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Discovery
Park Marine Preserve
WAC
220-16-850: "Discovery Park Marine Preserve" is defined
as two sections of tidelands owned by the City of Seattle and the
water column above those tidelands down to 4.5 feet below MLLW at
Discovery city park, with a southern section located south
of West Point bounded on the southeast by a line projected west-southwest
from 122° 25' 31.7" W, 47° 39' 26.8" N
and bounded on the northeast by a line projected west-southwest
from the sign posted at the sidewalk entrance to the beach, and
with a northern section bounded on the southwest by a line
projected northwest from 122° 25' 20.7" W, 47° 40’ 3.3" N
and bounded on the northeast by a line projected northwest from
122° 25’ 4.2" W, 47° 40' 11.1" N.
Effective since 5/1/2005.
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| CLICK
IMAGE TO ENLARGE MAP
 
Geographic
Statistics
| Area
Type |
Acres |
Hectares |
| Intertidal |
40.98 |
16.58 |
| Subtidal |
None |
None |
| Total |
40.98 |
16.58 |
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Links
to other imagery about this site
- Oblique
aerial photos from the WA Dept. of Ecology.
- Southern
section: most of the MP lies within the right-third
of this photo. The rest continues to the right
(SE) about halfway into the next frame, to just
past the promontory.
- Northern
section: The MP covers about two-thirds of
the central area of this image.
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Satellite photos of the area from Terraserver at Microsoft.
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The map at left, extracted from the Discovery Park MPA
map, has the locations (A through E) of the photographer
from where the images below were taken. |
| Southern Section |
A view to the SW of the entrance to the beach (point A
in the index picture above). |
On the beach at the entrance (point B), looking SE.
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Near the south end (point C) and looking SE, this promontory
cuts off passage to the end during high tide. |
Looking NW from the southern boundary (point D).
|
| Northern
Section |
A view of the entrance to the southern end of the beach
(point E).
|
Looking back to the entrance from the beach (point F),
a sign marking the entrance is visible as a small, vertical
line at the center of this photo. |
A view to the NE along the beach along the northern boundary
(point G).
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Two fences meet on top of the scarp above the northern
boundary, as seen from the beach (point G). The bluish
pole at top right in this image is where they meet. |
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| Recreational
Restrictions / Openings |
| Species |
Status |
Comments,
notes... |
| Salmon |
Limited |
Fin
fishing by hook and line only is allowed. |
| Trout |
Limited |
Fin
fishing by hook and line only is allowed. |
| Bottomfish |
Limited |
Fin
fishing by hook and line only is allowed. |
| Shellfish |
Closed |
Note:
inadvertent takes by hook and line must be returned to
the same location. |
| Forage
Fish |
Limited |
Fin
fishing by hook and line only is allowed. |
| Unclassified |
Closed |
Note:
inadvertent takes by hook and line must be returned to
the same location. |
| Commercial
Restrictions / Openings |
Species |
Status |
Comments,
notes... |
| Salmon |
Limited |
Fin
fishing by hook and line only is allowed. |
| Bottomfish |
Limited |
Fin
fishing by hook and line only is allowed. |
| Shellfish |
Closed |
Note:
inadvertent takes by hook and line must be returned to
the same location. |
| Forage
Fish |
Limited |
Fin
fishing by hook and line only is allowed. |
| Unclassified |
Closed |
Note:
inadvertent takes by hook and line must be returned to
the same location. |
|
| Prominent
and unique features |
|
The Discovery Park Marine Preserve is located adjacent
to a sandy spit upon which the West Point sewage treatment
plant was built in the 1960s. Expansion of the plant from
primary to secondary treatment in the 1980s resulted in
the majority of the facility screened behind protective
berms and vegetation.
The southern
section of Discovery Park Marine Preserve is composed
primarily of sand, with scattered gravel, cobble and
boulders. The backshore is adjacent to high eroding
bluffs formed by glacial runoff. The northern beach
is rockier, with several enormous boulders present.
The backshore here also abuts a high eroding cliff of
glacial material. |
| Description
of fish, bird, and mammal resources at the site |
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The beach supports a wide variety of invertebrate species
plus a moderate growth of seaweeds. The lower intertidal
hosts eelgrass beds that extend into the subtidal supporting
additional invertebrates, residential and migratory waterfowl
and numerous fishes, including juvenile salmon. Adult
salmon may also be present just offshore. The low-subtidal
also provides substrate for seasonal kelp beds, providing
habitat for dozens of species of fishes. Harbor seals,
California sea lions and orca whales have been observed
in offshore areas. |
| Programs
in place to manage the site |
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The Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalist program provides
extensive beach interpretation in the late spring and
summer. In addition, Seattle Aquarium Citizen Science
staff and volunteers conduct periodic ecological surveys
at the site for long-term monitoring and science education
opportunities. |
| Issues
of concern |
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Educating the public about the boundaries of these closed
areas as well as their purpose will be crucial to success.
The Seattle Aquarium Beach Stewards program will be important
in addressing this.
Due to the
popularity of these areas, impacts from increased non-consumptive
use are a potential concern (trampling, etc.). |
| Performance
measures |
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Continued or increasing use for education, watchable wildlife
users, and non-consumptive uses.
Maintenance
or increase in numbers and diversity of intertidal organisms.
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