This summer, we are encouraging park visitors to "pack out" their trash through the "Pack it Out" pilot project at 18 selected parks. The program is one way to stem the increasing costs of trash collection and litter control, which run more than $1 million a year-more than for any other maintenance activity. "Packing it out" also involves park visitors in the stewardship of city parks. Look for signs and trash bag dispensers at mostly smaller parks and viewpoints in neighborhoods throughout Seattle.

This program was first tried in Louisville, Kentucky with great success. It was also tried in Portland, Oregon, where it received mixed reviews. We are looking for feedback from our park users. For more information on the program, please contact Michele Finnegan, Seattle Parks and Recreation, at michele.finnegan@seattle.gov or (206) 386-1273.

Congratulations to the Seattle Canoe Club, which brought home multiple first-place honors from the National Canoe and Kayak Championships recently held in Rancho Cordova, California. Sponsored by Seattle Parks and Recreation and based at the Green Lake Small Craft Center, the club dominated the competition in winning the Bantam (14 and under) and Senior (18 and over) divisions.

Nineteen club teams comprised of 350 individual paddlers from around the country participated in the five-day championship regatta on Lake Natoma from July 31 to August 4. The annual competition featured canoe and kayak races at 200, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 meters for one- and two-person boats in four age divisions.

This was the highest finish for the Seattle Canoe Club team, which brought more than 30 paddlers to the races.

Way to go!

We are making good progress in implementing the Pro Parks Levy. Among the recent highlights:

In 1997, the Department developed the Joint Athletic Facilities Development Program (JAFDP), a list of proposed improvements at Parks and School District sites around the city with the intent of creating more safe, high quality athletic facilities for scheduled use. This led to the successful School District Levy in 1998 that provided $36 million in funding for four athletic field complexes and numerous improvements to Parks fields.

Seattle Parks began a process to update the 1997 program this year. The 2001-2002 update of the JAFDP still includes a listing of desired improvements at park and school fields. In addition, we have included information about field planning and policies, assessment of trends that affect field development and unmet demand, details on community interests in field development, and goals and guiding principles for future field development. The update also contains information from the 2001 Ballfield Lighting Study commissioned by the Department to look at the current lighting conditions and to make recommendations on future field lighting. We are hosting three public meetings to share information and gather public input from citizens on the draft 2001-2002 JAFDP. The meetings will be open house format with a brief overview.

The draft 2001-2002 JAFDP will be available for public review after August 25, 2001 at neighborhood service centers, community centers, and Seattle Parks and Recreation at 100 Dexter Ave. N. A draft will also be available on the Seattle Parks web site: www.seattle.gov/parks/. Public comment can be provided until October 5. To make comments or for more information, please contact Alix Ogden, 100 Dexter Ave. N., Seattle WA 98109, alix.ogden@seattle.gov, phone: (206) 684-7046 or fax: (206) 233-7023.

I was thrilled to learn that the Seattle Park Foundation has hired its first executive director, Karen Daubert, a longtime Seattle Parks supporter. Karen is currently serving on the Board of Park Commissioners and on the Pro Parks Levy Oversight Committee.

The Foundation is a private non-profit organization established in 2000 to fund and advocate for Seattle parks, green spaces and programs.