This page is not yet public.

Enter the access code to continue.

Incorrect code.

Reclaim Gas Works Park

Seattle's most iconic park is being loved to death. The grass is destroyed, the geese own the hill, and nobody is doing anything about it. We have a plan.

The Problem

Gas Works Park sits on 19.1 acres at the north end of Lake Union. It is the single most photographed location in Seattle. The kite hill offers the best skyline view in the city. Richard Haag's 1975 design won the ASLA President's Award and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The park is falling apart.

The grass is gone. The kite hill is bare dirt and mud for most of the year. Foot traffic, geese, and zero turf management have turned it into a dust bowl.

Canada geese have taken over. Hundreds of resident geese cover the hill in droppings year-round. Children can't sit on the grass. Families avoid the park.

The industrial structures are rusting. The gasification towers, the defining feature of the park, have received minimal maintenance since the 1970s conversion.

No stewardship entity exists. Unlike Volunteer Park (Friends of Volunteer Park) or Discovery Park (Friends of Discovery Park), Gas Works has no dedicated advocacy organization.

The Plan

Phase 1 Form "Friends of Gas Works Park" as a 501(c)(3) stewardship entity. Establish formal partnership with Seattle Parks (SPR). Model: Friends of Waterfront Seattle.
Phase 1 Geese management program. Apply for USDA Wildlife Services permit for egg oiling, habitat modification, and organized hazing. Legal under Migratory Bird Treaty Act with federal depredation permit. Seattle Parks has precedent at Green Lake (2019).
Phase 1 Turf restoration. Professional-grade turf program: aeration, overseeding with traffic-tolerant fescue blend, temporary rest-and-rotate fencing during establishment. Target: year-round green coverage on kite hill within 18 months.
Phase 2 Industrial structure preservation. Structural assessment of gasification towers. Anti-corrosion treatment. Interpretive signage upgrade. Apply for WA DAHP heritage grant funding.
Phase 2 Shoreline restoration. Native plantings along Lake Union waterfront. Bioswale installation for stormwater management (partner: Swale Company). Salmon-safe certification target.
Phase 3 Event programming. Permitted event series: summer concerts, kite festivals, Fourth of July coordination with SPR. Revenue funds ongoing maintenance.

The Legal Path for Geese

Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-712). You cannot harm, capture, or kill them without a federal permit. However, the law provides clear mechanisms for management:

Egg oiling. USDA Wildlife Services issues depredation permits allowing egg oiling (coating eggs with food-grade corn oil to prevent hatching). This is the most humane and effective population control. Requires annual permit renewal.

Habitat modification. Planting tall grasses, hedgerows, and visual barriers along the shoreline discourages geese from nesting. Geese prefer open sightlines to water for predator detection.

Organized hazing. Trained border collies, laser deterrents, and noise devices during non-nesting season. Must be consistent and sustained. Half measures fail.

Precedent. Seattle Parks conducted goose management at Green Lake Park (2019). Denver, Portland, and Minneapolis all run active programs. The legal framework is established.

Why This Matters

Gas Works Park is the front door to Lake Union. Every tourist who visits Seattle photographs it. Every Seattleite has flown a kite on that hill. When the grass is dead, the geese own the field, and the structures are rusting, that is a statement about what Seattle accepts.