Union Bay Natural Area
August 13, 2019
Photographer: Rebecca Roush
Summary Author: Rebecca Roush
At first glance it might seem that the photo above was taken far away from an urban center. But this gem of a public wildlife area is smack dab in the middle of Seattle, just footsteps away from the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium and a major regional bus and rail center.
On the shores of Lake Washington, which was shaped by glacial activity, Union Bay Natural Area includes four miles (10 km) of shoreline and trails that allow the public to view roughly 200 species of birds. But don’t be fooled by its beauty. For many years, this area was the largest dump in Seattle, providing a repository for 40 years of Seattle’s trash. However, since the dump closed in 1966, efforts have been consistently made to determine if such damaged land could be restored to a more natural state. It remains an important experiment in land reclamation, and an opportunity to debate if the experiment has been successful. Photo taken on July 28, 2019.
Photo Details: Camera; HTC 0PJA2; Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 10.0 Windows; Focal Length: 4.7mm.
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