At the present time, our team is pursuing opportunities for bringing a graduate student on-board in order to coordinate the upcoming Kincaid Ravine process about to begin during Winter Quarter, 2021. We are making efforts in various departments at the UW including Environmental Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, and Environmental and Civil Engineering.
The Kincaid Ravine restoration effort began in 2013 and has since produced three Master’s theses and numerous technical reports. The restoration program was re-started in 2018 by UW’s Department of Urban Design and Planning through a course led by David Blum, Affiliate Instructor. This course, CEP 498, engaged Fred Glick, Landscape Architect, to work with students by teaching them the rudiments of the landscape architecture site master planning process needed here. Their work on this project produced the Master Plan which we can share with the committee. As such, our group is well positioned to complete the final tasks required prior to the start of actual restoration. Currently, we need a grad student to lead the information gathering stage required to complete the Action Items cited last Spring, 2020, prior to moving forward with Implementation.
Following completion of the Preliminary Master Plan in Spring, 2020, the Campus Environmental and Land Use Planner and Fred Glick, Landscape Architect assembled a list of Action Items needing to be completed prior to implementation including, among others:
- Determine extent of prior wetlands work by the two consulting firms retained at that time by the City of Seattle;
- Identify all wetland and buffer permitting requirements needed to move forward;
- Determine classification of wetland delineations completed previously and date of delineation (Note: 5-year “lifespan”). Determine exactly what is allowed under existing code.
- Identify drainage and safety issues.
- Refine proposed changes in vegetation and trails on site.
- Request participation and support of the King Conservation District.
- Share with the consultants the current work underway, an effort that will lead to a complete access and environmental education opportunity at Kincaid Ravine;
- Review City Codes and the permitting process resulting in documentation needed to move forward;
- Determine whether an engineer’s report is required for permit allowance;
- Engage campus Environmental and Land Use Planner in an ongoing advisory role per her request (i.e. from Office of the University Architect);
- Obtain requisite approvals and grant funding;
- Identify and initiate discussion with non-profit agencies and organizations interested in working on Kincaid Ravine, for example:
- EarthCorps
- UW Maintenance
- UW Engineering
- UWPD
- ...and more.
The implementation of the Master Plan will begin in Winter quarter 2021 dependent upon the availability of funding to support a graduate student who will be leading the above work. This current request to CSF is to fund the position of the graduate student who will lead other students’ work on this project:
In addition to a graduate student who will be in a coordination role to determine the results of the 12 Action Items listed above, we will continue to work with CEP Students as well as Landscape Architecture and Engineering Students, whom to date have included a cross-section of students attending UW from other countries, including BIPOC students who have been well-represented. We believe the Kincaid Ravine project will benefit greatly from their participation. Currently we have plans to connect with the UW chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and the non-profit “Nurturing Roots”, but we are also exploring collaboration with other groups. Ultimately, it is important to us to include these often left out voices in a project that can and will provide a benefit to the whole community.
The Kincaid Ravine restoration effort began in 2013 and has since produced three Master’s theses and numerous technical reports. The restoration program was re-started in 2018 by UW’s Department of Urban Design and Planning through a course led by David Blum, Affiliate Instructor. This course, CEP 498, engaged Fred Glick, Landscape Architect, to work with students.
The students’ work on this project produced the Master Plan which we can share with the committee. By working closely with the Office of University Architect, UW Police Department, UW Facilities and Maintenance Departments, and other stakeholders we have created a Master Plan which will successfully address the various site issues enumerated above. Further student and campus community engagement will lead this work. A fully restored Kincaid Ravine will become the natural attraction accessible to everyone that it has always been meant to be. As such, our group is well positioned to complete the final tasks required prior to the start of actual restoration.
Safety. Our team is well aware of the range of safety needs both during early planning for Kincaid Ravine, and for ongoing operations and maintenance purposes later during and after capital improvements. For example, during the Covid Pandemic crisis, our work has transitioned to on-line coursework using Zoom meetings, which is the manner in which our Spring, 2020 class was successfully conducted. Initially, students weren’t even allowed on campus, but that has since changed and on-site investigations are now acceptable as of this writing. In addition to the Covid safety issues, there are others such as hypodermic needles found randomly at the site, possibly left there by homeless folks who regularly camp out on-site due to its relatively secluded condition even within the highly used campus environment. Our team’s direction to students who must walk through the site to investigate it properly for master planning and eventual construction, is to wear heavy soled hiking boots or work boots to be certain these “sharps” will not in any way endanger them when walking through the site.