Wildlife corridors are critical as they allow animals to move safely !
Security cameras aren't the greatest but that's a cougar in my front yard that safely transited through the wildlife corridor from Lake Desire to Lake Young's via Petrovitsky Park. I thought it was the most awe inspiring thing to see on my camera the next day. Did I let my local community know, yes I did as it helps keep everyone safe including the cougar.
The forested areas stretching between Lake Youngs and Lake Desire through Petrovitsky Park form a critical wildlife corridor because they connect over 2,500 acres of otherwise isolated open space. This contiguous canopy provides essential safe passage, allowing local wildlife to forage, breed, and migrate between native habitats without crossing busy suburban roads.
Specific ecological and geographical factors drive the importance of this network:
Habitat Connectivity: Petrovitsky Park acts as a vital bridge between the 400-acre McGarvey Park Open Space to the north and the heavily protected Lake Youngs reservoir area to the west.
Biodiversity Support: The mixed deciduous and coniferous forests, along with the adjacent wetlands, provide crucial refuge and breeding grounds for amphibians, migratory birds, and mammals like black-tailed deer and beavers.
Water & Watershed Health: The corridor directly encompasses important stream and wetland networks, including Peterson Creek, which requires forested buffers to maintain high-quality aquatic habitat.
Pressure from Urban Sprawl: Because this swath of forest is surrounded by dense suburban development in the Fairwood and Renton areas, it is one of the last remaining undeveloped pathways for animals to move safely.
But we need your help to keep this wildlife corridor intact. We need more signatures so we can make our voices heard, we would also love to have volunteers help spread the word and donations on the website not here so we can eventually hire an attorney.
More information can be found at the following.
And
Facebook group: Stop the Petrovitsky Park Disc Golf Course
Thank you for your support and in spreading the word.