The Whitman Walk Restoration Area is a small forest tract (≈ 0.5 acre) located on the UW campus between Denny Field and McCarty Hall. Since 2008, we have removed invasive species such as English ivy and Himalayan blackberry, which had been the dominant understory. The number of native plant species has almost quadrupled, from 11 to 45!
Our goal is to create a site rich in native plant species in order to showcase the flora of lowland northwestern forests. We envision an aesthetically pleasing open environment synchronized with the surrounding university landscape. Since 2020, a variety of factors have stopped us from being able to work on this site, but we hope to be able to do more restoration soon!
Management Objectives for 2019-2020
-The site is currently decommissioned as a SER-UW site until the future of the site is determined.
Management Objectives for 2017-2018
– This site is currently limited to access due to construction of additional housing units.
– Future objectives will include assessing the quality of the site to plan for future care.
Management Objectives for 2015-2016
– Work with the UW to maintain restored forest during construction associated with the redevelopment of North Campus residence halls (View Land Use Action; Download Design Proposal).
– Complete implementation of the Campus Sustainability Fund Grant in order to increase the educational and recreational value of the Whitman Walk Restoration Area.
– Continue site maintenance, including removal of invasive species and increasing biological diversity through native plantings.