By Jason Armstrong, Area Manager
If you have driven by the park’s office at Deception Pass State Park your reaction might well be that it is overgrown and unmanaged. What I have learned over the past three years as Park Manager is that most of the vegetation selected is either high maintenance or, when it is let go to its natural state, grows to about 20 feet tall and obstructs the building. The Deception Pass Park Foundation has graciously taken on the project of managing the weeds and overgrowth. The other problem with the natural vegetation is it has been shaped into a topiary, which is a common complaint I have received as the manager.
Our plan is to replace the existing plantings with select plants that are slow growing and easily managed. Most typically this will be plants like Sword Ferns, Camas, and Salal. The park is looking to strategically place some Vine Maple and Dogwood trees throughout the planting area to provide some shade for the Sword Ferns. This would be an opportunity for the public to participate in the process by dedicating one of these trees or selecting the tree as a memorial tree. If you are interested in purchasing a tree and dedicating it to the park please contact the Park Manager, Jason Armstrong (360 902-8500)
We will use one of the planting areas for lawn and a Civilian Conservation Corps style picnic table. If interested in dedicating this picnic table please contact the Deception Pass Park Foundation at deceptionpassfoundation@gmail.com. This program is like another picnic table dedication process the Foundation has been working on throughout the park.
Finally, the last phase of this project is to try and replicate a sitting area that was part of Goose Rock, created during the Civilian Conservation Corps era, represented by the picture on the right. The location of this bench would be at the entrance to the Deception Pass State Park Administrative Services Office, represented by the picture below.
This project will start in November as we begin removing plants, bushes, and landscape fabric in preparation for replanting in early spring 2021. The existing Snowberries and other hedge style bushes will be placed parallel to the highway to create a sound barrier for the office. If you are interested in participating with this project or any other community service project in the park, please reach out to the Deception Pass Park Foundation or go to their web site and sign up on the volunteer page. https://deceptionpassfoundation.org/volunteer-opportunities/
