Kudos to our Park’s Department for their major park restoration effort now underway at Juanita Bay Park. Also, thanks to the many volunteers – JB Rangers and non-rangers – for pitching in to help park maintenance water the plantings at Juanita Bay Park in this unusually prolonged and severe summer drought. Even native species, generally more tolerant of drought, may be lost this year, but the losses will be much less thanks to the volunteer waterers. Thank you.
Ranger Program
I think it is safe to say that the Juanita Bay volunteer rangers are the face of the park system to many of the park’s visitors – often the only direct interface most people have. Volunteer rangers interact with visitors to the park on a daily basis. They assist park’s maintenance, go into schools to teach children about nature, conduct first Sunday walks and group walks (cub scouts, school groups, adult groups and others). These walks are scheduled through the Park Department’s ranger coordinator, who also schedules four training sessions a year on topics of interest useful to our work, and compiles a quarterly newsletter (at www. Ci.Kirkland.wa.us/depart/Parks/Juanita_Bay_Park_Tour.htm). She is our point person for our “eyes on the park” when we spot potential problems and maintenance needs, and for dissemination of information to and from all the rangers. This is in addition to her primary duties in parks planning.
Ranger talents and expertise are diverse, including wildlife photography, interpretive skills, ingenious litter pick-up tool making, years of teaching experience at all levels, including specific science teaching experience, and many others. Certifications held by some of the rangers include U. W. wetlands management program, Audubon’s master birder, and Washington Society of Native Plants native plant stewardship. Some particularly love to give the history of the park, or talk about a specific plant or animal, or just interact with people of all ages in the park. Their talents and skills are given freely out of love of the park, and of sharing knowledge and appreciation for it, its wildlife and its landscape. The city of Kirkland values any volunteer time at $20.25 per hour, using a national standard figure for volunteer hour valuation. (This is an equivalent of average wages and benefits for the same tasks performed by an employee. Assuming benefits average about 1/3 of the total this translates to an hourly rate is $13.50 per hour directly paid plus $6.75 for benefits, an indirect payment for an employee. The city breakdown may be slightly different from this one). The combined hours contributed to the city by volunteer rangers in 2007 and 2008 was 11, 947 hours. In effect, the rangers donated tax collection equivalent of $35,316 to the city and its people in 2008, and $44,631 in 2007. Under Teresa’s leadership, it has grown and expanded greatly from its founding in 1992.
Impact of proposed budget cuts
The Ranger program and its coordinator may not survive into next year. It is one of several proposed budget cuts for 2010. Among other departments impacted are Senior Center Services staff, and at least one public safety program. I speak in detail about just the ranger program because it is the one I can talk about from direct experience (2001 to present), not because it is more or less important. The survival of these programs hinges on the proposed utility tax to be on the November ballot. Estimates from the city are that this tax would on average add $6 a year to Kirkland households’ utilities bills. Even a small tax increase is a very hard sell – in good or bad economic times. And if the economy as a whole stays depressed, budget shortfalls could rise above current projections, putting the cuts back on the table even if the added tax revenue passes.
This is part of a greater national task to look carefully at what choices we, and our governments must make to deal with this economic crisis and build a better future. It is not as easy to assign dollars and cents values to human and natural capital as it is to financial capital, but it does not necessarily follow that they lack great essential value.
Janice Johnson lives in Juanita and is active in various local environmental groups.
