2nd Qtr 2011 Winner

Walk in the Shoes of a County Employee at Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park

Although I spend most of my days (and evenings) in a suit traveling between offices, meetings and events around King County, I spent a lot of time outdoors as a Northwest kid roaming our abundant open spaces with my brother and friends; hiking and camping with my scout troop. So I have been looking forward to getting out into King County's remarkable 25,000 acre park system as part of my Executive duties.

Last month, as part of my quarterly Walk in the Shoes of a County Employee program, I accepted DNRP Park District Maintenance Coordinator Niki McBride’s invitation to come visit her team at Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park near Issaquah.

I spent an informative and productive day with the Parks staff who manage and maintain the park’s more than 3,000 acres. Niki introduced me to the team and gave me a brief PowerPoint overview of the mountain and the types of work they do.

But even high-resolution PowerPoint pictures cannot fully capture the beauty and expansiveness of Cougar Mountain. So Niki and I hit the trail to clear brush and fix a ditch after grabbing a weed eater and suiting up with protective field gear. (Office of Risk Management: you’re welcome.) We had sunny skies, but Niki reminded me that employees do this work year round, in snow, rain and other challenging weather conditions.

After a quick lunch in the field with an incredible view (a nice added reward for the tough work our employees do) we hiked a bit of the mountain. Along the way, the staff gave me an enlightening overview on every aspect of Cougar Mountain: its history, terrain, weather quirks, ecological diversity, and more.

Over the years, Cougar Mountain has been home to Native Americans, miners, loggers, and even the US Army. For thousands of years, Native Americans called Cougar Mountain home. When the region began to be settled, miners worked the hills for close to 100 years, up until the middle of the twentieth century. They co-existed with large logging operations and even some small-scale farms, which helped supply miners, loggers, and their families with fresh produce.

Cougar Mountain's history also includes an old mining town, a restored meadow that was a baseball field in the 1920's and some old anti-aircraft gunning sites installed during World War II. Those sites were upgraded to Nike Missile and radar sites during the Cold War before being deactivated in 1965. I left the hike refreshed, informed, and even more committed to the county’s role as environmental steward of this regional treasure and its rich historic past.

If you’re suffering from a touch of “nature deficit disorder” in our fast-paced, tech-focused world, you might find the cure and have a great time at Cougar Mountain or one of the other parks in the King County system.

As always, I finished my walk in the shoes of a County employee impressed by the dedication and work ethic of our staff. As County Executive and a lifelong resident of Washington, I am grateful that they’re working to preserve these ecological treasures for future generations of Washingtonians and park visitors.

If you are doing a job that you think I should experience, the next Walk in the Shoes of a County Employee competition opens on Friday, October 7th and closes on Friday, October 21st. I look forward to receiving your invitation.

Sincerely,

Dow Constantine
King County Executive