We, the undersigned residents of King County, Washington, formally request that King County Parks halt the proposed development of an 18-hole + 9-hole mini disc golf course with 60 concrete tee pads, and 27 metal poles/baskets in the forested natural area with extensive wetlands of Petrovitsky Park, along with clearing vegetation and cutting trees less than 12" for fairways. We demand that the county strictly adhere to the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), fulfill its obligations under the King County Comprehensive Plan, honor Washington State’s designation of this area as a Critical Wildlife Corridor, and immediately halt any further planning until local stakeholders are given a transparent seat at the table.

Why this is important:
King County Parks is currently attempting to advance a major recreational development that directly undermines its own environmental mandates, state-level protections, and basic principles of public transparency.

Allowing this development to proceed sets a dangerous, unaccountable precedent because:
Local Homeowners Have Been Completely Excluded: King County has failed to include the immediate neighborhood, surrounding homeowners, and local community stakeholders in the determination or planning of this disc golf course. Major changes to a neighborhood park's natural area require robust, transparent public outreach. Proceeding without the input and consent of the taxpayers who live alongside the park is an unacceptable breach of public trust.

It Circumvents State Environmental Law (SEPA): The county is attempting to bypass a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by pursuing a SEPA exemption or a Determination of Non-Significance (DNS), completely ignoring the cumulative impact of development on this fragile ecosystem.

It Violates the King County Comprehensive Plan: The proposal directly contradicts the county's explicit policy commitments to preserve contiguous tree canopies, protect the nesting habitats of migratory birds, and safeguard local wildlife such as bear, deer, cougar, coyote and numerous small mammals.

It Destroys a State-Designated Critical Wildlife Corridor: Under Washington's Growth Management Act (GMA), counties are legally bound to use the Best Available Science to protect critical areas. Introducing an 18-hole + 9-hole course into this designated corridor will cause severe soil compaction, destroy vital root systems, strip away native understory vegetation, and fragment a sensitive habitat.

It Ignores Precedent and Proven Environmental Impacts: As documented by environmental groups like the Whatcom Environmental Council, installing disc golf courses in dense, unaltered civic forests causes irreversible damage. The combination of heavy foot traffic, constant human presence, and high-velocity disc impacts inevitably drives away migratory birds and small mammals, forcing them to abandon their native breeding and foraging grounds.

Petrovitsky Park's forested acreage is a rare, irreplaceable ecological asset for the Fairwood community and the broader region. Public park funds should be used to honor our county’s conservation goals and respect the community's voice—not to dismantle a protected wildlife refuge behind closed doors.

Our Demand:

We urge the King County Council and King County Parks to immediately withdraw the disc golf proposal from the Petrovitsky Park natural area. If the county continues to pursue this project, we demand that they halt all planning, initiate a transparent public engagement process that includes all surrounding homeowners, and conduct a full SEPA environmental review with an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).