Snake Lake Offers Escape To Nature In The Heart Of Metropolitan Tacoma

-- TACOMA

Their mission statements almost sound like something out of Star Trek: "To promote the understanding and appreciation of the natural world through an educational sanctuary."

But, while the objective may sound lofty, the supporters of the Nature Center at Snake Lake have their feet firmly planted on terra firma. And they want others to do the same.

The reward, as 70,000 visitors discover each year, is a nature preserve virtually in one's backyard.

"You wouldn't believe the people who come here," said Kathleen LeGreid Flint, a program assistant for the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma, which operates the center. "They really care about protecting this place. A lot of them come here just for a good nature walk - to get out of the city. But we also get joggers, and schoolchildren, and bird-watchers, too."

Snake Lake encompasses 54 acres of upland, forest, thicket, marsh and wetlands in the heart of metropolitan Tacoma. Named by the city's early pioneers because of its long, thin shape, the preserve is home to a wide variety of plants, trees and animals.

Wildlife includes mountain beavers, red foxes, cottontail rabbits, Douglas and Eastern squirrels and raccoons. Floating atop the lake and wetlands are Canada geese, wood ducks and mallards. And up in the trees, an experienced bird-watcher can spot from 15 to 20 other bird species, said Tom Weathers, a supervising naturalist with the park district.

Plant and tree life also is abundant. Madrone and Douglas fir grow side by side, amid baldhip rose bushes, orange honeysuckle, Pacific dogwood, Oregon white oak, and other flora.

The park even has something for geology buffs - an ancient kettle, or hole, atop a hill. The kettle was formed by retreating glaciers 15,000 to 12,000 years ago.

At the urging of local citizens, conservation groups, and park officials, the city of Tacoma converted Snake Lake into a nature center in 1979. Since then, the park and the Snake Lake Nature Center Foundation, a nonprofit corporation devoted to protecting the area from encroaching development, has put out the red carpet for visitors.

As a way to promote interaction with the park's flora and fauna, more than two miles of meandering nature trails have been established throughout the preserve. Three bridges or causeways span the lake and marshlands to allow close-hand observation of the waterfowl. In addition, four crude peep-hole shelters, complete with feeding stations, have been built so the park's wildlife can be watched unobtrusively.

A self-guiding handbook also is available, providing biological and historical data of 33 different park areas, marked by wooden posts embedded in the ground alongside the trails.

For example, at Station No. 20, the handbook discloses the existence nearby of an old ant hill inhabited by ants of the genus Formica. The ants exude a form of acid to thwart incroachers.

A mere 350 feet away, at Station No. 21, the handbook reveals that 100 years ago the site was crossed by railroad tracks owned by the Tacoma-Lake City Railway, which carried travelers from above Old Town to a resort on American Lake. The operation folded in 1897.

Then it's on to Station No. 22 where, according to the handbook, there once was a peat-mining enterprise.

In addition, the park features classroom-type learning centers housed in two portable trailers. Park officials say that, later this year, the trailers will be replaced with a new 9,000-square-foot education center housing a 120-seat auditorium.

The $870,000 building is being constructed through a public bond issue for parks.

Got a great idea for a local getaway? Give us a call at 946-3970 or write to us at South County Life, 31620 23rd Ave. S., Suite 312, Federal Way, WA 98003.

--------------- SNAKE LAKE PARK ---------------

-- If you go: Snake Lake Nature Center, 1919 South Tyler St., Tacoma. Take Interstate 5 south from Federal Way, then Highway 16. Exit north on Union Avenue, left on South 19th Street, and left again on Mason Avenue. Visitor's parking is just to the left. Park hours: 8 a.m. to dusk, daily. Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday, (206) 591-6439. Admission: None