Dykstra Park Restoration

Property Description:

Dykstra Park is owned by the city of Auburn and holds greenspace connectivity to Brannan Park, Riverpoint Park, and Isaac Evans Park. Dykstra Park itself is adjacent to a small neighborhood which comes with implied recreational use. Most of the park is a grass field accompanied by a well-maintained playground. There is a small, forested buffer to the Green River channel adjacent. Because of the trail systems that accompany the park and its proximity to Green River Road, it does get heavy foot traffic and human disturbance.

Site History:

In the early 1900’s the land was used to farm hops, but throughout time the agricultural practices moved to cater to dairy cows. The property was sold and developed for residential use in 1967. The park was inventoried to the city of Auburn in 1979 and has been managed as an open greenspace. Due to the historical and present practices along the Green River, the transition to riparian zone on site is steep and channelized. The majority of the potential riparian buffer has been armored with large rock and other impervious materials to ensure the river does not cause its natural process of erosion.

Watershed Analysis:

This site is located on the Green River main stem within the Green-Duwamish Watershed (WRIA 9). The entirety of the park is within the 100-year floodplain and contributes to water recharging directly into the Green River.