Help Raise Funds for the Billy Goat Trail—Keep Finn Hill Green!
Can you imagine being able to walk on wooded trails starting near Juanita Beach Park all the way up to the top of Finn Hill and beyond? Would you like to help preserve the uniquely green landscape and character of Finn Hill? Working with the Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance, the City of Kirkland is preparing to purchase pristine woodlands on Goat Hill that will nearly double the size of Juanita Heights Park and connect it to the foot of Finn Hill near Juanita Beach.
The new area will be the first link in the Billy Goat Trail — so named due to the steep terrain (and because it’s situated on Goat Hill) – which will be a keystone entrance trail to the top of Finn Hill. Purchase of this property is crucial in linking the green spaces on Finn Hill to one day creating the Green Loop.
The Loop would make it possible to hike from Juanita Beach to the top of Finn Hill, up to Simonds Road and over to O.O. Denny and Big Finn Hill Parks. With the recent acquisition of the Wayne Golf Course as park property, it will be possible to extend the trails all the way to Kenmore and Bothell. The Green Loop is an important element of the draft Finn Hill neighborhood plan, which the Kirkland City Council is scheduled to approve in early 2018.
Finn Hill is blessed with parks on its western side but the woods on eastern slope are mostly unprotected. In addition to expanding trails, the Billy Goat Trail would protect a large area of greenspace from impending development—greenspace that is important for wildlife habitat and to those of us who value the lush native landscape of Finn Hill. If you’re concerned by the increasing number of wooded properties becoming developed all over Finn Hill, this is your opportunity to make a difference.
The City of Kirkland and King County are working with the Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance and committing funds to buy the woodland property on Goat Hill. To supplement public money, FHNA is setting up an acquisition account with contributions from residents and friends of Finn Hill. Our initial goal is to raise $10,000, but we’re confident we can raise $200,000 – which is what we think we’ll need to finish the Billy Goat Trail purchases and show local government that our community is committed to making the Green Loop a reality over the coming decades.
If you’d like to contribute, please visit the FHNA donate page and specify “Green Loop” when making your donation. Donations are tax deductible and will be used solely for acquisition of land to be preserved as woodlands in perpetuity.
Finn Hill residents protected O.O. Denny Park and the Juanita Woodlands from housing subdivisions. Let’s do it again on Goat Hill! If you’re interested in getting updates or volunteering, visit www.finnhillalliance.org/fhna-projects/eastern-finn-hill-expansion/
Juanita Heights expansion 4.23 acres
This is awesome, great work, I will donate!
Thank you!!!
It would be really helpful if a map were included in this post.
Thank you, we added a map.
It’s like a local Nature Conservancy. 😊
Happy to do our part to make this happen.
Mark and Susan Vossler
Susan,
Thanks so much for your support!! The very best way to save woodlands is to buy them, and the best way to encourage the City and County to help out with funding is to show them that we care enough to put our own dollars into the effort. If neighbors pitch in, we can buy these 4 acres by early 2018…and then move on to protecting other areas of Finn Hill
We’re in! Thanks for your continued leadership in protecting green spaces in our community.
Lauren Gaddy and Howard Gefen
Thank you so much Lauren and Howard!
Just donated – keep up the valuable work!
I just donated, but didn’t see a way to specify the funds were for Juanita Heights Park expansion. Please can you allocate it for that, and hopefully get a match from our neighbors on Goat Hill!
Thanks again
Thank you Ed for your donation. Your donation will be earmarked for the Juanita Heights park expansion. When donating through PayPal a message box is available where you can earmark your donation. On the FHNA donate site we let you know that by typing in “land acquisition” your donation will go towards the acquisition of woodland parcels on Goat Hill.