiwanis Memorial Preserve Park, commonly known as Kiwanis Ravine. The original parkland was donated to the City by the Kiwanis Club of Seattle in 1956, and in 2010 it became Seattle’s first officially designated wildlife sanctuary.

The opportunity now is to improve this existing wildlife connection, making it easier and safer for animals to move between these natural areas while reducing the chances for collisions between cars and wildlife. The reforested Ohman parcel extends from Kiwanis Ravine toward Discovery Park, reaching the Park’s doorstep on the east side of 36th Avenue West. This land could become an important wildlife corridor, allowing small mammals, amphibians, and other wildlife to move between the shoreline, the Ravine and Discovery Park.

READ MORE from our October newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/fodp/october2026

10/05/2026

Meadows are of particular importance in the late summer and fall seasons as vegetation blooms, insects thrive, butterflies and others pollinate, and birds forage for food. You may see songbirds such as goldfinches eating seed-heads as they prepare for winter. Small animals are also foraging and burrowing, hidden by the tall grasses.

Protecting our Discovery Park meadows are two Forest Steward volunteers, Rob Stevens and Mike Webb, specially trained and leading weekly work crews to ensure and enhance the health of the meadows. Invasive, fast-spreading plants such as Himalayan blackberry (but not our native low-growing blackberry) and Scotch broom are being removed, replaced by native plants such as snowberry and thimbleberry.

READ MORE from Sherry Breidenbach in our October 2026 Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/fodp/october2026

10/02/2026

Fall is arriving in Discovery Park, bringing changing colors, migrating birds, and plenty to see throughout the Park!

Our October newsletter looks at a wildlife connection with neighboring Kiwanis Ravine, learn more about the Cedar Waxwings gathering for fall, celebrate another great volunteer work party at Capehart Forest, and share more ways to get involved.

Read more and sign-up for monthly updates: https://mailchi.mp/fodp/october2026

09/28/2026

The Discovery Park Beach Shuttle is continuing through the fall! 🚌🌲

The free shuttle runs Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through November 1, looping between the East, North and South Beach parking lots approximately every 45 minutes.

Thanks to Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for providing the bus and driver for fall shuttle service!

LEARN MORE via Seattle Parks and Recreation:

The Discovery Park Beach Shuttle is back for the first time this fall, with more days for the 2026 season! The free shuttle operates Thursdays through Sundays from September 10 through November 1 from 11 AM – 5 PM.  The shuttle loops between the East, North, and South Beach parking lots at ...

09/24/2026

Seattle’s birds are in decline, and Discovery Park is part of the story. 🐦🌲

A new Seattle Times Climate Lab story highlights findings from Birds Connect Seattle’s long-running Neighborhood Bird Project. Across eight Seattle parks, bird species diversity declined 18% and the average number of birds observed declined 21%. At Discovery Park, bird counts declined by about 25%.

The findings underscore the importance of protecting the forests, meadows, shorelines, and other habitats birds depend on in Discovery Park and throughout Seattle.

📖 Read more from The Seattle Times:

The Neighborhood Bird Project, run by volunteers since before the smartphone age, did a comprehensive analysis of Seattle’s birds. They are not doing well.

09/18/2026

Enjoy the last days of summer and the September sun at Seattle's largest open space, Discovery Park! ☀️🌲🌿💚

09/17/2026

We usually think about protecting Discovery Park in terms of its forests, meadows, beaches and wildlife. But another natural resource deserves our protection: darkness.

The standard argument is safety. But more light does not automatically produce greater safety. Excessive lighting can create glare and deep shadows while unnecessarily degrading wildlife habitat. The better question is: How much light do we actually need?

Read more why Discovery Park needs the dark in our September 2026 newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/fodp/september2026

09/15/2026

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: September Day of Service 9/26/26 🌲🌿

Join Friends of Discovery Park on Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a morning of restoration at Capehart Forest as part of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Day of Service!

We'll remove invasive plants, mulch and aerate the soil, and care for native shrubs and groundcovers to support the health and biodiversity of one of Discovery Park's most wildlife-rich areas.

🧤 Tools and gloves provided

🥾 Wear sturdy work boots and bring water, snacks, and sunscreen

Meet-up location:

The entrance to Capehart Forest is next to Discovery Park Boulevard’s only stop sign. The site is about a 10-minute walk from the north, east, or south parking lots.

LEARN MORE & RSVP via Green Seattle Partnership: https://seattle.greencitypartnerships.org/event/44558/

09/11/2026

"There must be a deep commitment to the belief that there is no more valuable use of this site than as an open space.”

-- The Discovery Park Master Plan

09/11/2026

"Discovery Park’s role is to provide an open space of quiet and tranquility for the citizens of this region – a sanctuary where they might escape the turmoil of the city and enjoy the rejuvenation which quiet and solitude and an intimate contact with nature can bring."

Read more about the enduring vision for Discovery Park and how Friends of Discovery Park is working to preserve it: https://fodp.org/2019/06/role-of-discovery-park/