Bellingham agrees on some changes to the Hundred Acre Wood. Others, not so much
Bellingham residents have spoken: Many want to see Chuckanut Community Forest, also known as the Hundred Acre Wood, remain mostly natural, according to the recently released results of a public survey conducted by the city of Bellingham.
“Less is more,” wrote one survey participant in the open comment section of the form. “Protect the wild area.”
Chuckanut Community Forest is an 82-acre swath of natural space south of the Fairhaven neighborhood. The city is currently developing a master plan for the space, after purchasing it for $8.23 million in 2011 to protect it from development. Citizens who live near the park are paying $3.23 million of the cost in taxes paid through a Metropolitan Park District.
The citizens’ portion is expected to be paid off in full at some point in 2022, said Nicole Oliver, director of the Bellingham Parks and Recreation department.
In the survey, many residents support the addition of directional signs, a native plant garden and boardwalks and bridges. And most concur that dogs should be leashed and that the area officially be named Hundred Acre Wood, a nod to the children’s book series Winnie the Pooh.
“It was a name that came about in the years trying to protect the area from development. It conjures up some gentleness,” Oliver said. “It’s not a real typical bureaucratic name, it’s sweet.”
There is less agreement, however, on whether the space should have paved trails, a covered view pavilion, more parking, educational resources and more seating. The survey results also reflected some controversy over whether and where bicycles should be allowed in the network of trails.
Diving into the data
The survey, which was open from Aug. 5 to Sept. 15, reflects the opinions of 716 participants, 99% of which use the space and 64% of which visit it at least once a week.
“It was pretty extraordinary to have over 700 people complete the survey,” Oliver said. “It really demonstrated interest and how important that place is to so many people.”
The survey found that the area is overwhelmingly used for hiking and is also often used for dog walking, recreational biking, bird-watching and wildlife-viewing.
There were mostly clear trends in what sorts of infrastructure residents want implemented at Chuckanut Community Forest — 71% agreed there should be directional signs, 69% supported boardwalks and bridges and 62% wanted to see a native plant garden in the space.
In the open comment section, a handful of respondents asked the city to keep signs to a minimum, citing the value of feeling “lost” in the woods. Others noted that there were already plenty of options for people who wanted to go to more developed, tamed parks, such as Fairhaven Park.
“We do not need another Disneyland for picnics and playground equipment,” a respondent commented. “We have plenty of these on the Southside.”
Respondents were more split over other potential changes. Over half of participants supported educational and informational kiosks, 42% supported a kid-friendly learning exhibit and 41% supported informal outdoor learning spaces. Over half agreed with improving limestone trails and adding benches.
Some ideas received more disapproval than support: Over half of participants disagreed with adding accessible paved trails and a covered view pavilion, and almost half disagreed with adding more parking spots. The addition of a small multi-purpose seating area and plaques weren’t popular either, with 45% of participants disagreeing with the addition of a seating area and 42% disagreeing with plaques.
Oliver said this feedback is reaffirming for the Master Plan Steering Committee, which is already leaning toward keeping development to a minimum. The steering committee is the group that will determine what changes are eventually made to the forest. It consists of representatives from surrounding neighborhoods, Park District board members, Park Board, city staff and recreational user groups.
Controversy over bikes, dogs
Several concerns came up repeatedly in the open comment section of the survey results.
Some respondents wanted bicycles to be allowed on the trails winding through the forest, with one describing the space as a “low-key riding area that is hard to find around here.” Others said it was a good place for children to learn or practice bicycle riding. One pointed to Lake Padden as a case study of a successful multi-use trail system.
Those who said bikes should not be allowed in the forest expressed concern about bicycles interfering with walkers and wheels ruining the trails and harming plants.
“Arroyo (Park) has changed as more bikes have used it and I do not think 100 Acre Wood can sustain that kind of use,” one respondent commented.
Leashing dogs was also a contentious topic. Many residents were staunchly against off-leash dogs in the forest, complaining that people are less likely to pick up their pet’s poop when the animal is roaming free. Pet waste can pollute local waterways, according to Bellingham’s Public Works department. Several pet owners, however, pushed back on leashing rules.
“My dog, for example, is now too old to play and fetch,” a respondent wrote. “The woods are a perfect place for him to walk unleashed and get his energy out.”
The area currently requires dogs to be leashed, Oliver said, and there is signage indicating such at one of the forest entrances. But many people likely do not notice it, she said.
“The overall goals of protection will probably guide us toward keeping it on-leash,” Oliver said.
Taxes and next steps
Tension also arose in the comments section regarding the tax that nearby communities are paying for the parcel. Some participants commented that they pay those taxes to maintain the forest as is. Others argued that if the park was going to be transformed to benefit people on the other side of the city, those communities should be paying taxes too.
“My taxes helped to pay off this property, I want to continue to use it as I have been doing these last 15 years,” a respondent wrote.
Oliver said that the communities near the forest already have more of a say in what happens to the forest, since several community members are on the steering committee and the city made a concerted effort to elicit survey responses from those living within 500 feet from the park’s boundaries.
“There always will be some tension around it,” Oliver said of the Park District tax. “Because it is something that hasn’t really been done before.”
The Chuckanut Community Forest Park District and the city’s Steering Committee will conduct an in-person survey of park visitors on Saturday, Oct. 9, and Monday, Oct. 11, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Volunteers will count the number of hikers and bicyclists at the forest’s five major entrances.
There will be a public open house in November, with a presentation to City Council scheduled for March 2022.
This story was originally published October 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
