Our Work
We defend the Park through advocacy, action, and education. From trail and lighthouse restoration to park reforestation, we work to preserve and protect Seattle’s largest open space.
Our work parties bring volunteers together to improve trails, remove invasive species, and restore natural environments. We care for Discovery Park’s lush forests which fight climate change by sequestering carbon and providing vital cooling for wildlife. From managing drainage to protecting acres of ponds and streams, we ensure Discovery Park’s waterways stay clean.
Here are some key past and current projects we’ve been proud to work on at Discovery Park:
Restoration Ecology
The Discovery Park Master Plan prioritizes nature, biodiversity, and wildlife habitat. To support these aims, FoDP regards restoration ecology as our NorthStar and central focus. In fact, the majority of our board members are Green Seattle Partnership registered forest stewards with active restoration projects across the Park.
Many people have described Discovery Park as Seattle’s single most important and significant restoration project. We certainly would agree. Just take a look at Capehart Forest. Fifteen years ago, nearly half of its 30 acres were covered in concrete and asphalt. Today, it is the most biodiverse place in the Park—and very popular with bird watchers!
West Point Lighthouse Restoration
The West Point Lighthouse project, initiated in 2009 and completed in 2012, restored the historic structure located at Discovery Park’s western tip. The Department of Parks and Recreation acquired the lighthouse in 2006, following approval from the United States Department of the Interior. Funded partly by the Washington State Heritage Capital Projects Fund and community efforts, the project had a budget of $600,000. Construction commenced in 2009. The restoration involved various tasks such as hazardous material abatement, ensuring compliance with current building codes, and enabling ADA access.
Key milestones included the copper gutter fabrication, completed in fall 2011, and the removal of a scaffold enclosure in June 2010, allowing public viewing of the restored exterior. Additionally, the keepers’ quarters were slated for re-roofing in spring 2011.
The project, recommended by the West Point Citizens Advisory Committee, aligned with agreements between the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks and the City of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation.
Overall, the restoration preserved the lighthouse’s historic significance, all while addressing structural and accessibility concerns. Friends of Discovery Park was proud to participate in this collective effort.
Old Fort Lawton Building Removal
When the Park opened in 1974, one of the biggest challenges facing the newly formed Friends of Discovery Park was addressing with the enormous amount of roads, parking lots, driveways, and other paved structures part of old Fort Lawton. Not to mention the more than 500 vacant buildings the military left behind. Although the primary purpose of the new Park was to serve as a place of nature, it was hardly that fifty years ago.
Over the years, nature returned and change gradually came. Hundreds of World War II era barracks were demolished. The rifle range became the north parking lot. The base hospital, the theater, the Chapel in the Woods, and the Fort Exchange all were torn down and reforested. But the sheer number of buildings meant that many of them lasted into the 1990s. By then, most of the decommissioning work had stalled and the remaining infrastructure was forgotten and overgrown with invasive plant species. Nonetheless, FoDP continued to advocate for their removal, and raised the money to do it.
In the 1990s, the “500-area” became part of the Park. After the turn of the century, the Nike Missile Master site and Building 653 were incorporated. In the 2010s, the Capehart parcel was thoughtfully reforested. All these projects were championed by FoDP. Now, the only portion of old Fort Lawton that remains federally controlled is the Army Reserve parcel in the northeast corner of the Park. As with our previous efforts, our goal is to integrate this remaining parcel into Discovery Park.
Action
The Historic District explained:
Ever wonder why there are several centuries-old historic buildings in the parade ground that sit unused and empty? In the 1980’s, as more and more of the old military buildings were being demolished, a debate arose between the historic preservationists and those that wanted it preserved as a place of nature. Eventually it was decided that the oldest buildings would be left standing. This included the 30+ clustered, residential buildings (Officers Row and Montana Circle) still retained by the military as residences for military families. And the 8 non-residential structures would be owned by the City. Buildings like the Guardhouse, the Chapel and the Historic Bus Stop.
The entire 11 acre area was designated a historic district, with rules in place that would maintain the historic character of the buildings. In order to preserve the historic district as a place of quiet, free from motorized vehicles and commercial endeavors, the City passed an ordinance (#114013) that stated that there be no interior use of its buildings, resulting in the quiet and peaceful parade grounds that many generations of citizens have come to love and cherish.
We support this law. In fact, we have resolutely resisted many attempts at commercializing those buildings into things like museums, studios, restaurants or private residences, which would bring lengthy and expensive construction projects along with noise and motorized vehicles into a site that has been a pedestrian and bike-only zone of peace and quiet for over 50 years.
FAA Radar Site & Parade Grounds
At the apex of Discovery Park largest and most cherished green area, “The Parade Grounds,” stands a towering 100-foot FAA radar dome, a landmark within the Fort Lawton Historic District. The district offers expansive spaces and breathtaking vistas. Encircling the radar dome is a robust security fence delineating a 2.25-acre site. The dome and its maintenance building occupy a square half-acre plot, similar to other configurations found in 46 similar sites nationwide. However, unlike other locations, an additional bubble of 1.87 acres lay fenced off, unused and inaccessible to the public.
Friends of Discovery Park is actively advocating for the removal of the outer fence, leaving the secure perimeter intact to grant public access to additional unused space. This proposal, which requires no land transfer or purchases, aligns with the site’s FAA ownership. The land, owned by the public, merits utilization for park access and enjoyment. Friends of Discovery Park have engaged the FAA, local policymakers , and Seattle Parks & Recreation to discuss this practical and cost-effective initiative.
What is that thing?
The iconic “Golf Ball” radar dome remains the last piece of an abandoned radar station. Originally, the “Fort Lawton Air Force Station”, a Cold War radar site, primarily operated from 1960 to 1963, was a United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. Initially identified as “RP-1” and later “Z-1” under the SAGE system. The station was inactivated by the Air Force in 1963, with the Army then controlling the site until 1974. The area is now just called the Fort Lawton FAA Radar Site.
“In the years to come there will be almost irresistible pressure to carve out areas of the park in order to provide sites for various civic structures or space for special activities. The pressures for those sites may constitute the greatest single threat to the park. They must be resisted with resolution.”
– the Discovery Park Master Plan