DOG PARK SEARCH

We are excited — and relieved — by the announcement of King County Department of Parks & Natural Resources that they will take the Old Mill site out of consideration for a trial off-leash dog park.

We came together to call for a reevaluation of this site — and it worked! Parks staff and leadership and elected officials got the message through dozens of our emails and phone calls. We are grateful to them for hearing our concerns and taking Wax Orchards Park off the table.

Together, we are making sure that island gems like Ernst Meadow remain a place that is preserved and protected for everyone to enjoy. It will stay the way it has been for decades: breathtaking in every season and completely undeveloped.

We also acknowledge that FIDO and island dog lovers have been searching for the right place for a dog park for years and pledge to support them in finding an appropriate site on public or private property.

Today, we pause to celebrate this important development. But there’s more work to do and we look forward to continuing to find ways to steward this special property. Please stay tuned as we announce opportunities to volunteer, participate in the renaming process, and more.

Thanks to our island neighbors for all you did to make this possible!

Friends of Wax Orchards Park Steering Committee (Steve Abel, Bob Horsley, Laurie Geissinger, Beth Lindsay, Laurie Martin, Ken Pritchard, Dan Schueler and Jil Stenn)