Advocacy
Header photo: Varied thrush in the Sorbus Collection (courtesy Larry Hubbell).
SR 520 Bridge impacts, Parks Levy & more
As part of our core mission to sustain and protect the Washington Park Arboretum, the Foundation engages in advocacy at the local, city, and state levels. Examples include:
- Our work to minimize the impacts of the SR520 Bridge replacement project on the Arboretum and secure mitigation funding from the project for improvements, such as the Arboretum Loop Trail.
- Our support of the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy, which allocated roughly $2.5 million to Washington Park Arboretum to fund Master Plan projects such as the Pacific Connections Garden.
Other important advocacy initiatives have included working to secure funding at the state level for Arboretum curation, and working at the city level to secure funding for Arboretum maintenance and operations.
How You Can Help
Please help support our advocacy efforts by joining as a member, by donating to the Foundation, making your voice heard at public meetings, and/or voting to protect our treasured urban green space at the ballot box.

Arboretum Partners doing a celebratory “vine cutting” to open the new Arboretum Loop Trail.
Photo by: @samfuphoto

Online Arboretum Shop Reopens
Jan 13, 2021
In early December 2020, we created a temporary online Arboretum Gift Shop filled with nature-themed treasures from our on-site store. Designed for the holiday season, it remained opened until December 21 and netted more than $6,500 for the Arboretum. Thanks to...

Tried and True Shrubs for the Northwest Garden
Jan 4, 2021
We know that fall is the best time to plant shrubs in our region. But what are some of the more beautiful, useful, and easy-care varieties to grow? In the latest issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, garden writer Barbara Ashmun profiles a dozen of her favorite shrubs...

Composting Restroom Opens in the Arb
Dec 10, 2020
In late November, the Arboretum opened a new composting restroom in the bus-turnaround area of the Pacific Connections Garden. Solar-powered, ADA accessible, and odorfree, it is first restroom of its kind in a Seattle city park. The unit will alleviate the lack of...