Urban Forestry          Dr. José Rizal Park          Lewis Park          The Jungle          Cheasty Greenspace

The forest on the western slope of Beacon Hill, from I-90 to Georgetown, is a patchwork of private and public lands managed by SDOT, Parks & Recreation, Public Utilities, and WashDOT. It's home to 48 species of birds, and raccoons, coyotes, opossum, squirrels, voles, field mice, rats and feral cats, the occasional dog. Since the 1930s, it has been "The Jungle."

In 2003, a well organized gang began wholesaling heroin in the woods. They beat up the homeless people they found, especially the women.  For Northwest Beacon Hill, that spring was a season of crime. The dealers attracted prostitutes, pimps, johns. Prowling and burglary became common. Elders were accosted by small-time criminals looking for easy money. Jerks harassed neighborhood women and girls. Junkies retailed crack and heroin from a few bad houses and apartments.

That spring and summer, BAN organized large public meetings, first in Quarters 1 on the PacMed campus, then at the amphitheatre of Dr. José Rizal Park: 75 people attended one meeting. Jordan Royer, from the City's Neighborhood Action Team, organized an interagency taskforce of Seattle, County, and Washington State agencies, including:

• Parks & Recreation

• SDOT

• SPD

• Public Utilities

• DON

• Street Outreach Services

• WashDOC

• WashDOT

The project would grow to include all stakeholders in the greenbelt.

After much dedicated work, Beacon Hill will have an important bicycle and pedestrian path extending along its western slope with the development of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail.

The Jungle is a forest again.