I’ve lived on Goat Hill in Kirkland for ten years, and at the end of our street stands a small miracle; a pocket of old forest that has survived decades of development. It’s where neighborhood kids walk to school through the trees, where eagles nest high above Lake Washington, where owls call at dusk and deer leave hoofprints in the mud.

Now that forest is about to be cleared to make way for a 12-lot housing development.

This isn’t just about losing a pretty view. It’s about losing the living heart of our neighborhood - and one of the few remaining habitats connecting Goat Hill to Juanita Heights Park. When we cut these trees, we aren’t just changing the skyline. We’re erasing the homes of countless birds and animals, and removing a natural filter that protects the lake below from runoff and erosion.

The City of Kirkland has long promised a commitment to green space preservation. Allowing this development to move forward would go directly against that promise.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, up to 80% of terrestrial species depend on forests for survival. Our local forest is part of that global web. It stores carbon, cools the air, and absorbs storm water before it floods our streets and basements. A single mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of CO₂ each year - and this stand of trees holds thousands. Once gone, their protection is gone forever.

We are not opposed to responsible growth. We’re asking for balance. To place new housing where infrastructure can support it, not on fragile slopes that risk landslides and runoff into Lake Washington.

Please sign and share this petition to urge the City of Kirkland to deny the Park Heights Short Plat and preserve this irreplaceable forest for future generations.

For the eagles, the owls, the children who walk through the woods, and for the health of our shared home. Let’s protect what cannot be rebuilt.