Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: Schools, LEED BD+C: Schools, LEED BD+C: Core and Shell

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.2, v3 - LEED 2009, v2 - Schools 2007, v3 - LEED 2009, v3 - LEED 2009

Inquiry

This previously developed and graded site currently provides minimal (to no) habitat value. It\'s location on an urban waterway is very suitable for wildlife habitat, (especially birds) as it potentially provides food, cover, and water in close proximity. We are proposing an integrated native and adaptive planting strategy that provides multiple vertical layers of habitat on site and is sufficiently complex to be suitable habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, including birds. This strategy includes planting layers of understory, thicket, tree canopy and a variety of height tree snags. It is also possible we could provide a nesting platform on one of these snags. The best trees for snags are cedar, preferably live cedar (from 20\' to 25\') that needs to be cut down from an existing site. Cedars rot more slowly than other species and so is lower maintenance in the long term. Cottonwoods and Alders are also potentially useful trees for snags although considerably less desirable because they degrade faster. Potential sources for these furnishing are harvesting sites under development as well as contacting mills or lumber yards who occasionally cull crooked or rotten wood from their yard. Snags are used as a staging/feeding/perching habitat for birds of prey such as osprey, bald eagles and hawks species along open waters in the Pacific Northwest. Relative to the urban setting this kind of habitat is scarce so distributing as many snags as possible along the water front is a desirable option for habitat creation. These large bird species are extremely charismatic and dramatic and could provide a framework for education and interest in native ecology and urban habitat. The Osprey is the most successful species at nesting in artificial/human provided nesting platforms with several cases of successful nesting pairs in the Puget Trough region. Additionally, snags in this location could provide habitat function for flickers, purple martin, kingfishers, wood duck, hooded merganser, bufflehead and goldeneye. Snags also harbor insects and bugs which provide food and nesting materials for many species. Wildlife Habitat Design Strategy Recommendations Install 9 snag trees on site Height: 8\' - 25\' Size: minimum 14" diameter coniferous tree with large branches Distance: Approx. 35\' to 65\' apart Install 1 nesting platform on site Height: 19\'-30\'. Size: 4\' X 4\' on single pole. In the broadest terms, we are attempting to provide perching/staging habitat for large birds or prey by providing snags and secondly, a nesting feeding habitat for smaller birds, with a layered landscape of trees, thicket and understory. Since the credit intent is to provide habitat and promote biodiversity, I am unclear if our design strategy to include snags and a nesting platform assist in acquiring this point or maybe an innovative point? My research with local federal and local agency biologists has shown that these furnishing would be a very desirable asset to this location and would improve habitat value significantly, (especially while the site matures) and are very important to the species we are targeting.