Join Our Green Lake History, Plant, and Bird Tour

Sunday, September 17, 2023
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Click Here to see the full invitation!

Green Lake Park serves as a natural preserve for hundreds of species of trees and plants, as well as numerous birds and waterfowl.

Friends of Green Lake invites you to join us on a walking tour around Green Lake to learn about the history of the park and facts and features of the plants and birds that inhabit one of the top ten parks in the country.

Meet at the Green Lake Park sign on the west side of the path, between the East Beach and the Community Center parking lot.

We will walk the 2.8 miles around the lake (counterclockwise) to end back at the start.

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Taiga Wetlands Presentation – at Society of Wetland Scientists and at The Hearthstone

Taiga Wetlands – How Volunteers Restored Habitat in an Urban Lake with Constructed Floating Wetlands: Presentation by FOGL President Rob Zisette at the Society of Wetland Scientists national conference in Spokane on June 30, 2023 and at The Hearthstone at Green Lake on July 10, 2023.

Read the abstract for the presentation

Green Lake Stewards Work Party - Saturday, Sept 9, 2023

Green Lake Work Party Saturday Sept 9, 2023, 9:30 to 11:30 AM

Happy September! Hope this message finds you well and enjoying the long weekend!

Sorry for the late notice, but we will be looking to work on our usual 2nd Saturday of September, but start at 9:30 instead of 10:00 am. Hope you are still able to join us.

With fall on the way, we will look to start prepping for planting in November, with weeding, maybe some mulching and of course some blackberry removal.

As usual:

  • COVID-19 Considerations: Although vaccinations and masks are no longer required to participate, please continue to do your part to keep our community safe. Do not attend if you are sick.
  • The Green Seattle sign in is still in process and I will send it out when it is active.

Date: Sept 9th
Time:  9:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Meet: Beside the Aqua Theater at the east end of the Small Craft Center
(5900 West Green Lake Way North)

If you arrive late, follow the Event signs to find the work site:

Dress for the weather and the dirty work, wear closed-toed shoes and bring a bottle of water.

Hope to see you there!
Questions?
Dan Kujawinski (773) 629.2516 or danielkujawinski@gmail.

Our mailing address is:
greenlakestewards@gmail.com

Green Lake Water Quality - Sept. 17, 2023

Secchi Depth: 1.7 meters, (5.6 feet)
Water Temp: 19.0 C, (66.2 F)
Lake Water Quality is monitored weekly by Jeffrey Howard at East Green Lake from the T-dock near the Green Lake Community Center or from a boat at the deepest part of the lake. The weekly data are reported quarterly and uploaded to the King County Lakes website available here. Select “Green-1” and “View Data”. General lake information, water quality data, and reports are available here.

For continuous Green Lake Water Level and Temperature Gauge data tracked by King County, go to the King County Hydrologic Information Center website where you can search for both temperature (in C) and lake elevation. Here are instructions:
1. Click on either Water Temperature or State Only Gage to get a map of monitoring sites.
2. Click on the red dot at Green Lake
3. Click on View Graph. (The graph is currently being updated to improve visibility.) More data selections are listed left of the graph.

Spring 2022 Green Lake Trout Plant

A favorite family activity enjoyed at Green Lake over the years has been fishing.

On April 27, 2022 Green Lake was planted with 4,851 catchable-size trout weighing a total of 10,187 pounds. For lake trout stocking reports see the WSFW website: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plants?lake_stocked=GREEN+LK+%28KING%29&county=&species=&hatchery=&region=   This is a typical amount that is planted in the lake each spring, with the exception of an unusually high amount of 45,000 pounds in 2014 due to a surplus of large hatchery trout that year.

While trout are fun to catch, trout stocking may increase the amount of algae (measured as chlorophyll-a) in the lake due to their consumption of algae-eating zooplankton and their additional nutrients, as indicated by this graph. For a detailed study on the effects of trout stocking on algae blooms in Washington lakes see the report by Herrera Environmental Consultants: https://www.herrerainc.com/publications/trophic-cascade-effects-on-algae-blooms-in-washington-state/

Green Lake Beach Bacteria Monitoring

Studies Show Water Quality Impacts of Homeless Waste Disposal at Green Lake

Statistical analysis of weekly fecal bacteria data shows a significant increase in levels at West Beach but not East Beach in the past 2 years. This finding suggests that the increase may have been due to human waste disposal in the lake since West Beach is down current of homeless encampments and RVs, while East Beach is not near encampments and was closed to swimming and more populated by geese in this period. Human waste pathogens and floating hypodermic needles pose a risk to swimmers on the west shore of the lake.

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Friends of Green Lake VIRTUAL Meeting - September 26, 2023

YOU’RE INVITED! Please join our ZOOM MEETING Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 7 pm

AGENDA:

  • History and Relationships of Toxic Algae and Invasive Plants in Green Lake by Rob Zisette
  • Green Lake History, Plant, And Bird Tour Summary by Rob Zisette
  • Pacific Tree Frog Project Update by Kim Tennican
  • Taiga Floating Wetlands Project Update
  • Water Quality Status Report
  • Treasurer’s Report
  • Additional items of interest

We look forward to seeing you then!

ZOOM INSTRUCTIONS

Topic: Friends of Green Lake
Time: September 26, 2023 at 7:00 PM Pacific Time

Check back here for the ZOOM link before the meeting starts

Rob Zisette
FOGL President
206-787-8262 office
206-930-6585 cell
https://friendsofgreenlake.org/

Next Meeting: November 28, 2023

See FOGL photos, videos and more on Instagram.

 

Meeting Minutes Are Now Online

Minutes for previous meetings are being posted in the blog, retroactively. Click here for a minutes-only archive.