BTB Contributor Maureen Hoffmann sent us the following note and photos, regarding Seahurst Park Beach, which will close Sept. 16 for a restoration project:
An elder Burien resident called last night urging me to accompany her to Seahurst Beach to shoot photos at low tide today. It would be the last low tide of this level, -1.6, before the “Seahurst Beach Restoration Project” is set to begin on Sept. 16 (more info here: http://www.burienwa.gov/index.aspx?NID=471)
At low tide, the beach is a rich, complex plain of life and variation. We listened to the large barnacles “clicking”, gently nudged the anemones and watched them contract, admired the ospreys and herons in their seashore hunts.
The shoreline will be forever altered in the process of the beach “restoration”. There is expected gain, but also loss. How much of these living sands will be trampled under the weight of the ingress and egress of heavy equipment? How many of the natural rocks will be removed along with those installed in the 70s? “Recovery” will not occur on the last day of the project, but likely some time long after.
Go to the beach now, when the tide is low. Look closely and enjoy the complexity of the life there. This will be your last chance until late next Spring 2014.
Here’s a tide table: http://www.saltwatertides.com/cgi-local/washington.cgi
Here are photos Maureen shared with us (click images to see larger versions/slideshow):
